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All training uses public IELTS materials.
Sources: ielts.org · British Council
Writing Task 1
Read this short introduction first. It explains what Task 1 is.
What is Task 1?
In Writing Task 1, you see a picture. It can be a chart, a graph, a map or a diagram. Your job is to describe what you see in your own words.
You do not give your opinion. You do not write a story. You just describe the main information clearly.
Task 1 is one third of your writing score. Task 2 is two thirds. So save more time for Task 2.
What gets marked?
Examiners give you a score from 1 to 9 on four things:
Task Achievement — Did you cover the main points?
Coherence and Cohesion — Is your writing easy to follow?
Lexical Resource — Did you use a good range of words?
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Is your grammar correct?
You can read about marking on ielts.org.
Different types of Task 1
You will see one of these types in the test. Each one needs slightly different language.
• Line graph — shows change over time
• Bar chart — compares different things
• Pie chart — shows parts of a whole
• Table — shows numbers in rows and columns
• Map — shows a place and how it changed
• Process diagram — shows the steps of how something is made or works
On the next page, you can choose which type you want to practise.
Choose a task type
Pick the type of Task 1 you want to learn. We are adding more soon.
Process diagrams
One of the harder Task 1 types — and the one many students fear most.
What is a process diagram?
A process diagram shows the steps of how something is made or how something works. For example, how plastic bottles are recycled, how chocolate is made, or how rain forms in clouds.
It can have many steps. Sometimes it goes in a straight line. Sometimes it goes in a circle. Sometimes it splits at the end.
Why is it hard?
Most students find process diagrams hard for three reasons:
1. There are no numbers. A line graph or a bar chart gives you numbers to compare. A process diagram does not. You have to find the important information yourself.
2. You need the passive voice. Sentences like "the bottles are washed" or "the beans are dried" — many students struggle with this.
3. You have to see the bigger picture. It is not enough to list the steps. You have to notice what is special about the whole process.
What you will learn here
This is a full lesson, not just a list of tips. By the end you will:
• Understand why the key features matter so much
• Learn how to find them in any process diagram
• Learn how to highlight them in your writing — this is the secret
• See real answers at different band levels (Band 4, 5, 6 and 7/8)
• Practise with your own task and a checklist to guide you
It will take you about 20–30 minutes. Take your time. This is the lesson that will change how you write Task 1.
Why key features matter
Before we look at the diagram, you need to understand the most important rule of Task 1.
The rule
Examiners give a Task 1 score from 1 to 9 on something called Task Achievement. This is one of four things they mark you on. It is worth a quarter of your writing score.
And the most important thing for Task Achievement is one simple question:
Did you find the key features and make them clear?
What the bands really say
Here is what the official band descriptors say (in simple words). Notice the pattern.
You can read the full official band descriptors on ielts.org. The text above is paraphrased from the public version.
Did you notice the pattern?
The same word keeps coming up: highlights.
The difference between Band 5 and Band 7 is not really about better grammar or harder words. It is about how clearly you show the examiner the important things.
This is the most important secret in Task 1, and almost no free website teaches it properly. We will spend a lot of time on this in the next few pages.
Two skills, not one
Most students think they only need one skill: find the key features. That is wrong. You need two skills:
Skill 1 — Finding the key features. Looking at the diagram and noticing what is important.
Skill 2 — Highlighting the key features. Writing in a way that makes the examiner see them clearly.
You can do skill 1 and still get a low score, if you do not do skill 2. We will teach you both.
Your task
Look at the diagram below carefully. Take your time. On the next page we will start finding the key features together.
The diagram below shows the process of recycling plastic bottles. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Take your time looking at this. Notice the three coloured bands in the background — they group the steps into phases. Notice the red dashed arrow at the bottom — it shows that the new bottles go back to the start.
Find the key features
Answer the questions below by looking at the diagram. These are the same questions an examiner would want you to answer in your writing.
Answer each question by looking at the diagram. There are no wrong answers — this is for your own thinking. We will check together on the next page.
You found the key features
Here are the answers to your six questions. These are the key features of this process diagram.
The key features of this diagram
So now you know there are five things to talk about in your answer:
1. The process has seven stages
2. It is divided into three phases (gathering, transforming, making new)
3. The process is a cycle ⭐ (new bottles return to the start)
4. The process has a branch ⭐ (some products go to other uses)
5. People drive the process — so you should use the passive voice
But wait — finding the key features is not enough. Now you need to learn the most important skill of all: how to highlight these features in your writing so the examiner sees them clearly. That is what the next page is about.
The most important skill
This is the difference between Band 5 and Band 7. Read this page slowly — it is the most important page in the whole lesson.
The problem
Imagine two students. Both find the same key feature — they both notice that the process repeats.
