In this question type, you are required to complete labels on a plan (eg of a building), map (eg of part of a town) or diagram (e.g. of a piece of equipment). You might be given a list of possible answers or you will have to select the answer from the recording itself. This type of question could appear in any of the four listening sections but it is most likely to appear in section 2. In section 2 you will listen to just one person talking about a non-academic topic. It is often someone giving information to an audience about an event or showing them around a building, such as a university or a hotel.
1. Read the Information – This will always be the first step in any listening activity. Why? You do not want to listen blindly and hear key words for the first time. Instead, you should be preparing yourself and reading the information before the listening prompt is played. Generally, you will have about 20 seconds to do this, along with Steps 2 and 3. Reading the information will also allow you to become familiar with the topic, which is particularly helpful for the more abstract and educational topics (Sections 3 and 4). Keep in mind that this section will usually not feature questions, but rather, information and keywords.
- Underline Key Words – With time and practice, you can combine steps 1 and 2. Thus, this step can be done while you are reading the questions or afterward. We suggest trying to combine the first two steps, as you will only have around 20 seconds to read the information prior to listening to the prompts. For the Plan/Map/Diagram Labelling question type, this step will be minimal, because there will not be many words. For this reason, it will be best to focus your attention on the next step as soon as you are finished with this step. However, you should be sure to familiarize yourself with the location of the various places and labels.
- Pay Attention to Directions- In addition to keywords in the questions, you will need to pay attention to the directions of your map, plan, or diagram. The first thing you should do for this step is to write out a mini-compass around your map, plan, or diagram. Why? You will be listening to directions in a language that is not your own, and you will be helping yourself out by just familiarizing yourself with the directions and getting into the habit of understanding them. Try writing out the direction words in the following way, which we will detail in our example:
Additionally, you should pay attention to direction words that are used when discussing images and maps. This will help you answer the questions quicker and keep up with the pace of the speaker. You should pay attention to these words, which will help you write the correct type of answer. We have included some of the most common words below that you should look out for and study beforehand.
NORTH
- At / On the top of
- To the north of
- Above
- Slightly north of
SOUTH
- At the bottom of
- South of
- Below
- Slightly south of
WEST
- To the west of
- To the left of
- On the left
- Left-hand side
- Slightly west of
EAST
- To the east of
- To the right of
- On the right
- Right-hand side
- Slightly east of
There are also some other options that you may hear, such as:
On the far side – This means that it is on the opposite side of something. This will usually be spoken right after a clue is given regarding the opposite side, meaning that you will have to switch sides immediately in order to keep up with the speaker’s pace.
In the Southwest/Northwest/Southeast/Northeast – This is simply a mix between two directions, and can be present in examples with maps.
In the middle of/In the center of – This is simply in the center (or middle) of the diagram or map. This can also be the center of something explicitly stated in the example (ex: in the middle of the library).
Inside/Outside- This is usually used in a map, and will designate the area in which something is located. It will be either outside or inside of something.
Opposite/In front of – Similar to the ‘on the far side’ option, this can either be on the opposite of something or in front of something.
Clockwise/Anticlockwise – This is helpful to understand, and is quite common on the exam! Think of how a clock moves (to the right)–that is clockwise. The opposite direction (to the left) would be anticlockwise. This is usually included at the beginning of a listening prompt, and candidates must follow it correctly in order to get the remaining questions correct. So make sure to remember the difference between these two words!
A bit beyond – This is a common phrase for maps. Usually, it will come right after a landmark and then right before another. For example, “The grocery store is a bit beyond the library.” In this case, this means that the library would be just a bit farther than the grocery store.
After – This will be spoken when something follows something else. For example, ‘The children’s center is after the history museum”. In order to understand the direction, you will need to pay attention to the prior directions and follow the path of the speaker. For this reason, this will not usually be one of the first directions spoken.
Adjoining – This is a common word used in diagrams and plans, and signifies that something is connected to something else.
Enter through/via – This is usually included in maps, and shows how one can go into another area of the map. For example, “After entering through the kitchen, you will go through the lobby.”
Runs through – This phrase is common for maps and plans, and signifies that something goes through something else. For example, “The river runs through the park.”, which means that it goes through and is inside the park.
Runs alongside – This phrase is common for maps and plans, and signifies that something is located along with something else, but not inside. For example, “The river runs alongside the park.”, which means that it is not inside, but on the outside, following the length of the park.
It would be best to review these phrases in order to master the different types of phrases used during this question type
