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Process diagram: Tea processing

Pick out the main features of this process diagram for your overview, write your report on a 20-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.

WRITING TASK 1

Process diagram

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The diagram below shows how tea leaves are processed for sale.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Tea processing
  1. 1PluckingYoung leaves and buds are picked by hand
  2. 2WitheringLeaves are left to wilt for several hours
  3. 3RollingLeaves are rolled to release their juices
  4. 4OxidationLeaves darken as they react with air
  5. 5FiringHot air dries the leaves to stop oxidation
  6. 6SortingLeaves are graded by size
  7. 7PackingTea is packed into sealed bags and chests

GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.

What your overview should say

An overview names the main trends or differences in one or two sentences, without numbers. These are the features a strong answer picks out:

  1. 1Overall, tea processing is a linear process with seven stages, beginning with plucking young leaves by hand and ending with packing the finished tea.
  2. 2The leaves are first plucked, withered and rolled to release their juices.
  3. 3They are then oxidised and fired to stop the reaction, before being sorted into grades and packed in sealed bags.

Write it on the clock

Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.

20:00

0 words of 150 minimum

Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.

Band-8 model answer

Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.

Show model answer (175 words)

The diagram shows how tea leaves are processed for sale, in a process that consists of seven stages.

Overall, the process is linear. The leaves are picked, treated until they have darkened and dried, and then graded and packed. The first three stages shape the leaves, the next two change and then stop their chemical reaction, and the last two prepare the tea for sale.

The process begins with plucking, when young leaves and buds are picked by hand, so only the youngest part of the plant is used. The leaves are then left to wilt for several hours in a stage called withering. After that, they are rolled so that their juices are released.

In the fourth stage, oxidation takes place. During this stage, the leaves darken as they react with air. This reaction is stopped in the next stage, called firing, when hot air is used to dry the leaves.

Finally, the dried leaves are sorted and graded by size, and the tea is packed into sealed bags and chests, ready for sale.

Useful vocabulary

PhraseMeaning
pluckpick by hand
witherlose moisture and wilt
oxidisereact with oxygen
firedry using heat
be graded by sizebe sorted according to size
sealed bagsclosed packets

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