WRITING TASK 1

1. WRITING TASK 1 Jan 2nd, 2013

2. PROCESS: DIAGRAMS AND FLOWCHARTS

3. Process: Diagram or Flowchart → describe a cycle or process in stages or steps Source: http://ielts-academic.com/2012/03/11/ielts-writing-task-1-process-diagram-with-sample-answer/

5. In describing a process, you have to: • describe each stage or sequence in the process and expand where necessary • describe parts or components of a system or process • use the simple passive

6. Process: Key information • What? • Who? • Which? • When? • Why? • How?

7. Activity 1 Identify the sentences that can address “What? Who? Which? When? Why? How?”

8. How many ways of collecting and analyzing weather data at the first and second stages of the process? Looking at the first and second stages of the process, there are three ways of collecting weather data and three ways of analysing it. What happens first? OR What can satellite receive? OR How can the information be received? OR What happens to incoming information? Firstly, incoming information can be received by satellite and presented for analysis as a satellite photo. What can be passed to a radar station? OR How is the same data treated? The same data can also be passed to a radar station and presented on a radar screen or synoptic chart. What happens next? OR How is the incoming information collected? OR When is the incoming information analysed? Secondly, incoming information may be collected directly by radar and analysed on a radar screen or synoptic chart. What is another instrument to receive data? OR Where can the data be shown? Finally, drifting buoys also receive data which can be shown on a synoptic chart. What happens at the third stage of the process? OR When is the weather broadcast prepared on computers? At the third stage of the process, the weather broadcast is prepared on computers. What happens last? Finally, it is delivered to the public on television, on the radio, or as a recorded telephone announcement.

9. Activity 1a Complete the diagram with ten pieces of missing information from the passage “How Olive Oil is Made”.

10. Language input 1 Describing sequences and stages

11. SEQUENCING

12. DESCRIBING STAGES The chemical cleaning goes through three main stages of processing as follows.

13. Activity 2 Part I: Read the passage and answer the following questions. Part II: Read the passage and underline the phrases for describing the sequence.

14. ANSWERS P1: None P2: In the first stage P3: Following this, The next step P4: Subsequently, firstly, secondly

15. Activity 3 Use sequences where appropriate.

16. MODEL ANSWERS To begin, the clay used to make the bricks is dug up from the ground by a large digger. This clay is then placed onto a metal grid, which is used to break up the clay into smaller pieces. A roller assists in this process. Following this, sand and water are added to the clay, and this mixture is turned into bricks by either placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter. Next, these bricks are placed in an oven to dry for 24 – 48 hours. In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a heating and cooling process. They are later heated in a kiln at a moderate and then a high temperature (ranging from 200c to 1300c), followed bya cooling process in a chamber for 2 – 3 days. Finally, the bricks are packed and delivered to their destinations.

17. Language input 2 Passive

18. In the active sentence we are more interested in the person or thing doing the action (the agent). In the passive sentence we are more interested in the person or thing affected by the action.

19. When we describe parts of components of a system of process, the focus is on the activities, NOT the person or thing doing them → so we must use the passive voice, not the active voice!

20. Passive is formed by: Putting the object in front of the verb. Changing the main verb into a past participle form. Adding the verb to be in the same tense as the original verb.

21. Active: A large diggerdigs up the clay in the ground. The agent The action The thing affected by the action Passive: The clay in the ground is dug upby a large digger. The thing affected The action The agent by the action The same meaning; the emphasis is different!

22. Passive – Past participle of the verb

23. Activity 4 Underline the passive verbs.

24. ANSWERS Looking at the coffee production process in detail, coffee beans must first be pickedin the fields. These beans are then dried, roasted, and cooled before being put in a grinding machine, which turns the beans into coffee granules. At the sixth stage in the process, the ground coffee is mixedwith hot water, and the resulting mixture is strained. Next, the mixture is frozenand then passed once again through the grinder. After that, the ground, frozen liquid is driedin a vacuum so that the water evaporates, leaving the coffee granules. Finally, these granules are packedinto coffee jars for delivery to shops.

