IELTS help for free
Describing processes
Processes, cycles, and flowcharts come up in IELTS and they need to be approached in a very different way.
One thing that makes them much easier is the requirements for task achievement. In a process, cycle, and flowchart every step is a main feature. This is a lot easier than the data tasks where you need to decide which features need to be focused on.
Vocabulary
The vocabulary aspect is much more difficult for these tasks as you cannot prepare the verbs and nouns like you can for data tasks and maps. There are 3 ways to help with your lexical range while doing a process.
Using synonyms
Think of appropriate synonyms for the words already given in the process (you should try to avoid repeating the words in the task).
Examples:
Cut - chopped/ sliced (depending on the context)
Packed - packaged
stored - put away
Changing parts of speech
Change the words in the process to a different part of speech.
noun <- -> verb <- -> adjective <- -> adverb
Examples:
box (n) -> boxed (v)
printer (n) -> print (v) -> printed (adj)
mix (v) -> mixture (n) -> mixed (adj)
Think of appropriate words for the pictures you can see.
This can be the hardest part but is also necessary. You need to think of appropriate verbs and nouns for the pictures given in the process and cycles.
-
Truck (American English)
-
Lorry (British English)
-
Delivered/ delivery
-
Transport/ Transported
-
Sent out
-
Digger/ dig
-
Excavator/ excavate
-
Extract
-
Remove
-
Mined (context sensitive)
Sentence structures
Processes, cycles, and flowcharts are a great way to use a mixture of active and passive voice.
Active voice: When a machine is doing the action in the process.
Passive voice: When a person is needed to do the action.
Passive voice structure:
Subject + be + past participle.
When turning a sentence from active to passive voice, change the object pronoun to the subject.
Examples:
The fan dries the wet paper. (Active voice - fan is a machine)
The paper is placed on trays. (Passive voice - the action is done by a person).
Useful complex structures:
Relative clauses: please look at grammar section of the site.
Using before and after.
These structures are very useful as they are complex and allow you to sequence actions which is a requirement when describing processes, cycles, and flowcharts.
Before/ After + independent clause, independent clause.
Before the paper is placed on the trays, it is dried by a fan.
After the paper is dry, it is sorted by size and colour.
Before/ After + gerund, independent clause.
Before being placed on the trays, the paper is dried by a fan.
After being dried, the paper is sorted by size and colour.
Independent clause + before/ after + independent clause.
The paper is dried by a fan after it is placed on trays.
The paper is dried before it is sorted by size and colour.
Independent clause + before/ after + gerund
The paper is dried by a a fan after being placed on trays.
The paper is dried before being sorted by size and colour.
Sequencing linkers
Just like using before and after, it is important to use sequencing linkers to connect the stages together. This will help your coherence and cohesion score.
