IELTS Listening: Map and Plan Labelling
This question type tests whether you can follow spoken directions in real time and match them to physical locations on a map or plan. It checks your ability to track movement, orientation and prepositions of place under time pressure.
What this question looks like
You are given a map or plan (of a park, campus, building, town centre or similar) with several locations left unlabelled, each marked with a letter (A, B, C etc.) or a blank numbered box. A speaker, often giving directions from a fixed starting point, describes where things are. You must match each question number to the correct letter on the map, or write the correct letter next to each question. This appears most often in Section 2 (a monologue about a public place or event) and occasionally in Section 1.
Step-by-step approach
- 1Before the audio starts, study the map: find the starting point (often marked 'You are here' or an entrance), note compass directions if given, and identify fixed reference points like roads, rivers or main buildings.
- 2Read all the labels and unlabelled options quickly, and predict what kind of place each blank might be based on its position (corner, near entrance, opposite something).
- 3As you listen, physically trace the route with your finger or pencil from the starting point, following each direction word (left, right, straight on, opposite, next to, past, beyond) exactly as spoken.
- 4Listen for signpost language that signals a new location is coming, such as 'if you continue past the...', 'turning right you will see...', or 'on your left is...', and match it immediately to a letter before the speaker moves on.
- 5Watch for distractors: the speaker often mentions a place then corrects the direction ('turn left, no sorry, right') or describes a building that is NOT one of the answer options, so only label what matches an actual question number.
- 6If you lose your place, do not panic or go back; keep tracing from the last point you understood, since maps repeat reference points and you can often pick up the route again.
Worked example
A speaker describes a town map starting from the main entrance: 'Come in through the main gate and walk straight ahead until you reach the fountain. The car park, question 4, is directly behind the fountain, on the north side. Now, if you turn right at the fountain instead of continuing straight, you'll pass the ticket office on your left, and the picnic area, question 5, is just beyond that, facing the lake.' The map shows the fountain in the centre, with letter D to its north and letter E to the right of the ticket office, facing a lake.
Question 4 = D (car park, north of fountain); Question 5 = E (picnic area, beyond the ticket office, facing the lake)
The key is tracking the change of direction. The listener must first place themselves at the fountain (the reference point), then follow 'directly behind... on the north side' for question 4, giving letter D. For question 5, the speaker changes direction ('turn right at the fountain instead'), passes the ticket office, and stops 'just beyond that, facing the lake', which matches letter E. Missing the word 'instead' would cause a test taker to wrongly continue straight ahead instead of turning right.
Try it yourself
Read the short direction extract and choose the letter that matches the location described for question 6.
Map context: A community centre plan shows the main entrance at the bottom, with a corridor running straight up the middle. Letter A is the first room on the left, letter B is the first room on the right, letter C is at the far end of the corridor, and letter D is a small room behind the reception desk. Audio extract: 'Once you're through the main doors, the reception desk is straight ahead. The staff room, question 6, is not through the corridor at all, it's actually tucked behind reception, so you'd need to ask at the desk to be let in.' Which letter is the staff room?
Common mistakes
- !Labelling a location based on the first direction word heard, without waiting for corrections like 'actually' or 'no, sorry' that change the answer.
- !Losing track of the starting point or 'You are here' marker, which makes every subsequent direction impossible to follow accurately.
- !Confusing left and right from the speaker's perspective versus the listener's own perspective when facing a map.
- !Spending too long trying to label every feature on the map instead of focusing only on the lettered or numbered options that match question numbers.
- !Not previewing the map before listening, so reference points like 'the fountain' or 'the north gate' are unfamiliar when first mentioned.
Quick quiz
1. What should you do in the seconds before the map audio begins?
2. The speaker says: 'Turn left at the gate, actually no, keep going straight until the bridge.' What is the correct strategy?
3. Why is it useful to trace the route with a finger or pencil while listening?
4. If you completely lose track of the route partway through, what is the best action?
Practise this in a real IELTS test
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Take a free Listening testIELTS Listening: Map and Plan Labelling — FAQ
How many questions are usually based on a map or plan in IELTS Listening?
Typically there are between 3 and 5 map or plan labelling questions within a section, most commonly Section 2. They are usually grouped together as one task within that section rather than spread across the whole test.
Do I need to write full words or just letters for map labelling answers?
Almost always you write the letter (A, B, C, etc.) that corresponds to the correct location on the map, not a full word. Always check the specific instructions given for that task, since they confirm exactly what format is expected.
What is the biggest difference between map labelling and other Listening question types?
Map labelling requires spatial tracking in real time, following a moving route rather than just catching individual facts. This means missing one direction can cause a chain reaction of errors, so staying oriented throughout is more important than in most other question types.