Academic Writing Task 1 · process diagram

The process for university students to complete their work experience requirement

The flowchart below shows the process involved in completing the work experience requirement for university students.

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

Fulfilling the Work Experience Requirement
  1. 1.Application: Choose workplaces and arrange interviews
  2. 2.Approval: Submit acceptance letter to professor
  3. 3.Schedule: Arrange 10 hours per week for 20 weeks
  4. 4.Reports: Submit weekly Report Form every Friday
  5. 5.Evaluation: Participate in evaluation meeting and submit Evaluation Form
  6. 6.Final Report: Submit Final Report before last week of spring term

Chart redrawn by BandLadder from the data in the original IELTS practice task. Many IELTS practice tasks come from the Cambridge IELTS series (Cambridge University Press & Assessment); all rights in the original tasks remain with their owners.

Band 8 sample answer

The flowchart illustrates the six-stage procedure that university students must follow to satisfy their work experience requirement. Overall, the process is sequential, starting from the initial selection of a workplace and ending with the submission of a final report, which is the prerequisite for receiving credits.

In the initial phase, students are required to select potential workplaces from an approved list, arrange interviews, and submit applications. Once an acceptance letter is obtained, it must be submitted to a professor for formal approval. Following this, the student must establish a work schedule, which involves a commitment of at least 10 hours per week over a 20-week period.

During the employment phase, students are responsible for completing a weekly report form, which must be submitted to their professor every Friday. As the placement nears its conclusion, the student must participate in an evaluation meeting with their work supervisor, who is then responsible for submitting an evaluation form. The final stage of the requirement is the submission of a final report, which must be completed before the last week of the spring term to ensure the awarding of credits.

186 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

How to write about process diagrams

sequential
following a logical order or a set sequence
prerequisite
a thing that is required as a condition
illustrates
provides a visual representation of a process
commencement
the beginning or start of an activity
satisfy
to meet the requirements or expectations needed
procedure
a series of actions conducted in order

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

The process consists of six distinct stages, beginning with the application phase and concluding with the submission of a final report to earn academic credits.

How long should an IELTS Task 1 answer be?

At least 150 words; 170 to 200 is the safe range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

How do I describe process diagrams?

Say how many stages there are and where the process starts and ends. Use the passive and sequencers: first, after this, once, finally. Keep every stage; a missing step costs task achievement.

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