What Is the Idea of a Process Description Essay?

Describing a process for an essay is where you tell the reader how to do something, or you’re describing how something should be done. When you’re writing, think deeply about the process or topic, that you’ve been assigned (or the one you chose). Talk to your teacher if you need to know more about your process, or do some extra research on your own.

Questions to Answer about Your Essay

A process essay is very particular, and you should know a lot about your topic. Here are some questions you can ask yourself, to better know what to write about and get around your process idea. Ask any of these to your teacher too, if you aren’t sure.

  1. What is the process you want to explain and why is it important?
  2. What or who does this process affect?
  3. Who is reading your essay and what do they need to know?
  4. Are there variations on this process, and if yes, what are they?
  5. How long is this process; what is the outcome?
  6. Do you need specific equipment or skills for the process?
  7. What are the steps for this process?
  8. Do you need to give any cautions about the process?
  9. Explain what should or should not be done, in relation to this process.
  10. Are there similar processes you can refer to, to help explain this one?

How to Structure a Process Description Essay

After you have a bunch of notes about your process and have answered the above questions, you’re ready to start writing the first draft. You might be worried about where to start – after all, if this is your first process essay then you don’t have experience to fall back on. Think about a process description essay in terms of time. You’ll talk about something, and then another thing that happens after, and then another thing that happens after that. So, each step is in chronological order. Here are some ways to do this: