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Process Diagram or Flow Chart is a type of diagram in the Writing Task 1 that is very rare but,
extremely easy to write about. You will be required to ‘Summarise the information by selecting
and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant’ in 20 minutes with a
word limit of minimum 150 words.
Generally, flow chart or process diagram represent either a linear process or a cyclical process.
A linear process usually includes a manufacturing process where raw materials are
manufactured into finished products and the process can start and finish at different places. A
cyclical process however includes life cycle or water cycle where a process goes back to the
start and repeats over and over again.
The first step requires you to anaylse the question where every question in Task 1 includes a
sentence that briefly describes the diagram and a sentence that gives instruction on what you
will be required to do. You should always spare time before you begin writing to carefully
analyse where the process starts and ends and check the number of steps involved in the
process. Additionally, you should always check and look out for any labels, titles or captions
mentioned in the diagram.
Begin writing the introduction where you can simply paraphrase the information about the
diagram in your question. You could use synonyms and change the sentence structure but, DO
NOT COPY!
You should learn to identify the main feature of any diagram. As there are no figures or trends
to analyse, a simple way is to select the starting point and the ending point of the process as
your key feature to give a general description for overview. The ‘public band descriptors’ state
that to achieve a band 6 or more for ‘task response’ the student must provide an overview in
the Task 1.
In your body paragraphs, you can then write about each stage explaining how these stages are
carried out to complete the whole process. It is very important that you write about the stages
in the same order as in the diagram. Carefully following any signs or signals in the diagram can
help you work out the series of events in the process diagram.
Using linking words and time connectors to write about process diagrams can help you organize
your information logically and can help the reader follow your ideas easily.
Additionally, selecting an appropriate language is also equally important when writing about
the process diagram. It is recommended that you use the passive voice when writing about a
process diagram as the focus is on the activities and not the person doing them.

In terms of words, you could use various word forms to vary your language. For instance, you
could use nouns from the diagram as verbs when writing.
Any personal opinion will be irrelevant in Task 1 henceforth, it is suggested that you only focus
on the details in the diagram and describe each stage through to the last one beginning from
the first stage.
And again, PRACTICE IS THE KEY!