IELTS Task 1 - Describing a process

The illustrations show how chocolate is produced. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features.

The process demonstrates how chocolate is made from the initial stage of plucking ripe red pods off the cocoa trees located in South America, Africa and Indonesia to the final stage of producing liquid chocolate.

Initially white cocoa beans are extracted from the harvested pods when they are ripe. Following fermentation, they are spread out in the sun and left to dry. Once the dry beans have been placed in sacks they are ready to be transported to a factory by train or lorry.

In the factory, the beans are roasted at high temperatures. They are then crushed in a rotating machine once their outer shell has been removed. Finally, liquid chocolate is produced by pressing the inner part of the bean with the help of large rollers.

To sum up, there are ten main steps involved in the production of chocolate and the transformation of a ripe cocoa pod into an edible form.

Question from Objective Ielts, Students Book p.19