How is chocolate made?

Have you ever wondered where chocolate comes from? Well, chocolate is made from
beans which grow in pods on the Theobroma cacao tree. These trees grow in several
different countries and the flavour of the beans varies depending on where they come
from. The beans also vary in flavour, depending on the age of the tree.

After the beans have been collected and dried, they are transported to chocolate
factories. There, the beans are weighed and separated by type so that the manufacturer
knows exactly what kind of cacao is going into the chocolate. This ensures the flavour of
the chocolate is consistent over time. Some manufacturers use up to twelve types of
cacao, depending on the flavour of chocolate they want to create.

Once weighed, the cacao beans are roasted in large ovens for up to two hours. The
heat not only dries and darkens the beans, but also brings out their flavour. Next, the
cacao beans are cracked, and then winnowed – that is, the broken shells are blown
away, which leaves the crushed pieces of cacao beans, called ‘nibs’. These are edible
but do not taste very pleasant. The cacao nibs are then crushed and ground into a thick
paste called chocolate liquor. This is bitter and not very smooth or creamy. To improve
the flavour, the manufacturer mixes in things like sugar, vanilla and milk.

You could eat this mixture, and it would taste pretty good, but it wouldn’t quite have the
right texture. So the manufacturer runs the mixture through steel rollers and then it is
‘conched’. This is a process which involves putting the mixture in a machine that mixes
and mashes the chocolate. Conching can last a few hours for cheaper chocolate, and
up to six days for more expensive types.

Finally, we have chocolate!

Answer questions 1–8.

1 Name one thing that affects the taste of cacao beans

............................................................................................................................................
................ [1]

2 ‘This ensures the flavour of the chocolate is consistent over time.’ (lines 8–9) Explain
in your own words what ‘consistent over time’ means.
............................................................................................................................................
.................. [1]

7 (a) Tick two boxes to show phrases which use the passive form of a verb. (2)

‘After the beans have been collected . . .’

‘. . . the manufacturer knows exactly . . .’

1
‘These trees grow in several different countries . . .’

‘. . . they are transported to chocolate factories.’

‘This is bitter and not very smooth . . .’

(b) Why is the passive form of the verb often used in Text A?
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [1]

8 (a) Give three connectives used to show time in the text. •

.........................................................................................................................
•.........................................................................................................................
•.................................................................................................................... [1]

(b) Explain why connectives are used to show time in the text.
....................................................................................................................... [1]

17 Write a newspaper report for your local newspaper about an incident or event
involving chocolate.

It could be about:

• a stolen delivery of chocolate

• a lorry that spills the chocolate it is transporting

• a serious shortage of chocolate

• something that has made chocolate taste bad

• your own idea.

Remember to use the conventions of a newspaper report, such as a headline, an

explanation of what happened, where and when it happened, and comments from
relevant people. You do not need to use columns or include pictures.

2
Mark scheme

1 Name one thing that affects the taste of cacao beans. Award 1 mark for one of the
following:

• where the tree is grown / where the beans comes from

• the age of the tree. Rx

2 ‘This ensures the flavour of the chocolate is consistent over time.’ (lines 8–9) Explain
in your own words what ‘consistent over time’ means. Award 1 mark for an answer
that recognises ‘consistent over time’ means the flavour does not change, e.g: • always
the same • never different/changing. Rx

7(a) Tick two boxes to show phrases which use the passive form of a verb. Award 1
mark for each correctly identified phrase, up to a maximum of 2 marks:

• ‘After the beans have been collected . . .’

• ‘. . . they are transported to chocolate factories’.

Boxes 1 and 4 should be ticked. Do not accept answers where more than two options
have been ticked. Rw

7(b) Why is the passive form of the verb often used in Text A? Award 1 mark for an
answer that recognises that using the passive verb focuses on the process (rather than
the people doing the process),

e.g. • to describe the process

• the process is more important than who is doing it

• it doesn’t matter who is doing the process

• the object is more important than the subject

• the topic is about chocolate, not who is making the chocolate. Rv

8(a) Give three connectives used to show time in the text. Award 1 mark for any three of
the following:

• after • next • then • finally. Rw

8(b) Explain why connectives are used to show time in this text. Award 1 mark for an
answer that recognises that the purpose of time connectives in this text is to put
processes into chronological order, e.g • to sequence events • to show the order in
which things happen. Rw