Describing processes and maps: learn

In this lesson you will

Describe every stage of a process in a logical order using the passive voice
Use a range of sequencing words and clauses (Once…, After being…, …, where…)
Describe changes between two maps with verbs such as convert, replace and demolish
Write an overview for a process (stages, start and end) and for a map (the main changes)

Before you start

Think about these questions, or answer them aloud.

→Think of something you make often, such as coffee or a sandwich. What are the stages, from start to finish?
→How has a street or area in your town changed in the last ten years? What was built, removed or changed?

Processes: what is different?

A process diagram has no numbers to compare. Instead, you describe each stage in order, from the first to the last. Some processes are man-made (making a product in a factory) and some are natural (the life cycle of a frog). Some are linear (they have a clear start and end) and some are cycles (they repeat).

Use the same four-paragraph structure as for charts:

Introduction: paraphrase what the diagram shows.
Overview: how many stages there are, where the process starts and where it ends.
Details 1: the first half of the stages.
Details 2: the second half of the stages.

Use the present simple, because the process happens regularly.

The passive voice in process descriptions
Active (who does it is not important)	Passive (focus on the product)
Workers pick the olives by hand or by machine.	The olives are picked by hand or by machine.
A machine crushes the olives.	The olives are crushed by a machine.
They store the oil in steel tanks.	The oil is stored in steel tanks.
Someone must filter the oil.	The oil must be filtered.
Once they have washed the olives, …	Once the olives have been washed, …

Sequencing language: avoid starting every sentence with ‘Then’

First, / To begin with, the olives are harvested.
Next, / After that, / Subsequently, they are washed.
Once the paste has been mixed, it is passed through a centrifuge.
After being washed, the olives are crushed.
Before the oil is bottled, it is filtered.
The olives are taken to a mill, where they are washed. (relative clause)
Finally, / In the final stage, the bottles are labelled.

Maps: describing change over time

Map tasks usually show the same place at two (or three) different times. Your overview should sum up the general change, for example the area became more residential or the village developed into a town.

Choose your tense carefully:

Both maps in the past (1990 and 2010): use the past simple passive: The factory was demolished.
Past and today / now: use the present perfect passive: The factory has been demolished.
A plan for the future: use will be or is going to be: A new road will be built.

Organise your details by area (the north and the south, or the land and the coast) or by time (the first map, then the changes).

Map language
Type of change	Example sentence
Something new	A sports centre was built / was constructed next to the school.
Something removed	The old cinema was demolished / was knocked down.
New use, same building	The post office was converted into a restaurant.
One thing instead of another	The bus station was replaced by a shopping centre.
Bigger or smaller	The airport runway was extended. / The forest was reduced in size.
Moved	The library was relocated to the north of the town.
No change	The church remained unchanged. / The church is still there.
Location	to the north of the river, in the south-east corner, opposite the station, alongside the road, between A and B

The task

The diagram below shows how olive oil is produced.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Process diagram with eight stages of olive oil production. Stage 1, on the farm: harvesting, olives picked from trees between October and December. Then at the mill: 2 washing, leaves and dirt removed with water; 3 crushing, olives and stones crushed into a paste; 4 mixing, paste stirred slowly for 30 to 40 minutes; 5 separating, a centrifuge separates oil, water and solids, and the solid waste by-product is used as fuel or fertiliser; 6 storing, oil kept in steel tanks for 4 to 6 weeks so that sediment settles; 7 filtering, oil filtered to make it clear; 8 bottling, oil bottled, labelled and transported to shops. — How olive oil is produced

Model answer (200 words)

The diagram illustrates the stages involved in the production of olive oil, from the harvesting of the olives to the moment the bottled oil is sent to shops.

Overall, there are eight main stages in the process. Only the first stage takes place on the farm, while the other seven are carried out at a mill, ending with the bottling of the oil. The process also creates a solid by-product that can be reused.

To begin with, the olives are picked from the trees between October and December. They are then taken to the mill, where they are washed to remove any leaves and dirt. Next, the olives are crushed, together with their stones, to form a paste. This paste is slowly mixed for 30 to 40 minutes.

