Flow Chart of a Process — Worked Example

A process flow chart follows stages in fixed order, so the passage will contain sequence markers — first, then, after that, finally — and each marker introduces one box. Find the markers, match them to the boxes, and compress each stage into a phrase that starts with a verb or a noun as the filled boxes do.

The format

Find the sequence markers

A process passage is organised in time, and it will contain words that mark the stages: first, then, next, after this, once, finally. Each marker usually introduces one box, so underlining them turns the passage into a numbered list before you write anything.

• first · to begin with · initially → the opening box
• then · next · after that · subsequently → middle boxes
• once · when · as soon as → a stage that depends on the previous one
• finally · lastly · in the end → the closing box

One stage per box, even when the passage runs two together

Passages often describe two stages in a single sentence — the beans are roasted and then ground. If the chart has two boxes there, split them. Counting the boxes before you start tells you how finely the passage needs to be divided.

Keep the grammatical form consistent

Process charts are usually written either as -ing phrases (roasting the beans) or as passive noun phrases (roasting of the beans). Whichever the given box uses, use it throughout. Switching halfway is a visible error.

Do not add stages the passage omits

If you know the process from elsewhere and the passage skips a step, the chart skips it too. The item tests reading, not knowledge of the process, and an added stage is marked wrong however accurate it is in reality.

Model answer

Worked example

Passage

Tea reaches the cup through a long sequence. The young leaves are first plucked by hand, two leaves and a bud at a time, and carried to the factory the same day. There they are spread on racks and left to wither, which removes much of their moisture. The withered leaves are then rolled, breaking the cells so that the juices are released. Rolling is followed by fermentation, during which the leaves are left in a cool room and gradually darken. Finally they are dried in hot air, which stops fermentation and fixes the flavour, before being graded and packed.

The chart, with box 1 given

Box 1 (given): plucking the young leaves → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6

Answers

2 — carrying them to the factory. 3 — withering them on racks. 4 — rolling the withered leaves. 5 — fermenting them in a cool room. 6 — drying them in hot air.

Note on the last box

The passage also mentions grading and packing, but the chart has six boxes and drying is the sixth, so grading and packing are outside it. Resist adding them: the number of boxes is part of the question, and filling more stages than the chart has is as wrong as filling fewer.

What earns and loses marks

• Underline the sequence markers in the passage before looking at the chart — they map almost directly onto the boxes.
• Count the boxes first. It tells you how finely to divide the passage.
• Keep every box in the same grammatical form as the given one.
• 🚨 Do not add a stage you know from elsewhere. The chart follows the passage, not the real process.
• If the passage has more stages than the chart has boxes, some are outside the chart — do not squeeze them in.