Cheese Making

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: state that cheese is made in seven stages, starting with milk and ending with ageing, arranged in two rows.
2. Paragraph 2: describe the first four stages (milk, heating, adding culture and curds), noting the change from liquid milk to solid curds.
3. Paragraph 3: describe the remaining three stages (cutting, pressing and ageing) and where the sequence moves from the top row to the bottom row.
4. No conclusion paragraph is needed beyond a one-line summary in the overview.

Key features to spot

• Stage 1 is milk, shown as a metal churn with a glass beside it, so the process starts with raw milk rather than any prepared ingredient.
• Stage 2 is heating, where milk in a pot is placed over a gas flame until it is warm.
• Stage 3 is adding culture, where a spoonful of powdered starter is sprinkled into the warm milk.
• Stage 4 is curds, a bowl of soft white lumps that form as the milk separates.
• Stage 5 is cutting, where a knife slices the curds into a grid pattern in a tub, and stage 6 is pressing, where a mould is placed under a press to remove liquid.
• Stage 7 is ageing, where the cheese wheels are stored on wooden shelves, and this final stage is the end of the process.

Useful vocabulary

• is heated until: The milk is heated until it reaches the required temperature.
• is added to: A starter culture is added to the warm milk.
• separate into: The milk separates into curds and whey after the culture is added.
• are cut into: The curds are cut into small pieces with a long knife.
• are placed in: The cut curds are placed in a mould before pressing.
• is pressed to: The curds are pressed to remove excess liquid.
• are left to age: The cheese wheels are left to age on wooden shelves.
• is followed by: Heating is followed by the addition of the culture.
• the sequence continues with: After the curds form, the sequence continues with cutting.
• the final stage: The final stage is ageing, which takes place on shelves.

Common mistakes

• Describing the curds as a separate ingredient, rather than the result of the culture acting on the heated milk.
• Naming the stage 'heating' as the cooking of the cheese; the diagram shows only that the milk is warmed in a pot.
• Missing the link between the two rows, which means the reader cannot see that stage 4 leads down to stage 5.
• Describing the ageing stage in vague terms such as 'something happens to the cheese', instead of naming the shelves and wheels shown.
• Adding information about flavour or taste, which is not part of the diagram and is not required by the task.

Examiner tip: Name the stages in order with a clear connector such as 'once the curds have formed' so the sequence reads naturally across the two rows.