IELTS Listening: Strategy for Flowchart Completion Question
Flow chart question is another form of diagram question that usually appears in section 2. It's a step by step instruction diagram based on the audio clip. You will get some texts along with some blank spaces, you also might be provided with a number of words to fill in the blanks.
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The statements/texts will be short sentences, not long ones. There will be upward or downward directing arrows in between the texts. The flow chart can also be in horizontal or vertical directions. Let us see how to do flow chart type of questions in IELTS listening. Look at the example below:
Example
Source: Cambridge English IELTS Past Papers
If you look at the example above, you can see there are more number of words in the list than that of you required. And the statements that need to be connected are actually short sentences. The arrows are in downward directions. However, arrow lines can be both upward and downward, and even can be horizontal as well. Because, depending on the context, flow charts can be constructed in all directions.
Solution Tips
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Look at the text before the audio clip begins. Identify the keywords that you will need to focus on.
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Be aware of the word limit that you are instructed to fill each gap.
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If there is a list to choose your answer from, make sure you go all the way down, because the listed words might not be in the same order as the question order.
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If there is no list, use your short notes you took during listening. By the way, don't forget to take short notes and write them down in order during listening, it will help you answer the question more conveniently. Because both the audio clip and the question text will be in the same order.
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Spend a little more time in the first couple of questions. It will raise the accuracy rate, because in the flow chart if you choose a wrong answer, it impacts on the remaining answers as well.
Check the other Listening question types with detailed analyses and examples: