C1IELTS-style · Band 7.0–8.0Writing40 min

IELTS Writing Task 1: Food Preservation Process

Fermentation and food preservation

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📋 How to use this lesson

For Teachers

Focus & Timing: Spend 10 to 12 minutes building sentence tools before moving to the main writing task.

Answer Key: Interactive fields grade automatically on submission so you can address shared errors quickly.

For Learners

First: Work through these four short exercises to master the core sentence structures of a process.

Next: Check your answers, note down any new phrasing, and take these tools straight into Module 2.

Module 1: Building the Tools. Bus Timetable Planning

Practise four core sentence tools using a neutral real-world planning process.

Why this matters: Describing a plan requires precise word choices, clear transition words, and accurate passive forms.
Part A

Word Forms

Choose the correct grammatical form to complete each sentence about the bus planning process.

1. Transit planners conduct a detailed ______ of passenger traffic along the proposed corridor.

____ a. analyze ____ b. analysis ____ c. analytical

2. The team must ______ travel times from test runs before setting departure intervals.

____ a. compile ____ b. compilation ____ c. compiler

3. A careful ______ about how many buses to use keeps the route financially viable.

____ a. decision ____ b. decide ____ c. decisive

4. Operational managers make minor ______ to the running board after testing weekend frequency.

____ a. adjust ____ b. adjustable ____ c. adjustments

5. The formal ______ of the final schedule takes place two weeks prior to service launch.

____ a. publish ____ b. publication ____ c. publisher
Part B

Linking Words for a Process

Select the most fitting sequence word to maintain a logical progression through the planning phases.

6. ______, commuter volume and peak travel periods are recorded along the prospective route.

____ a. Initially ____ b. Eventually ____ c. Lastly

7. Key road corridors are identified; ______, safety inspectors evaluate potential halt locations.

____ a. earlier ____ b. subsequently ____ c. formerly

8. Planners calculate run times during morning hours. ______, another team runs trial journeys during off-peak times.

____ a. Previously ____ b. First ____ c. Simultaneously

9. Once test run durations are confirmed, draft intervals are established. ______, driver rest breaks are integrated into the shift roster.

____ a. Afterwards ____ b. Formerly ____ c. Originally

10. ______, the completed timetable is uploaded to digital departure displays across all depots.

____ a. Initially ____ b. Finally ____ c. Meanwhile
Part C

Passive Voice in Processes

Complete each sentence using the correct passive verb from the word bank.

Word Bank: is released are scheduled is surveyed is evaluated are plotted

11. In the first phase, passenger demand across key travel hubs

____ by transport analysts, who ask commuters about their daily journeys.

12. Next, designated stop locations along the thoroughfare

____ on a digital transit map.

13. Before test runs commence, pedestrian crossing safety

____ by city road engineers, who judge whether each crossing is safe enough.

14. Following trial runs, exact departure times

____ at fifteen-minute intervals.

15. At the culmination of the project, the finalised timetable

____ to the public online.
Part D

Paraphrasing Skills

Choose the sentence that conveys the exact same meaning using different words and structure.

Original: "The company analyses commuter data before deciding how often buses should run."

Which sentence rephrases the statement accurately?

____ a. Bus frequency is decided before commuter data has been evaluated by the team. ____ b. Service frequency is determined only after passenger information has been reviewed. ____ c. Commuter data is collected while the company is finalising the complete timetable.
Original: "Engineers map the entire route, and then they test it with empty vehicles."

Which sentence rephrases the statement accurately?

____ a. Once the complete route is mapped, trial journeys are carried out without passengers. ____ b. Empty vehicles map the full route before engineers check the roads in person. ____ c. Testing the path with vehicles takes place prior to plotting the stops on a map.
Original: "The staff update bus stop signs immediately after the route goes live."

Which sentence rephrases the statement accurately?

____ a. Stop signs are replaced several weeks before the line begins running. ____ b. Operating the route is delayed until all physical signs have been inspected. ____ c. Notices at designated halts are updated as soon as the service commences.
Module 2

The Main Task: Home Cabbage Fermentation

Put your sentence tools to work by writing a complete process report from start to finish.

Writing Task 1 Prompt

"The diagram shows the main stages in how a jar of fermented cabbage is made at home. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features."

Write at least 150 words.

Process Stages

  1. 1 A cook washes the cabbage and cuts it into thin strips
    → ↓
  2. 2 The cook mixes the strips with salt and rubs them until juice comes out
    → ↓
  3. 3 The cook packs the strips tightly into a clean jar and presses them down until the juice covers them
    → ↓
  4. 4 The cook puts a loose lid on the jar so that gas can escape
    → ↓
  5. 5 The jar stands at room temperature for several days while microbes make acid
    → ↓
  6. 6 The cook tastes the cabbage each day and checks that it stays under the juice
    → ↓
  7. 7 When the cabbage is sour enough, the cook closes the lid tightly and puts the jar in the fridge.

✅ Essential Checklist for Every Process Report

Make sure your written response satisfies each of the following general standards before submitting:

  • ✓ An overview
  • ✓ Every stage in the right order
  • ✓ Linking words for sequence
  • ✓ Accurate details
  • ✓ At least 150 words

Report Writing

Compose your complete Task 1 response in the box below.

Target: 150+ words
Evaluation Rubric: Your submission will be evaluated on four criteria: Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
____ (Write your full report here. Begin with an introduction and an overview, followed by the main stages...)
Module 3

Model Analysis: See How It Works

Read this complete report openly to see how simple passive verbs and clear sequence links fit together.

Full Sample Report

Home Cabbage Fermentation

Word count: 173 words

The diagram illustrates the main stages in how a jar of fermented cabbage is made at home. Overall, the entire procedure comprises seven sequential steps from start to finish, beginning with the washing and cutting of fresh cabbage and culminating in chilling the finished sour cabbage in the fridge.

To begin with, the cabbage is washed and cut into thin strips. After that, the strips are mixed with salt and rubbed until juice comes out. In the following stage, the cabbage is packed tightly into a clean jar and pressed down until the juice covers it completely. Once this step is completed, a loose lid is put on the jar so that gas can escape easily.

Subsequently, the jar stands at room temperature for several days while microbes make acid. Throughout this waiting period, the cabbage is tasted each day and checked carefully to make sure that it stays under the juice. Finally, when the cabbage is sour enough, the lid is closed tightly, and the jar is then put in the fridge.

Teacher's Notes

Why This Works

Study these seven building blocks to see why each phrase makes the report clear and natural.

1

beginning with ... and culminating in ...

Why this works: It gives your summary paragraph a clear start and finish in one smooth sentence.

"The recipe starts by mixing flour and water and culminates in baking a golden loaf."
2

is washed and cut into thin strips

Why this works: You can join two actions to the same object with one "is", which keeps your sentence fast and uncluttered.

"The metal is melted and poured into round moulds."
3

until juice comes out

Why this works: "Until" tells the reader exactly when the worker stops without needing a long explanation.

"Dough is kneaded until the surface becomes smooth."
4

is packed tightly into a clean jar and pressed down

Why this works: Descriptive words like "tightly" and "down" show the reader how something is done, not just that it happened.

"Tea leaves are pressed firmly into wooden crates."
5

so that gas can escape easily

Why this works: "So that" connects a physical action directly to the reason behind it.

"Vents are opened so that steam can leave the oven."
6

while microbes make acid

Why this works: "While" lets you show what happens inside the food while the container simply rests.

"Dough is left to rest overnight, and the yeast slowly fills it with tiny bubbles."
7

checked carefully to make sure that it stays under the juice

Why this works: It turns an everyday kitchen check into a neat, accurate reporting statement.

"The milk is stirred often to make sure it does not burn."

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