Diagram Label Completion in IELTS Reading
Lakshmi from Tiruchirappalli saw a diagram of a water filter in her practice test and skipped it. The text described every part in plain words.
Diagram label completion asks you to complete the labels on a diagram using words from the text. The diagram is based on a description in the text, so find where that description starts and follow it part by part.
What Diagram Label Completion Asks You to Do
The official page says the diagram may show a type of machine, part of a building or other information in the text that can be shown through pictures. Both the Academic and General Training format pages list this question type.
A word limit is given, for example NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER, and you lose the mark for typing more. The answers may not come in the same order as in the text, but they will usually come from one part of it.
For other completion formats, see our guide to completion questions.
A Step-by-Step Approach to Labelling Diagrams
This method is our advice, not an IELTS rule:
- Study the diagram first: read the title and any labels already filled in, and put the layout into words: what is at the top, the bottom, the centre.
- Find the description: look in the text for where it starts describing the object, using keywords from the title and the existing labels.
- Follow the position words: use words such as above, inside or connected to to match each blank with the right part.
- Copy the exact words: take the noun or adjective from the text without changing its form.
- Check the limit: count your words before you move on.
Navigating Position and Sequence Language
The table is our own short list of words that can signal where a part sits or what comes next.
| Idea | Words that can signal it |
|---|---|
| Up or down | above, below, beneath, at the base |
| Beside | next to, on either side of, surrounding |
| In or out | inside, within, outside, around |
| Sequence | first, then, next, leads to, finally |
Our overview of IELTS Reading question types shows where this type sits among the others.
Practice passage (written for this post)
In many Indian homes, drinking water is kept cool in a matka, a traditional round earthen pot made of unglazed clay. Potters shape each pot by hand or on a wheel and then fire it in a kiln. The pot has a narrow neck, which is closed by a clay lid. Its wall is porous, so water seeps slowly through tiny pores to the outer surface. There the water evaporates into the air. Evaporation takes heat from the pot and from the water inside, so the water stays cooler than the air around it. Because evaporation is faster in dry air, the pot cools water best in hot, dry weather. The matka rests on a wooden stand, which lets air move freely around its rounded base.
Questions
Label the diagram below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
| Label | Where it is on the diagram |
|---|---|
| 1. … lid | On top of the narrow neck |
| 2. narrow … | Between the round body and the lid |
| 3. tiny … | Dots across the section of the wall |
| 4. … stand | Under the rounded base |
Show answers
- clay — “closed by a clay lid”; location clue: on top of the neck. Writing “clay lid” would break the one-word limit.
- neck — “The pot has a narrow neck”; location clue: between the body and the lid.
- pores — “seeps slowly through tiny pores”; location clue: dots across the wall. The plural is needed, and “pours” would be a spelling error.
- wooden — “rests on a wooden stand”; location clue: under the base.
Common Traps to Avoid
Incorrect: “I need technical background knowledge to understand an IELTS diagram.”
Correct: The official page says the diagram is based on a description given in the text, so the words you need are in that description.
Tip
Practise by sketching a quick diagram from any process description you read, then compare it with the printed one.
Key Takeaways
- The diagram is based on a description in the text.
- Answers usually come from one part of the text, but order may vary.
- Writing more than the word limit loses the mark.
- Position words such as above, beneath and inside help match a label to its part.
The bottom line: A label is a position clue plus a word from the text; find both and the answer follows.