IELTS Listening: Map, Plan and Diagram Labelling

Let the picture and the words help each other

A plan usually shows the layout of a building; a map shows an area; a diagram shows parts of something or how it works. A landmark is a fixed, recognisable feature used to explain another position. You use it the way you might use a shop or bridge when giving directions to a friend. The difficult part is often the relationship: next to, opposite, before, beyond or underneath. This lesson explains those relationships, then shows how they identify a letter or label.

Orient yourself before following the directions

In a map or plan task, the visual provides part of the information and the recording provides the rest. Before listening, identify the entrance, any compass arrow, named buildings, paths and the position from which the speaker begins. On an indoor plan, notice corridors, doors, stairs and adjoining rooms. On an outdoor map, notice roads, junctions, bridges and fixed landmarks.

Do not assume that the top of every map is north unless the visual or instructions establish that orientation. Also distinguish the speaker's left and right from the page's left and right. If someone enters a building from the bottom of the plan and walks upwards, the page and their viewpoint may agree. If they turn around and walk back, their left-hand side changes. Fixed references such as “north of the lake” do not change with the person's direction of travel.

Follow relationships rather than isolated place names

Useful language includes “opposite”, “beyond”, “between”, “at the far end”, “immediately after” and “on the corner”. These expressions define relationships. Hearing “café” is not enough if the question asks for the room opposite the café. Keep your attention on where the required place is in relation to the landmark.

Diagram labelling uses a similar approach, although the relationships may concern parts of an object rather than rooms. Identify the whole object, the labels already provided and the arrows pointing to gaps. Then listen for location and function together. An outer cover protects a device, a handle is held, and an outlet releases something. Function helps you identify a part, but the label must still match the requested wording or letter.

Solved example 1: opposite is not beside

Study the plan before you play. Find the entrance, the café and the three rooms A, B and C. The guide starts at the main entrance.

What to notice after you have answered

Opposite means across the corridor, so the information desk is on the other side from the café. The café is a landmark that helps you find the destination; it is not the destination.

Solved example 2: maintain direction after a turn

Find the south gate, the junction, the lake and the greenhouse. As the guide turns, track the direction you are facing, not the sides of the page.

What to notice after you have answered

After turning right you face east, so your left is north. After turning left you face west, so your right is north. A common error is to keep reading left and right as west and east on the page.

Solved example 3: a landmark mentioned after the answer

Find the staircase and the lift on the plan. The rooms along the corridor are fixed; the speaker uses these two as landmarks.

What to notice after you have answered

The last sentence of the first description confirms the destination is before the lift. It does not move the room to the lift itself. A place mentioned at the end may be a boundary used to check your route.

Solved example 4: diagram labels and supplied words

Look at the diagram first. Notice which parts are already named (inlet, chamber, outlet) and where each arrow points.

What to notice after you have answered

Location, function and grammar all help: the part covering the inlet and trapping leaves, the part at the base controlling flow, and the small pipe near the top that carries extra water.

Try a new route

Find reception and note which side each room is on. Before you play, predict which side is “on your left” when travelling east.

What to notice after you have answered

Travelling east puts the north side on your left. Explain the route aloud before checking again; this shows whether you follow the relationships or only remember a letter.

Review spatial errors systematically

After real audio practice, reconstruct the route on the map while reading the transcript. Mark the exact turn or relationship you missed. Then replay the extract without the transcript and follow it again. If you understand the route in writing but not in sound, practise decoding the phrase that caused difficulty. If you hear the words but draw the wrong route, work on viewpoint and spatial language.

Avoid labelling every location before the recording. Use the preparation time to understand the existing map, not to invent destinations. The clearer your understanding of the starting point and landmarks, the less mental effort you need to spend reorienting yourself while the speaker continues.

Practise directional language in pairs

Contrast “before the bridge” with “beyond the bridge”, “beside the entrance” with “opposite the entrance”, and “at the end” with “on the corner”. Draw a tiny plan for each pair. Then ask someone to give a short route or use an audio extract without looking at the transcript. Accurate spatial vocabulary reduces the effort of following a route, leaving more attention for the changing landmarks in the recording.

Choose a letter or write a label: check which task you have

Two maps can look similar while requiring different answers. In one task, letters A-F mark possible positions and you choose the position for a named place. In another, numbered spaces mark places and a list supplies names with letters. You may instead need to write a word from the recording. Before listening, say to yourself: “Am I finding where this place is, or finding what this numbered place is called?” Then check whether the answer is a letter or a word. Knowing the location but entering the wrong kind of answer wastes the work you have done.

Map-list example: location numbers and name letters

Before you play, say to yourself: am I finding what each numbered place is called? The answer is a letter from the list.

What to notice after you have answered

The position number and the option letter do different jobs. One name in the list is never used, so do not force it into a space.

Mechanical diagrams: identify part, position and action

A diagram is a drawing that shows how an object is arranged. A label arrow points to a part, not necessarily the whole object. Use existing labels to understand the drawing. Then connect the speaker's explanation with the arrow's precise target. A part's action can help: a pump moves liquid, a grille stops large pieces, and a container holds something. These are useful meanings, but the recording still supplies the particular label.

Diagram example: distinguish the opening from its cover

Look at where each arrow points: a wide opening at the top, and a part between the chamber and the tank.

What to notice after you have answered

Match the arrow’s target with the part’s action. The grille lies across the funnel but has a different function, and the handle only lifts a lid.

Fresh process-diagram practice

Try this on your own. The labels are the three parts that act on the containers.

What to notice after you have answered

The containers are the objects moved, not the moving part. Above and beneath give vertical position; carries, fills and presses give the action.

Put this lesson into practice

Work at your own pace, then check your answers and review the explanations.

Practice exerciseChoose an exercise (3 available)Lakeside Country Park · Map and plan labelling · Practice Test 2Brookdale Historic Mill · Map and plan labelling · Practice Test 4Community Garden Open Day · Map and plan labelling · Practice Test 7