1. Understand the task
Use this original Academic Task 1 practice to work on sequencing stages, tracking material changes and using appropriate passive verbs. Write at least 150 words and allow about 20 minutes for the whole task. These length and timing points follow official IELTS Writing format guidance.
Original practice task
Making new paper from used paper
The diagram shows a simplified process used by a fictional workshop to recycle paper. Describe the main stages and the connections between them. Include only information supplied by the diagram. Write at least 150 words.
| Stage | Action | Information shown |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collect | Used paper |
| 2 | Sort | Remove plastic |
| 3 | Shred | Small pieces |
| 4 | Mix | Add water |
| 5 | Screen | Remove debris |
| 6 | Press | Form sheets |
| 7 | Dry | Finished paper |
Allow about 20 minutes including planning and checking. This timer counts up and does not submit your writing.
2. Make a focused plan
Read the arrows all the way through before drafting. The upper row runs from collection to mixing, and the connecting arrow continues at screening on the lower row. There are seven labelled stages, with no branch or return arrow. The illustration therefore shows a linear sequence rather than a repeating cycle.
- Identify the endpoints. The input is used paper; the output after drying is finished paper. Include these endpoints in the overview.
- Group stages by function. Collection, sorting and shredding prepare the material. Mixing and screening process it. Pressing and drying produce the final sheets.
- Track additions and removals. Plastic is removed during sorting, water is added during mixing, and debris is removed during screening.
- Choose useful grammar. Passive forms such as “is shredded” keep attention on the material. Time links clarify order, but every sentence need not start with “then”.
Do not add machinery, temperatures, durations or bleaching chemicals from general knowledge. The simplified drawing does not show them. “The mixture is screened to remove debris” is supported, while “The mixture is heated for two hours” invents an operation. A process overview normally describes the overall transformation and organisation; it does not search for a highest value or a trend as a numerical chart overview would.
Write your own response
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3. Compare the annotated model
Write first, then compare choices rather than memorising phrases. This original model is an instructional example, not an examiner-marked response; no band score is claimed.
Read the model and paragraph notes
The diagram illustrates a simplified method of recycling paper in a small workshop. It presents seven stages, beginning with the collection of used paper and ending with finished paper after drying.
Overall, the sequence is linear: the material is prepared, mixed with water and cleaned before being formed into sheets. Two stages remove unwanted material, while water is introduced during the mixing stage. No return path or alternative branch is shown.
First, used paper is collected and then sorted so that plastic can be removed. The sorted paper is subsequently shredded into small pieces. These pieces proceed to the fourth stage, where they are mixed with water. Thus, the material reaches the mixing stage only after collection, sorting and size reduction have taken place.
The resulting mixture is then screened to remove debris. This cleaning operation follows the addition of water and comes immediately before pressing. At the sixth stage, the material is pressed to form sheets, which are passed to the final drying stage. Finished paper is the output of this last operation. Although the diagram identifies the order and purpose of the main steps, it does not specify how long any stage takes.
Why this response is organised this way
- The opening identifies the process and its seven labelled stages without claiming this is the universal method used by all recycling facilities.
- The overview describes the transformation and the linear structure, including additions and removals.
- The first detail paragraph groups preparation and mixing. Passive verbs keep the paper as the main subject.
- The final paragraph follows the remaining arrows and differentiates pressing from drying. The duration limitation is specific to this diagram; it is not a compulsory sentence for every process report.
4. Practise a precise revision
Put these operations into the correct order: dry, screen, sort, collect, press, mix with water, shred. Next, identify which stage each sentence describes. Two sentences contain unsupported additions that must be removed.
- The paper is cut into small pieces.
- Water and bleach are added to the paper.
- The mixture is screened to remove debris.
- The sheets are dried in a furnace at 150 degrees.
Check the sequence and unsupported details
Sequence: collect → sort → shred → mix with water → screen → press → dry. Follow the connector from the fourth box down to the fifth, rather than assuming the lower row runs backwards.
Sentence 1: Stage 3, shredding. “Cut into small pieces” communicates the size reduction shown.
Sentence 2: Stage 4, mixing, but only water is identified as an addition. Write: “The shredded paper is mixed with water.” Bleach is not shown.
Sentence 3: Stage 5. Both the action and the purpose are supported by the label.
Sentence 4: Stage 7, but the equipment and temperature are invented. “The sheets are then dried to produce the finished paper” stays within the information supplied.
Finally, compare “After sorting the paper, it is shredded” with “After the paper has been sorted, it is shredded.” The second version makes the subject of the opening clause explicit. The first can create an awkward implication that the paper does the sorting. You can also write the simpler sentence “The sorted paper is then shredded.”
5. Review and try again
Number your draft’s operations from one to seven and match them to the diagram. Check that neither cleaning operation has disappeared and that the water enters at the correct point. Missing a stage can break the reader’s understanding even when the grammar sounds fluent.
For a second attempt, replace repeated “then” links with a mixture of noun references and time clauses: “The sorted paper…”, “Once the mixture has been screened…” or “The final stage…”. Keep the order clear without making the vocabulary unnecessarily elaborate. A good practice goal is a reader who can redraw the same sequence from your report, including its input, output, additions and removals.
Format checked on 15 October 2026 against IELTS Writing format. Task, model, visual material and practice explanations are original. This independent lesson is not an official IELTS test.