Arjun from Visakhapatnam found the entrance on his practice map, then lost his way at “just past the fountain, on your left”. He looked at the left edge of the page rather than following the speaker’s path.

In map and plan labelling, the speaker describes a place and you label it on a visual. Find your starting point during the reading time, follow the route step by step, and listen for words such as “opposite”, “next to” and “at the far end”.

What Does a Labelling Task Ask You to Do?

The official description says you complete labels on a visual. It may be a plan (for example of a building), a map (for example of part of a town) or a diagram (for example a piece of equipment). You select your answers from a list.

The task tests whether you can follow a description of a place and the directions within it. The questions follow the order of the information in the recording. You can compare labelling with the other types in our question types overview.

What Should I Do Before the Recording Starts?

Use the reading time to find the starting point, such as an entrance. If the map has a compass or arrows, note them, and read any labels already printed.

These printed labels can act as anchors. If you lose your place, listen for a labelled landmark and rejoin the route there.

Which Direction Phrases Should I Know?

Speakers use location phrases to guide you through a layout.

Phrase What it means on the map
opposite Directly across a path, street or corridor
next to Right beside another place
between In the space dividing two named places
at the far end At the furthest point along a path
just past Just beyond a landmark, after you have walked by it
on the corner of Where two paths or streets meet
to the north of In the direction the compass marks as north
in the middle of In the central area of a space
on your left To the left as you walk the route

If “in”, “on” and “at” still cause trouble, our lesson on prepositions of time, place and movement covers them.

Whose Left and Right Should I Follow?

When a speaker says “turn left” or “on your left”, treat it as the direction you would face while walking the route. It is easy to mix this up with the left and right edges of the page.

Imagine yourself walking the path as the speaker describes it. If the speaker turns a corner, left and right turn with them.

Practice: A Tour of a Community Garden

The table shows the garden as lettered positions. Imagine you enter through the main gate at the south end and walk north along the path. Left and right are from your point of view as you walk.

Letter Position on the map
A Beside the main gate on the left
B Beside the main gate on the right
C In the middle of the central lawn
D Just past the central lawn on the left
E At the far north end behind the flowerbeds
F At the far end on the right, opposite the flowerbeds

Ask a friend to read the transcript aloud once, or record yourself reading it and play it back before you answer.

Practice transcript (written for this post)

Volunteer: Welcome to the Highfield Community Garden tour. I’m one of the volunteers, and I’ll walk you round the main sights. Stand at the main gate, looking in, and you’ll see a gravel path going straight ahead. The visitor reception desk is right beside the gate, on your left.

Walk along the path and you’ll pass the central lawn on your right. In the middle of the lawn there’s our wildlife pond, with low shrubs all around it. Just past the lawn, on your left, is the tool shed, where volunteers collect the garden equipment.

Keep going to the far north end of the path. Behind the rose flowerbeds you’ll find our café, which serves hot drinks and snacks.

Questions

Which letter shows each place on the plan? Write the correct letter, A–F, next to each question.

  1. Wildlife pond: _____
  2. Tool shed: _____
  3. Café: _____
Show answers
  1. C — “In the middle of the lawn there’s our wildlife pond.”
  2. D — “Just past the lawn, on your left, is the tool shed.” Position A is also on the left, but it is beside the gate (the reception desk).
  3. E — “Behind the rose flowerbeds you’ll find our café.” Position F is opposite the flowerbeds, not behind them.

Which Habit Should I Change?

Incorrect: “I rely on the left and right sides of the printed page.”

Correct: Left and right belong to the person walking the route, so picture yourself taking each step the speaker describes.

Tip

When you practise, rest your finger on the entrance and move it along the route as you listen.

Key Takeaways

  • Find the starting point and any compass before the recording starts.
  • Use labels already printed on the map as anchors if you lose your place.
  • Left and right follow the speaker’s direction of travel, not the page.
  • Learn location phrases such as “opposite”, “just past” and “at the far end”.

The bottom line: Walk the route one instruction at a time, because the questions follow the order of the information in the recording.