

Tips for Map Diagram IELTS questions

Vocabulary for map

 Location – where something is in relation to another object or

place.

 Direction – the position towards which someone moves or

faces.

Common vocabulary of location:

near, in front of, next to, beside, across from, between

Common vocabulary of direction:

turn right, turn left, go straight on, travel northwest, go past

Below, you’ll find lists of vocabulary commonly used in map and plan
questions, along with sample sentences to show the words and phrases
used in context. Each set of sentences describes or gives directions on a
map or plan to give you some practice at visualising the information as
you'll have to do in your test.

We’ll start with some simple prepositions of place.

IELTS Listening Map Vocabulary – Set 1

 facing

 in the middle / centre of

 behind

 between
  next to / by

 in front of

                              Source: Cambridge English past paper

The entrance is in front of the reception desk.

The reception desk is facing the entrance.

The pool is in the centre of / in the middle of the sport’s centre.

The gym is behind the swimming pool.

The pool is between the reception and the gym.

The seating area is next to / by the pool.

IELTS Listening Map Vocabulary – Set 2

 left-hand side

 right-hand side

 turn right

 to your right

 pass through

 on the other side

  beyond

 along

 corner

 go straight

 beside

                              Source: Cambridge English past paper

The sports shop is on the left-hand side as you enter the sports centre.

To the right-hand side of the entrance, there’s a café.

Pass through the entrance, turn right and the café is immediately in front

of you.

The leisure pool is on the other side of the sports centre to the dance
studios.

There is a large changing room just beyond the café.

Walk along the side of the sports hall and you’ll find the second dance
studio in the far corner of the building

Go straight along the corridor beside the sports hall and to your right,

you’ll see two dance studios.
IELTS Listening Map Vocabulary – Set 3

Maps nearly always have compass points shown. You need to know the 8
points of the compass as these are often used in the recording to describe
position. The 8 points are:

 north

 south

 east

 west

 northeast

 northwest

 southeast

 southwest

There are several different ways you might hear them used.

 to the north / to the south …

 in the northeast / in the southwest …

 north side / east side / west side / south side

 heading east

 slightly west of

 just southeast of

Other vocabulary:

 near
 first / second turning

 on the left

 straight ahead
                              Source: Cambridge English past paper

The houses immediately to the north and south of the Post Office are

very near the river.

The bridge is just beyond the final row of houses heading north.

After crossing the bridge, take the second turning on the left and you’ll
see the retirement home straight ahead.

The retirement home is just southeast of the primary school.

The post office is to the northwest of the retirement home.

The village of Stokeford is slightly east of the River Stoke.

There is a housing estate to the west side of the retirement home.

IELTS Listening Map Vocabulary – Set 4

 opposite

 across the road

 same side

 before you get to

  junction

 dead end

 leads off

                              Source: Cambridge English past paper

The chemist is opposite a supermarket.

They are going to build new houses across the road from the school at
point G.

There is a supermarket on the same side of the road as the library.

Walk west along High Street and you’ll pass the library before you get
to the junction with Station Road.

The bank is on a dead end road that leads off the High Street.

IELTS Listening Map Vocabulary – Set 5

 bend

 just past

 alongside
  adjoining

 carry straight on

                              Source: Cambridge English past paper

The school is situated on a bend in the dual carriageway.

The bus station is on the right just past the shopping centre.

The town centre has a pedestrian walkway running alongside a row

of adjoining shops.

After passing the school on your right, carry straight on and you’ll see the
park on your left around the next bend.

 Read all of the instructions carefully and try predicting the answers before you hear the
recording
 The word that you would have to answer could be an adverb, a verb, an adjective, a
direction, a building or a location. Try predicting the word type beforehand

 Watch out for distractors

The examiners may try and catch you out with distractors. A distractor is a word or a
phrase that changes or corrects the original piece of information given. So, you
may be given an answer and then have it taken away again.

Here are some sample sentences containing distractors. I’ve highlighted the relevant
words.
  The shop next to the bakery was a newsagent but it’s now been replaced by a
charity shop.

 In the original design, the café and bookshop were next to each
other. However, the plans were changed to locate the bookshop by the exit.

 When the alterations are carried out, the storeroom will become an office. No,
sorry. That’s been altered. It will be the new staffroom.

The use of ‘but’ and ‘however’ are particularly common distractors but there are
many different words and phrases that can be used to change or correct a piece of
information so be alert for them.

Ensure that you listen the beginning carefully as it will help you understand the topic

 Concentrate on the major parts of the map where you can find the primary direction and
navigational language
 Take notes whenever possible so that you don’t forget anything

Guess if necessary
final tip is to never leave a blank space on the answer sheet. If you miss an
answer, take an educated guess. This gives you at least some chance of
getting it right. Don’t stress about a missed answer or it will affect your
ability to answer the next set of questions. Just make your choice and
move on.

Reading
1) Read the headings
First, read the full instructions, including the headings, then focus in on the
headings.

Read each carefully and try to understand what it means. Remember, each
will summarise the main idea of the paragraph it matches.

Also remember that there will be more headings than paragraphs so you
won’t need them all.

2) Underline key words

If a heading contains names, numbers, dates or place names, underline
these to identify them as key words that should be easy to spot in the text.
Or there may be a key noun that stands out. It could be one that occurs in
more than one heading.

3) Identify similar titles

There will often be two headings with a similar meaning which can make it
difficult to decide which one is the correct match.

If you do spot two similar headings, make a note of this. It will remind you
to look at them both closely when you think one of them is the match.
4) Read the first paragraph
Your aim is to identify the main idea. Focus on the first one or two
sentences and the last sentence as these will probably introduce and
summarise this main idea. Skim read the rest of the text. You do not need
to know the detail for this type of question.

Look out for any keywords you underlined in the heading. Be aware that
synonyms could be used instead.

Note that occasionally a section will contain more than one paragraph. In
this case, you’ll need to find the main idea in each paragraph.

5) Choose the matching heading

Now that you understand the main idea of the first paragraph, go back to
the headings and select the best match. Where you have two possible
headings, write them out one under the other to help you focus in on the
difference between them.

Once you have made your decision and filled in your answer, cross through
the heading in pencil to eliminate it from further consideration.

6) Move on
As I mentioned in the tips above, if you’re struggling to find the correct
heading, move on and come back to it once you’ve eliminated more
headings and have fewer to choose between.