Academic Writing Task 1 · process diagram

The step-by-step industrial process for manufacturing various leather products

The diagram below shows how leather goods are produced.

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

The production process of leather goods
  1. 1.Drying animal skin
  2. 2.Transporting to factory
  3. 3.Washing in water and lime
  4. 4.Soaking in lime
  5. 5.Flattening
  6. 6.Soaking in tannin (water and vegetable matter)
  7. 7.Polishing
  8. 8.Transporting to factory
  9. 9.Manufacturing final leather goods

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 provided diagram illustrates the various stages involved in the industrial production of leather goods, starting from raw animal skins and ending with finished products such as shoes and bags.

Overall, the process is linear and involves several distinct phases, including preparation, chemical treatment, mechanical processing, and final manufacturing. The transformation requires a combination of washing, soaking, and physical refinement to turn raw skins into usable leather.

The process commences with the drying of animal skins, which are subsequently transported to a factory. Once at the facility, the skins undergo an initial washing stage in a mixture of water and lime, followed by a further soaking period in lime. After this chemical treatment, the skins are passed through a machine for flattening. Following this, the material is soaked again, this time in a solution of tannin, which consists of water and vegetable matter.

Once the soaking is complete, the leather undergoes a polishing stage. The refined material is then transported to another factory, where it is finally crafted into various leather goods, including shoes, handbags, and balls. This sequence highlights the transition from raw biological material to high-value consumer products.

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

How to write about process diagrams

commences
to begin or start a particular process
subsequently
happening after something else has taken place
distinct
clearly different or of a different kind
transformation
a thorough or dramatic change in form
refined
improved by removing unwanted or raw elements
sequence
a particular order in which things follow

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

The production of leather goods is a multi-stage industrial process that begins with the preparation of raw animal skins and concludes with the manufacturing of finished items.

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.

More process diagrams