Student A writes: "The bottles are recycled and made into new things."
Student B writes: "The new bottles re-enter the process at the start, so the cycle repeats."
Both students saw the cycle. But only one of them made the examiner see it. That is the difference.
The rule
Finding a key feature is only half the work. You also have to write it in a way that shines a light on it. We call this highlighting. An examiner reading hundreds of essays at speed will not stop to find your key features. You have to push them in front of the examiner's eyes.
Compare these three pairs
Each pair below has the same fact written two ways. Read each pair carefully. Notice what changes.
"The bottles are recycled and made into new things."
"The new bottles re-enter the process at the start, so the cycle repeats."
"The recycled plastic is used in different ways."
"While most of the recycled plastic is used to make new bottles, the rest is used for clothing and furniture."
"There are seven steps in the process."
"The process can be divided into three phases: gathering, transforming, and making new products."
The four highlighting techniques
Look back at the strong sentences. Every one of them uses at least two of these four techniques:
1. Name the feature explicitly. Use the words "cycle", "branch", "phases", "stages". Do not hide them.
2. Use specific verbs, not vague ones. "Re-enter", "divides", "transforms" — not "is done", "happens", "made into".
3. Use signposting words. "Most importantly", "while", "however", "in contrast", "as a result". These tell the examiner: "look here, this is important".
4. Put key features at the end of sentences. The end of a sentence is the strongest position. Save the most important word for last.
Remember this page. When you write your own answer later, these are the four things to do. They are the difference between identifying a feature and highlighting it. They are the difference between Band 5 and Band 7.
The overview
You know the key features and how to highlight them. Now you need one more thing: the overview.
What is an overview?
An overview is a short paragraph (2 to 3 sentences). It tells the reader the most important things about the diagram without giving any numbers or small details.
If a person could not see the diagram, your overview should still tell them the main story.
Where does it go?
Your Task 1 answer has 4 parts. Most teachers say put the overview straight after the introduction:
1. Introduction — Say what the picture shows (1 sentence)
2. Overview — The main story, no numbers (2-3 sentences) ⭐
3. Body paragraph 1 — Details about the first part
4. Body paragraph 2 — Details about the second part
Why it matters so much
If you do not write an overview, the highest score you can get for Task Achievement is Band 5. That is the rule. So even if your grammar is perfect, no overview means no Band 6 and no Band 7. Many students forget the overview or hide it inside another paragraph. Do not be one of them.
What goes in an overview?
For a process diagram, a strong overview answers three questions:
1. What is the process? Name it in simple words. ("Plastic bottle recycling.")
2. What are the most important key features? The cycle, the branch, the phases. The big-picture things you found on the last few pages.
3. What is the overall shape? Does it go in a circle? Does it split? How many phases?
No numbers. No small details. No specific stage names like "washing" or "sorting" — those go in the body paragraphs.
A strong overview for our diagram
Here is what a strong overview for the recycling diagram looks like. Read it carefully.
Overall, the diagram shows that plastic bottle recycling is a cycle made up of three main phases: gathering, transforming, and making new products. Most importantly, the new bottles produced at the end re-enter the process at the beginning, so the cycle repeats. The recycled material also splits at the end — while most of it becomes new bottles, the rest is used for products such as clothing and furniture.
Why this overview is strong
Look at it carefully. It does everything from the last few pages.
✓ It starts with "Overall" — a clear signal to the examiner
✓ It names the cycle explicitly (uses the word "cycle" twice)
✓ It names the branch ("splits at the end... while... the rest...")
✓ It names the three phases (gathering, transforming, making new)
✓ It uses signposting words ("Most importantly", "while")
✓ It has no numbers and no small details
✓ It uses the passive voice ("is used", "are produced")
A reader who could not see the diagram would still understand the main story.
A Band 4 answer
Now you know what to look for. Read this Band 4 answer for the recycling diagram. What is wrong with it?
The diagram is showing about plastic bottles recycle. There are seven steps in this process. First the bottles are go to bin and after that take to factory. Then they wash the bottle and cut to small pieces. After they make pellet. Then they make new bottles or other thing.
I think recycle is very good for environment because we can use plastic many time and it is not waste. Many country should do recycle more.
What is wrong with this answer?
Tick all the problems you can find. There are several.
The big lesson: A Band 4 answer is not just bad writing. It is missing the most important things — the overview, the key features, and the right voice. It also does things it should not do, like giving an opinion. To go from Band 4 to Band 5, you need to add an overview and stop giving opinions. We will see that next.
A Band 5 answer
This answer is better than Band 4. But it is still missing some important things. What is better, and what is still wrong?
The diagram shows the process of how plastic bottles are recycled. The process has seven stages from collection to making new products.
