Maps, plans and diagrams
IELTS map, plan and diagram labelling: orientation, direction language and following a speaker’s route.
In this lesson you will
- Orient yourself before the recording
- Understand direction and position language
- Follow a route step by step
Learn
Before listening (30 seconds): find the starting point (You are here, the entrance), note compass directions if shown, and look at labelled features that the speaker will use as landmarks.
Direction language: opposite, next to, adjacent to, beyond, just past, at the far end, in the corner, to the left/right of, north/south of, halfway along, diagonally across, straight ahead.
Follow the route with your pencil: As you come in through the main entrance… turn left… the café is the second room on your right.
Answers are in order of the questions, and the speaker usually moves logically around the map. If you miss one, keep going — don’t lose the next.
Examples
- “The gift shop is directly opposite the ticket office.”
- “Go past the lake, and the picnic area is at the far end, on the right.”
- “In the north-west corner, next to the car park, you’ll find the toilets.”
Vocabulary
orient
work out where you are and which way you’re facing
landmark
an easily recognised place used for direction
adjacent to
next to
beyond
further than
diagonally
at an angle across
Practice
“Opposite the entrance” means…
Listening: A tour of a community centre
Audio isn’t available in this browser — read the transcript instead.
Welcome! We’re standing at the main entrance, on the south side of the building.
Directly ahead of you is the reception desk. To the left of reception, in the south-west corner, is the café.
If you walk past reception and keep going straight, the sports hall takes up the whole north side of the building.
The library is on the east side, just past the toilets, and opposite the café, across the main corridor, you’ll find the children’s room.
Oh, and the lift is next to the library, at the end nearest the sports hall.
1.Where is the café?
2.What takes up the whole north side?
3.What is opposite the café?
4.What is next to the library, nearest the sports hall?
5.The main entrance is on the north side.
Lesson quiz
“Beyond the gate” means…
Review
Key points
- Orient first: start point, compass, landmarks.
- Learn direction language.
- Follow with your pencil.
- Keep going if you miss one.
What you learned
- ✓ I can label maps and plans.
- ✓ I understand direction language.
- ✓ I follow routes in real time.