Table and flow-chart completion: learn

In this lesson you will

Read a table before you listen and use its headings and completed cells to predict each answer
Follow a speaker through a table row by row, using row labels as signposts
Track the stages of a process, including sentences where “before” or “once” changes the order
Complete flow-charts by writing words from the recording or by choosing options from a box

Before you start

Think about these questions, or answer them aloud.

→Think of a process you know well, such as making coffee or applying for a passport. What are its main stages?
→When you compare three phone contracts or three hotels, what information would you put in a table?

How table and flow-chart tasks work

Tables often appear in IELTS Part 1, when someone compares a few options (courses, tours, flats), and in Part 4, when a lecturer compares methods, places or periods. A flow-chart shows the stages of a process, with arrows from one stage to the next. It is common in Part 4 lectures about how something is made, tested or developed.

Both are really notes with a strong structure, and that structure helps you. The column headings tell you what kind of word each gap needs, the row labels tell you when the speaker has moved on, and the arrows of a flow-chart show the order of events.

Some flow-charts ask you to write words from the recording. Others give you a box of options (A, B, C…), and you choose a letter for each gap. In that case the options are usually paraphrases, so you match meaning, not sound.

Read the table before you listen
Look at…	It tells you…	Example
The column headings	the type of information in each gap	A gap under Cost needs a price; a gap under Day needs a day of the week.
The completed cells	the form and length of the answer	If the other cells in the column say £45, the gap needs a number only.
The row labels	the signpost the speaker will use	When you hear the Spanish course, you know you are on that row.
The gap numbers	the order of the answers	The numbers usually run across each row, so the speaker deals with one row at a time.

Following a process

In a flow-chart, the stages are in time order, but a speaker does not always describe them in that order inside one sentence. Watch out for before, after, once and only after:

Before the fabric is dyed, it is washed in hot water. → Washing comes first, even though you hear it second.
Once the beans have dried, they are packed into sacks. → Drying comes first.
The samples are frozen, but only after they have been labelled. → Labelling comes first.

Also listen for stages that the speaker says are not part of the process any more (We used to boil the leaves as well, but we've dropped that step). They are distractors.

Sequence language in processes

The process starts with the raw material.
Once that's done, the mixture is heated.
At this point, the liquid is filtered.
Before it can be sold, it has to be tested.
It's only then that the product is packed.
The final stage is quality control.

Model task: Greenfield Community Centre evening courses
Course	Day	About the tutor	Cost (10 weeks)
Digital photography	Monday	works as a (1) ______ for the local paper	£95
Conversational Spanish	(2) ______	grew up in Madrid	£110
Furniture restoration	Thursday	has owned an antique (3) ______ for 20 years	£(4) ______, materials included

Before you listen

The instructions say: Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. A strong listener reads across each row and predicts:

a job (works as a…)
a day of the week
a noun for a business (an antique…)
a number: the other cells in the column are prices without the word pounds

Audio

Model call: evening courses

In the exam you usually hear it once.

Try the questions first.

How a strong listener completes the table

journalist. The speaker gives the tutor's name and job together. Sara is not the answer, because the cell asks what she does.
Wednesday. Tuesday is the old day: used to be… but this term it's moved is the past-versus-present trap.
shop. The printed words around the gap (antique… for 20 years) tell you exactly when to listen. The answer is the only new word.
140. Including all the materials matches the words already in the cell, which confirms that you are in the right place.

Notice how the row labels worked as signposts: the Spanish course, the third course. If you miss an answer, the next row label tells you where the speaker is, so you can carry on.

Practice table 1: Valley Cycle Tours
Tour	Distance	Highlight	Price per person
Riverside Ride	(1) ______ km	a visit to a (2) ______ farm	£35
Castle Loop	38 km	lunch in the castle (3) ______	£(4) ______
Hill Challenge	55 km	views of the (5) ______ from Mount Brae	£60; cycling (6) ______ not included

Audio

Practice 1: booking a cycle tour

In the exam you usually hear it once.

Try the questions first.

Gap fill

Table completion (IELTS Part 1)

Read the table above and predict each answer. Then listen and write your answers. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Riverside Ride: distance km Riverside Ride: a visit to a farm Castle Loop: lunch in the castle Castle Loop: price £ Hill Challenge: views of the from Mount Brae Hill Challenge: cycling not included

Audio

Practice 2: how chocolate is made

In the exam you usually hear it once.