First, the used plastic bottles are collected by people in bins. After that, the bottles are taken to a recycling factory. When they arrive at the factory, the bottles are sorted by their colour. This is important because different colours cannot be mixed.
Next, the bottles are washed and the labels are removed. Then they are cut into small pieces called flakes. After this, the flakes are heated and they become small pellets. Finally, the pellets are used to make new bottles and also other things like clothes and furniture.
What is better than Band 4?
Tick the things that improved.
What is still wrong?
This is the important part. Tick the things that are still missing or weak.
The big lesson: Band 5 answers describe the diagram correctly but they miss the bigger picture. The student found the steps but did not find the shape — the cycle, the branch, the phases. And there is no overview. To go from Band 5 to Band 6, the student needs to add an overview. To go to Band 7, they also need to highlight the key features properly. We will see both next.
A Band 6 answer
This answer has an overview. That is the big jump from Band 5. But the highlighting is still weak. Read it carefully.
The diagram shows the process of how plastic bottles are recycled. The process has seven main stages, starting from collection and ending with new products being made.
Overall, the diagram shows that plastic bottles are recycled in seven steps and the new bottles can be used again. Some of the recycled plastic is also used for other products like clothes and furniture.
First, the used plastic bottles are collected from people's homes and put into bins. After that, they are taken to a recycling factory by truck. When they arrive, the bottles are sorted into different colours, because different colours cannot be mixed together.
Next, the bottles are washed and cleaned, and the labels are removed. Then they are cut into very small pieces called flakes. The flakes are then heated until they melt and become small pellets. Finally, the pellets are used to make new bottles, which are sent back to consumers, and they are also used to make other products such as clothes and furniture.
What is better than Band 5?
Tick the things that improved.
What is still weak?
This is where the lessons from earlier really matter. Tick what you notice.
The big lesson: A Band 6 answer ticks all the boxes — overview, key features mentioned, structure correct. But it does not highlight the key features. Everything is there, but nothing stands out. To climb to Band 7, the student needs to use the four highlighting techniques from earlier: name the features, use specific verbs, use signposting words, and put key features at the end of sentences. We will see exactly how next.
A Band 7/8 answer
This is what a strong answer looks like. Every lesson from this walkthrough is visible in it. Read it carefully and notice the techniques.
The diagram illustrates the seven-stage process used to recycle plastic bottles, which can be divided into three main phases: gathering, transforming, and producing new items.
Overall, the most important feature of this process is that it forms a cycle — the new bottles produced at the end re-enter the process at the start, so the cycle repeats. In addition, the recycled material splits at the end: while most of it is used to make new bottles, the rest is used for products such as clothing and furniture.
In the first phase, used plastic bottles are collected in bins and then transported to a recycling plant, where they are sorted by colour to prevent contamination. The bottles then enter the transforming phase, where they are washed, cut into small flakes, and heated until they melt into plastic pellets — the raw material for new products.
In the final phase, these pellets are manufactured into new items. As mentioned, most are used to create new bottles which return to consumers and re-enter the cycle, while the remainder is used for alternative products such as clothing and furniture, ending the cycle in a different way.
Why is this answer strong?
Tick each technique you can see in the answer. Read the essay again carefully — look for the exact words.
The big picture — Band 4 to Band 7/8
You have now seen four answers to the same diagram. Every climb between bands was built on the same lessons:
Band 4 → 5: Add structure. Use the passive voice. Stop giving opinions.
Band 5 → 6: Add an overview. Mention the key features.
Band 6 → 7/8: Highlight the key features properly. Name them. Use signposting. Group the steps.
The biggest jump — Band 6 to Band 7 — is mostly about the highlighting techniques you learned on screen 6. That is why we spent so much time on it.
Now it is your turn. On the next page, you will choose a new process diagram and write your own answer using everything you have learned. We have two diagrams to choose from.
Choose your task
Pick one of the two process diagrams below. You will write your own answer with a 20-minute timer on the next page.
Option 1: How chocolate is made
A process with a branch at the end — the cocoa beans become more than one product. Watch out for the split.
Option 2: How a hydroelectric dam works
A process with a cycle — water never runs out because it returns to the reservoir. Watch out for the loop.
Your timed test
Now you write your own answer. You have 20 minutes to write at least 150 words. This is the same as the real IELTS test.
Click "Start the timer" when you are ready. Once you start, the clock will count down from 20 minutes. Write as much as you can. You can finish early if you want.
Before you submit — check your answer
Read your answer one more time. Then tick each box below. You can only submit when all six boxes are ticked.
Your answer
The checklist
If you cannot tick a box, go back and fix your answer first.
Well done!
You finished the process diagram training. Here is your answer and what you can do next.