IELTS Listening
Flow-chart completion
A flow chart shows the stages of a process or a plan, with gaps to fill or options to choose. In Listening it often appears in Part 3, when students discuss how they will do a project.
Follow the arrows and listen for sequencing language: first, after that, once that's done, finally. If you miss one stage, move on to the next so you don't lose the rest.
What the question looks like
flow-chart completion. “Complete the flow chart below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.”
Try real-format questions
This question type is in our free practice test: Part 3 (“Measuring Library Noise”), questions 27–30. Open the practice test →
How to answer
Complete Simple Flow Charts
- Listen for order words such as “first”, “next”, “after that” and “finally”.
- Match each spoken action to a stage in the flow chart, even if the wording is different.
- Notice whether a step happens before or after another step; do not rely only on the chart’s layout.
- Check the whole sequence before you choose an answer. One misplaced step can change the process.
Example: Worked example: preparing a room. First, switch on the lights. Next, open the windows. Then, arrange the chairs. Finally, check the equipment. Flow-chart order: switch on lights → open windows → arrange chairs → check equipment.
Follow a Spoken Process
- Treat each change in the process as a separate stage. Write a short note for each one.
- Listen for the action and what it acts on, such as “filter the liquid”.
- Number stages as you hear them. Do not rearrange them to match what seems logical.
- If a stage is mentioned again, check whether the speaker adds a new action or repeats an earlier one.
Example: A lecture explains how a plant sample is prepared. Audio: “First, the leaves are washed. They are dried in warm air, then ground into a fine powder. Finally, the powder is sealed in a container.” Notes: 1. wash leaves; 2. dry leaves; 3. grind to powder; 4. seal powder.
Follow Nested Flow Charts
- Read the chart’s levels first: identify the main stage, each branch, and any sub-stages beneath it.
- Use condition words such as "if", "unless", and "only when" to assign details to the correct branch.
- A detail belongs beneath the stage or branch it describes, not automatically beside the last box mentioned.
- Follow one route at a time and keep its sub-stages in the order the speaker gives them.
Example: Worked example: a process with two branches. The process begins with inspection. If a fault is found, place "repair" and then "retest" beneath the fault branch. If no fault is found, place "clean" and then "release" beneath the no-fault branch.
Practise
Short items from the ielts.coach lessons. Answer them, then check to see why each answer is right.
1What should visitors do immediately after collecting a numbered card?
2Which action happens just before the lids are fitted?
3Which stage happens immediately after grinding?
4Which stage happens immediately before drying?
5What happens to a complete form after the check?
6Which action belongs only on the plant-sample branch?
Test hacks
Predict the gap before you hear it
In the seconds before each part, read the notes and decide what kind of word fits each gap: a number, a time, a name, a noun, an adjective.
Why it works: You'll know what to listen for, so the answer jumps out instead of slipping past.
Wait for the correction
Speakers often give one answer and then change it. Don't write the first thing you hear; keep listening until the sentence finishes.
Why it works: Self-corrections are a classic IELTS distractor.
Spelling counts, capitals don't
A misspelled answer is marked wrong. You can write answers in capital letters if that makes your spelling clearer.
Why it works: Easy marks are lost to spelling every day. Names are often spelled out letter by letter, so be ready.
Practise with feedback on every answer
ielts.coach builds daily lessons and practice around your interests and level, marks Writing and Speaking like an examiner in seconds, and plans your weeks to test day.