IELTS Listening map and plan labelling: how to answer
In IELTS Listening map or plan labelling, you are given a map with lettered locations and must match each named place to the correct letter as the speaker describes where things are. The key is to fix your starting point, then follow the directions in the exact order they are spoken, because the answers almost always come in question order.
What the question looks like
You see a map or floor plan with several lettered points (often A–H) and a list of places to locate, such as "café", "car park" or "reception". You write the letter, not a word.
The recording is a monologue (Section 2) — a tour guide, an announcement, or an orientation talk — describing the layout.
A reliable method
- •Before the audio starts, find the "you are here" point, the entrance, and any labelled landmarks (a lake, a main road). Orient yourself: which way is north/left/right.
- •Underline direction words as you hear them: opposite, next to, behind, at the end of, on your left, just past.
- •Answer in order. The speaker normally moves logically around the map, so question 1 is described before question 2.
- •If you miss one, leave it and jump to the next — do not let one gap cost you the following answers.
Common traps
Speakers often correct themselves ("the shop is next to the bank — sorry, opposite the bank"). The final statement is the answer.
Left and right are from the walker's perspective on the map, which may be rotated from how you would read it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I write a word or a letter for map labelling?
A letter. Each place matches one lettered point on the map, so you write the correct letter (e.g. B), not the name of the place.
Are the answers in order for map questions?
Almost always. The speaker describes the locations in the same order as the questions, so following along in sequence is the safest strategy.
Can a letter be used more than once?
No — in standard map labelling each lettered point is used at most once, and there are usually more points than questions, so some letters are distractors.
Related guides
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