Try the questions first.

Gap fill

Flow-chart completion (IELTS Part 4)

Complete the flow-chart. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

From cacao pod to chocolate bar Ripe pods are cut from the tree, usually with a ↓ Beans and pulp are covered with banana for several days (fermentation) ↓ Beans are dried in the for about a week ↓ Dried beans are packed into and shipped to factories ↓ At the factory, the beans are to deepen the flavour ↓ Shells are removed, and the nibs are ground into a thick ↓ The mixture is stirred and heated for hours to make it (conching) ↓ Careful heating and cooling gives the chocolate a and a snap (tempering)

Audio

Practice 3: restoring a coral reef

In the exam you usually hear it once.

Try the questions first.

Matching

Flow-chart completion with a box of options (IELTS Part 4)

Complete the flow-chart. Choose the correct option, A–I, for each gap. There are three options you do not need.

Abroken
Bcable ties
Cframes
Dhealthy
Emonths
Fphotographs
Gsand
Hseaweed
Itemperature

1.Stage 1: Divers collect coral fragments that are already ______.
2.Stage 2: In the nursery, the fragments are attached to ______.
3.Stage 3: The fragments grow there for several ______.
4.Stage 4: Volunteers clean off ______ so that the coral gets enough light.
5.Stage 5: Corals are fixed to the damaged reef with cement or ______.
6.Stage 6: For at least a year, the team measures growth using ______.

Practice table 2: keeping food cold before refrigerators
Method	How it worked	Main advantage	Main limitation
Ice house	ice from frozen lakes stored underground and covered with (1) ______	ice could last into the (2) ______	only the (3) ______ could afford one
Root cellar	a cool room dug into the ground	kept vegetables and apples fresh through the winter	not cold enough to keep (4) ______ safe for long
Pot-in-pot cooler	a small clay pot inside a larger one, with wet (5) ______ between them	needs no (6) ______	works best when the air is (7) ______

Audio

Practice 4: keeping food cold

In the exam you usually hear it once.

Try the questions first.

Gap fill

Table completion (IELTS Part 4)

Read the table above. Then listen to the lecture and write your answers. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Ice house: covered with Ice house: ice could last into the Ice house: only the could afford one Root cellar: not cold enough to keep safe for long Pot-in-pot cooler: wet between the pots Pot-in-pot cooler: needs no Pot-in-pot cooler: works best when the air is

Save words to review them later with flashcards.

stage
one part of a process
“Fermentation is the stage that surprises most students.”
ferment
to change chemically over time because of bacteria or yeast, often improving the flavour
“The beans are left to ferment for several days.”
roast
to cook something with dry heat, for example in an oven
“The beans are roasted to deepen their flavour.”
grind (ground, ground)
to crush something into very small pieces or a powder
“The nibs are ground into a thick paste.”
fragment
a small piece that has broken off something
“Divers collect coral fragments after storms.”
nursery
a place where young plants (or corals) are grown before being moved
“The fragments grow in an underwater nursery.”
insulation
material that stops heat from passing through
“Straw was used as insulation in ice houses.”
evaporate
(of a liquid) to change into a gas
“As the water evaporates, the inner pot stays cool.”
humid
(of air) warm and containing a lot of water
“Pot-in-pot coolers work badly in humid places.”
drawback
a disadvantage or problem
“The main drawback of ice houses was the cost.”
highlight
the best or most interesting part of something
“The highlight of the tour is the view of the sea.”

Key points

Column headings and completed cells tell you the type and form of each answer.
Answers usually come row by row: row labels are signposts that tell you where the speaker is.
Flow-charts follow time order, but “before”, “once” and “only after” can change the order inside one sentence.
Steps or options that the speaker rejects, or says were dropped, are distractors.
Obey the word limit and don't repeat words or symbols that are already printed.

Check your answers in the practice exercises to record a score.

Up next · Listening B2 Intermediate

Sentence completion and word limits

Go to lesson

In this lesson you will

Read a table before you listen and use its headings and completed cells to predict each answer
Follow a speaker through a table row by row, using row labels as signposts
Track the stages of a process, including sentences where “before” or “once” changes the order
Complete flow-charts by writing words from the recording or by choosing options from a box

Before you start

Think about these questions, or answer them aloud.

→Think of a process you know well, such as making coffee or applying for a passport. What are its main stages?
→When you compare three phone contracts or three hotels, what information would you put in a table?

