Y05W30WR Explaining a Process Step by Step
Part 1
How to Write
An explanatory text makes a concept, process or system understandable to a reader who is encountering it for the first time. It is written for someone who wants to genuinely understand how or why something works. The tone should be clear and patient — building understanding step by step without assuming prior knowledge.
- Ideas & content: Select the most important information needed to understand the topic. Focus on how and why — explanation is about building genuine understanding, not just describing what exists.
- Structure & cohesion: Move from the general to the specific. Introduce the concept, explain how or why it works, then give examples or consequences. Use cause-and-effect connectives to show relationships between ideas.
- Voice & audience: Write as a knowledgeable guide. Define terms as you introduce them. Avoid jargon without explanation. Your reader should feel guided through the topic, not overwhelmed by it.
- Language choices: Use precise vocabulary and define technical terms clearly. Write in the present tense for ongoing processes. Vary sentence length — shorter sentences help when ideas are complex.
- Conventions: Spell technical vocabulary accurately. Use commas, colons and semicolons to manage complex explanations. Keep sentences clear even when the ideas are demanding.
Common pitfalls: Describing what something is without explaining how or why it works — readers need to understand the mechanism, not just the label. Including too many facts without connecting them into a clear explanation that builds understanding progressively.
Part 2
Your Task Plan for Today
Question: Write the explanation for the magazine. You have space for an introduction and four key stages or points. Choose the facts that best explain the process from beginning to end, organise them in a logical sequence and write them in clear language your readers will understand.
Stimulus: A children’s health magazine has asked students to write a clear explanation of how the digestive system works for readers aged 9 to 12.
Task Analysis: Choose four key stages that explain digestion clearly. Put them in order from mouth to waste. Write simply so other students understand how their body processes food. Keep it clear and not too gross.
Quick Plan
Before you write, plan:
- Stage 1: In the mouth — chewing and saliva
- Stage 2: Down the tube — swallowing, moving down
- Stage 3: In the stomach — breaking down more
- Stage 4: In the intestines — getting what is useful, getting rid of waste
Define the key concept
Open simply: ‘Digestion is the journey food takes through your body.’ Or: ‘Your body breaks down food into tiny pieces it can use.’ Make the basic idea clear first.
Paragraph focus
Each paragraph is one stage. Describe what happens at that stage: what breaks the food, how long it takes, what comes next. Keep each stage clear and separate.
Tone & voice
Write for students your age. Use simple words. Make it interesting but not gross. You can say ‘stomach acid’ and ‘waste,’ but keep it clear and scientific, not yucky.
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
- Opens in a new window.