Nikhil from Kolhapur described how jaggery is made as a list of commands: “Cut the sugarcane, crush it, boil the juice.” That is a recipe, not a description.

A process diagram shows stages, so describe them in order with sequencing words, mostly in the passive voice when who does the action doesn’t matter. Your overview should give the number of stages and where the process starts and ends.

When do you use the passive?

The IELTS website lists a diagram of a process among the visuals Task 1 may give you, and IDP IELTS says a process can be man-made or natural.

A man-made process, such as making jaggery, usually suits the present simple passive: “the juice is filtered”. A natural cycle, such as the life cycle of a frog, can use active verbs because nature performs the actions: “the female lays eggs”. Our active and passive voice lesson shows how to form each.

What goes into a process overview?

Give the number of stages, the first and last stage, and, if you can, the main phases in between. Our post on the Task 1 overview explains the overview in general.

An examiner comment on a Band 8.5 sample script on the IELTS website says that an overview giving just the number of steps is not the fullest one. It suggests summarising the key stages too. The IELTS website also says you must include the most important points in a diagram, and that some minor points may be left out.

Which words show the sequence?

Vary your linkers rather than repeating “then” sentence after sentence.

Purpose Sequencing words
First stage first, to begin with, initially
Next stages next, after that, following this, once this is done
At the same time while, as, meanwhile, at the same time
Final stage finally, in the last stage, lastly

Incorrect: “Firstly, the farmers cut the sugarcane.”

Correct: First, mature sugarcane stalks are cut and collected.

The diagram doesn’t show who does the work, so the passive puts the sugarcane first.

Practice with a jaggery diagram

Practice task (written for this post)

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The diagram below shows the stages in the traditional production of jaggery, a type of unrefined sugar made from sugarcane juice.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Invented data for practice (the stages in the diagram):

  1. Harvesting: mature sugarcane stalks are cut and collected.
  2. Crushing: the stalks pass through mechanical rollers to extract the juice.
  3. Filtering: the raw juice is passed through a filter to remove solid particles.
  4. Boiling: the filtered juice is heated in open pans to evaporate water.
  5. Cooling: the thick syrup is cooled.
  6. Moulding: the syrup is poured into moulds and sets into solid blocks.

Model answer (illustrative Band 7)

The diagram shows the traditional process by which jaggery, a type of unrefined sugar made from sugarcane juice, is produced, from harvest to finished blocks.

Overall, jaggery is produced in a single sequence of six stages. The process begins with the harvesting of sugarcane and ends with the syrup setting into solid blocks, and the stages in between extract, purify and thicken the juice before it is cooled and moulded.

First, mature sugarcane stalks are cut and collected. Next, they are passed through mechanical rollers, which extract the juice. The raw juice is then filtered to remove solid particles. At this point, the juice has been separated from the stalks and cleaned of solids.

Once it has been filtered, the juice is heated in open pans so that the water evaporates, and the liquid becomes a thick syrup. Boiling is the only stage that involves heat. The syrup is then cooled and poured into moulds. Finally, it sets into solid blocks of jaggery.

Why it works:

  • Task Achievement: the overview gives the number of stages, the start and end, and the main phases, and the six stages follow the diagram’s order.
  • Coherence and Cohesion: “First”, “Next”, “then”, “Once” and “Finally” show the sequence without repeating one linker.
  • Lexical Resource: “extract”, “evaporates” and “sets into solid blocks” suit a manufacturing process.
  • Grammatical Range and Accuracy: present simple passives dominate, with present perfect passives (“has been filtered”) and “which” and “so that” clauses.

Tip

Scan your verbs after the first draft. Each should be passive unless the diagram shows who or what acts.

Key Takeaways

  • Describe the stages in order, using the passive when the doer doesn’t matter.
  • Give the number of stages, the start, end and main phases in your overview.
  • Vary your sequencing words instead of repeating “then”.
  • Natural cycles can use active verbs, so check which type you have.

The bottom line: Write what happens to the product, not what a worker should do, and a recipe becomes a description.