25. Read the text on the Internet again (Activity 2). Underline the phrases for giving stages of the process.

26. ANSWERS In general terms, the Internet is a way of accessing information from many different sources via a computer at home or connected to a local network. At its simplest, the Internet consists of individual computers linked via a network. The network is made up of four basic items: backbones (fibre optic wires), Internet Services Providers (ISPs) and routes connected to servers that store and send data to and from people.

27. When a person wants to access the data, the information goes through four stages. In the first stage, one’s computer is connected to an Internet Services Providers (ISP) via a modem or a local area network (LAN). A modem is a piece of equipment for people using a computer at home which converts the signal of the telephone line to a digital signal. A local area network is a network of computers linked together with a digital line.

28. Following this request for data is broken into pieces of information about 1 kilobit in size called packets. The next step is for these packets to be broken up into three parts: head, data and footer. The head contains the sender’s and receiver’s addresses, the data contains the information and the footer is constituted of data which shows the end of the packet and an error check. Errors are checked by giving the total of the number of 1s and 0s in the original binary message, so that when the data is received it should still have the same number of 1s and 0s as when it was sent.

29. The packets are subsequently transferred to a router – a specialized computer that sends information to its destination along thousands of pathways. Networks are connected through routers which do two things: firstly they make sure the packets is sent to the correct place, secondly they determine which way is the best way for the packet to go. One router communicates with the next router to make sure the next part of the network is clear. If a network path or part of a network is busy, a different route may be chosen. Thus, information that is sent over the Internet travels in separate packets through several possible different routes.

30. ONLINE EXERCISE http://www.admc.hct.ac.ae/hd1/english/process/clozepassive.htm http://www.admc.hct.ac.ae/hd1/english/process/papermaking_gap.htm

31. Activity 5 Draw a process diagram based on the information from the text.

32. MODEL ANSWER • Locate oil • Pump oil through pipeline • Store oil in storage tanks • Refine oil into different products , including petrol • Store petrol in tanks • Transport petrol to petrol stations • Store petrol in underground tanks • Pump petrol into cars

33. Language input 3 Showing purpose

34. To explain what a component or a stage in a process is for. • In other words, you need to explain the purpose of something!

35. Activity 6 Choose the answer from the options. There may be more than one answer to each sentence.

36. ANSWERS • 1. The water is boiled ________________ kill harmful germs. • A. in order to • B. so as • C. to • 2. Scales are used ________________ the ingredients are weighed accurately. • A. so as • B. so that • C. in order • 3. There is a battery ________________ provide electrical power. • A. so as • B. to • C. in order to

37. 4. ________________ grow straight, the plant needs to be supported with a piece of wood. • A. To • B. In order to • C. So as • 5. The leaves need to be left in the sun ________________ dry thoroughly. • A. to • B. so that • C. so as to • The frame is made of aluminum ________________ the structure is light but strong. • A. in order to • B. so that • C. to

38. Language input 4 Cause and result/ effect

39. Phrases and words for expressing cause and result relationships in describing diagrams. Go to this link: http://www.grammar-quizzes.com/8-7.html Scroll down the page and complete ‘Stating cause effect relationship’ quiz.

41. Activity 7 Fill in the blanks with the words in the box.

42. ANSWERS Water leaks slowly into the caves because there are thousands of tiny cracks and holes in the limestone rock. On its way down, the water absorbs the calcium carbonate present in the rock and this results ina mineral solution. Small drops of this solution form on the roof of the cave. When each drop falls, it leaves behind a ring-shaped deposit of calcite. This process is repeated many times and as a resulta thin calcite tube is formed. This tube is sometimes called a soda straw on account ofits shape. Occasionally the soda straw gets blocked due to a piece of stone or soil. This causes the drops of solution to pour down the outside of the straw. Consequently, calcite deposits build up around the straw and these give rise tothe typical cone shape of the stalactite. Only the straws that get blocked will eventually become stalactites.

43. THANK YOU See you in Feb 2013