In the next stage, a machine called a centrifuge is used to separate the oil from the water and the solid waste. The waste is used as fuel or fertiliser, while the oil is stored in steel tanks for four to six weeks so that any sediment can settle. After that, the oil is filtered to make it clear. Finally, it is poured into bottles, which are labelled and transported to shops.

How a strong writer does it

Overview: it gives the number of stages, where the process starts and ends (farm → mill), and one key feature (the by-product). No stage is described in detail here.
Every stage is included: examiners check that nothing is missing.
Passive voice throughout: are picked, are washed, is used, are labelled.
Varied sequencing: To begin with, then, Next, In the next stage, After that, Finally. There is no long chain of Then… Then… Then…
Relative clauses join stages: the mill, where they are washed / bottles, which are labelled.
Purpose: to remove any leaves, so that any sediment can settle explain why a stage happens, using only information from the diagram.
Present simple, because the process happens every year.

Put in order

Put the process in order

These sentences describe how plastic bottles are recycled into T-shirts. Put them in the correct order.

1These flakes are melted and formed into tiny pellets.
2To begin with, used plastic bottles are collected from recycling bins.
3Next, the labels and caps are removed, and the bottles are washed.
4After that, the fibres are spun into yarn, which is knitted into fabric.
5The pellets are heated again and stretched into long, thin fibres.
6Finally, the fabric is cut and sewn to make T-shirts.
7The clean plastic is cut into small flakes.
8They are then taken to a factory, where they are sorted by colour.

Gap fill

Use the passive

This text describes how black tea is produced. Complete it with the correct passive form of the verb in brackets. Use the present simple passive unless the sentence needs another form.

First, the young tea leaves (pick) by hand. They (spread) out on large trays so that they lose some of their water. Next, the leaves (roll) by machines, which breaks them open. After that, they (leave) in a warm room for a few hours, where they turn dark brown. Once the leaves (dry) in hot air, they (sort) by size. Finally, the tea (pack) into boxes and (send) to shops around the world.

Save words to review them later with flashcards.

stage
one step in a process
“The process consists of eight main stages.”
by-product
something produced while making something else
“Sawdust is a by-product of furniture making.”
harvest
to collect crops from the fields or trees
“The grapes are harvested in September.”
crush
to press something so hard that it breaks or becomes flat
“The olives are crushed to form a paste.”
subsequently
after that; later (formal)
“The fibres are subsequently spun into yarn.”
demolish
to completely destroy a building
“The old cinema was demolished in 2010.”
convert into
to change something so it can be used in a different way
“The warehouses have been converted into flats.”
replace
to put something new in the place of something else
“The car park was replaced by a public square.”
relocate
to move to a new place
“The bus station was relocated to the edge of town.”
residential
having houses or flats where people live
“The area has become much more residential.”
alongside
next to and along the side of something
“A cycle path runs alongside the river.”
transform
to change something completely
“The old port has been transformed into a leisure area.”

Key points

Processes: give an overview with the number of stages and the start and end; then describe every stage in order.
Use the passive voice (is picked, are washed, has been dried) and varied sequencing (Once…, After being…, where…).
Maps: give an overview of the general change, then describe changes by area or by time.
Use change verbs (built, demolished, converted into, replaced by, extended, relocated) and location phrases (to the north of, alongside).
Match your tense to the dates: past simple for two past dates, present perfect for past to now.

Check your answers in the practice exercises to record a score.

Up next · Writing B2 Intermediate

Opinion essay structure

Go to lesson

Warm-up

In this lesson you will

Before you start

Processes: what is different?

Maps: describing change over time

The task

Model answer (200 words)

How a strong writer does it

Put the process in order

Use the passive

Read the maps

Writing Task 1: the Kelby harbour maps

Key points

Warm-up

In this lesson you will

Before you start

Processes: what is different?

Maps: describing change over time

The task

Model answer (200 words)

How a strong writer does it

Put the process in order

Use the passive

Read the maps

Writing Task 1: the Kelby harbour maps

Key points