Brick Manufacture

The question

How to approach this process diagram question

A process diagram shows how something is made or how a cycle works. Describe the stages in order, using sequence language and the passive voice.

1. Say what process the diagram shows and how many stages it has.
2. Overview: the number of stages, where it starts and ends, and whether it is a cycle or a straight line.
3. Describe every stage in order (First, Next, After that, Finally) mostly in the passive: the grain is crushed.
4. Do not add opinions or explain why; describe what happens.

How to plan this answer

Structure

1. Overview: the diagram shows seven stages in two rows, starting with digging clay and ending with cooling the finished bricks.
2. Body 1: the first row, covering digging, crushing, adding water and moulding.
3. Body 2: the second row, covering drying, firing in a kiln and cooling, and the arrow linking the rows.

Key features to spot

• The clay is dug from the ground by an excavator.
• The clay is crushed between two large gears to break it into smaller pieces.
• Water is added to the crushed clay in a large round tank with a mixing paddle.
• The mixture is pressed into brick moulds, which give the bricks their shape.
• The bricks are dried on racks, fired in a kiln with flames, and then left to cool in stacks.

Useful vocabulary

• is dug: The clay is dug from the ground by an excavator.
• is crushed: The clay is crushed into smaller pieces.
• is mixed with: The crushed clay is mixed with water.
• is pressed into: The mixture is pressed into moulds.
• are left to dry: The bricks are left to dry on racks.
• are fired in: The bricks are fired in a kiln.
• are left to cool: The bricks are left to cool in stacks.
• is followed by: Crushing is followed by adding water.
• the first stage: The first stage is digging the clay.
• the final stage: The final stage is cooling.

Common mistakes

• Putting drying before firing. Bricks are dried first and then fired.
• Adding water before crushing. Water is added in stage three, after crushing in stage two.
• Describing cooling as part of the kiln stage. Cooling is a separate final stage.
• Confusing crushing and moulding. Crushing breaks up the clay, and moulding shapes it.
• Writing the bricks is instead of the bricks are, which is a basic subject-verb error.

Examiner tip: Use the two rows as a guide, describing the first row in one paragraph and the second in another, and state the first and last stages in the overview.