IELTS Listening Maps: Follow the Route

Look at the layout before following the route

In a map or plan task, the drawing and recording work together. Before listening, find the entrance or other starting point, the printed landmarks and any direction marker. Read the instructions to see how answers must be recorded. Do not assume every map faces north or every task asks you to write a place name.

The official IELTS map guidance recommends using the time before the recording to understand the layout. This article adds an original practice exercise. It is not an official test question, and completing it does not predict a band score.

Draw a small practice map

Use a blank sheet at a study table. Draw a rectangular park with an entrance at the bottom centre. Draw a straight path from the entrance to a fountain in the centre, then continue that path towards the top edge. Add a bench to the left of the fountain and a café to its right. Put a gate at the top end of the path.

For this exercise only, the top is north. Label three places A, B and C: A is the bench, B is the café and C is the gate. Your partner should read the script below while you look at the sketch. These invented places are practice labels, not directions to a real park in Bengal.

Listen for the destination, not the first place named

Ask a partner to read this original script once at a comfortable pace: “Start at the entrance and walk straight to the fountain. You will see a bench on your left, but do not stop there. Turn right at the fountain. The meeting point is the café.” Choose A, B or C.

The answer is B. The bench is mentioned, but it is not the destination. The instruction changes direction at the fountain, so the top gate is also incorrect. Trace the route after listening and explain which words ruled out the other answers.

1. Point to the start before the script begins.
2. Move along the path when you hear a movement instruction.
3. Identify the final destination and explain why the bench is wrong.

Separate movement from position

“Turn right” tells you what to do at a point. “On your right” describes the position of something relative to the route. “Opposite” describes a relationship between places. Practise these distinctions with your sketch rather than memorising a long list without a layout.

Change the exercise: begin at the top gate and walk towards the fountain. A place that was on your left when entering from the bottom may now be on your right. Keep your starting direction in mind. If a real test includes a compass marker, use the marker as given rather than inventing one.

Review the exact point where you lost the route

If you chose the wrong place, identify whether you missed the starting point, a turn or a correction. Repeat only that part first, then listen to the whole route again. In an actual test, keep listening when uncertain so one missed answer does not make you lose the next instruction.

For further practice, use official IELTS listening materials with their maps and answer keys. A self-made sketch trains direction tracking; it does not reproduce the range or speed of every exam task. If you want guided preparation, use the IELTS course link and ask Spantach Academy about suitable batches and current timings.