Task 1 Process Diagram — passive voice + sequencing band 8

Question type

Diagram showing stages of a process:

• Industrial: "how cement is manufactured"
• Natural: "the water cycle"
• Lifecycle: "life cycle of a frog"

Structure 4-paragraph

Intro (1-2 sentences)

• Paraphrase: "The diagram illustrates the process of..."
• Overview hint (number of stages): "...which consists of [N] main stages."

Overview (2-3 sentences)

• State number of stages
• State starting and ending points
• Note ANY key feature (cyclical? linear? requires X input?)

Body 1 (first half of process)

• Stages 1-N/2
• Sequencer markers + passive voice

Body 2 (second half)

• Remaining stages → final output
• Acknowledge if cyclical ("the cycle then repeats")

Passive voice — heavy use

Process diagrams describe ACTION ON things, not by people. → passive natural.

Active vs passive

• Active (weak for process): "Workers heat the limestone in a kiln."
• Passive (strong): "The limestone is heated in a kiln."

Common passive forms

• is/are + past participle: "the mixture is poured"
• has/have been + past participle: "once the materials have been combined"
• be + past participle (after modal): "can be filtered", "must be cooled"

Variation patterns

• "The X is processed by Y" — agentless
• "After being processed, X moves to Y"
• "X undergoes a chemical reaction"

Sequencing markers

Beginning

• "To begin / Initially / At the outset"
• "The process commences with..."
• "First/Firstly..."

Middle stages

• "Following this / Subsequently / In the next stage"
• "Once X has been completed, Y begins"
• "This is then followed by..."
• "At this point..."

Ending

• "Finally / Lastly / In the final stage"
• "The process culminates in..."
• "The end product is..."