How table and flow-chart tasks work

Read the table before you listen
Look at…	It tells you…	Example
The column headings	the type of information in each gap	A gap under Cost needs a price; a gap under Day needs a day of the week.
The completed cells	the form and length of the answer	If the other cells in the column say £45, the gap needs a number only.
The row labels	the signpost the speaker will use	When you hear the Spanish course, you know you are on that row.
The gap numbers	the order of the answers	The numbers usually run across each row, so the speaker deals with one row at a time.

Following a process

In a flow-chart, the stages are in time order, but a speaker does not always describe them in that order inside one sentence. Watch out for before, after, once and only after:

Before the fabric is dyed, it is washed in hot water. → Washing comes first, even though you hear it second.
Once the beans have dried, they are packed into sacks. → Drying comes first.
The samples are frozen, but only after they have been labelled. → Labelling comes first.

Also listen for stages that the speaker says are not part of the process any more (We used to boil the leaves as well, but we've dropped that step). They are distractors.

Sequence language in processes

The process starts with the raw material.
Once that's done, the mixture is heated.
At this point, the liquid is filtered.
Before it can be sold, it has to be tested.
It's only then that the product is packed.
The final stage is quality control.

Model task: Greenfield Community Centre evening courses
Course	Day	About the tutor	Cost (10 weeks)
Digital photography	Monday	works as a (1) ______ for the local paper	£95
Conversational Spanish	(2) ______	grew up in Madrid	£110
Furniture restoration	Thursday	has owned an antique (3) ______ for 20 years	£(4) ______, materials included

Before you listen

The instructions say: Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. A strong listener reads across each row and predicts:

a job (works as a…)
a day of the week
a noun for a business (an antique…)
a number: the other cells in the column are prices without the word pounds

Audio

Model call: evening courses

In the exam you usually hear it once.

Try the questions first.

How a strong listener completes the table

journalist. The speaker gives the tutor's name and job together. Sara is not the answer, because the cell asks what she does.
Wednesday. Tuesday is the old day: used to be… but this term it's moved is the past-versus-present trap.
shop. The printed words around the gap (antique… for 20 years) tell you exactly when to listen. The answer is the only new word.
140. Including all the materials matches the words already in the cell, which confirms that you are in the right place.

Notice how the row labels worked as signposts: the Spanish course, the third course. If you miss an answer, the next row label tells you where the speaker is, so you can carry on.

Practice table 1: Valley Cycle Tours
Tour	Distance	Highlight	Price per person
Riverside Ride	(1) ______ km	a visit to a (2) ______ farm	£35
Castle Loop	38 km	lunch in the castle (3) ______	£(4) ______
Hill Challenge	55 km	views of the (5) ______ from Mount Brae	£60; cycling (6) ______ not included

Audio

Practice 1: booking a cycle tour

In the exam you usually hear it once.

Try the questions first.

Gap fill

Table completion (IELTS Part 1)

Read the table above and predict each answer. Then listen and write your answers. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Riverside Ride: distance km Riverside Ride: a visit to a farm Castle Loop: lunch in the castle Castle Loop: price £ Hill Challenge: views of the from Mount Brae Hill Challenge: cycling not included

Audio

Practice 2: how chocolate is made

In the exam you usually hear it once.

Try the questions first.

Gap fill

Flow-chart completion (IELTS Part 4)

Complete the flow-chart. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Audio

Practice 3: restoring a coral reef

In the exam you usually hear it once.

Try the questions first.

Matching

Flow-chart completion with a box of options (IELTS Part 4)

Complete the flow-chart. Choose the correct option, A–I, for each gap. There are three options you do not need.

Abroken
Bcable ties
Cframes
Dhealthy
Emonths
Fphotographs
Gsand
Hseaweed
Itemperature

1.Stage 1: Divers collect coral fragments that are already ______.
2.Stage 2: In the nursery, the fragments are attached to ______.
3.Stage 3: The fragments grow there for several ______.
4.Stage 4: Volunteers clean off ______ so that the coral gets enough light.
5.Stage 5: Corals are fixed to the damaged reef with cement or ______.
6.Stage 6: For at least a year, the team measures growth using ______.

Practice table 2: keeping food cold before refrigerators
Method	How it worked	Main advantage	Main limitation
Ice house	ice from frozen lakes stored underground and covered with (1) ______	ice could last into the (2) ______	only the (3) ______ could afford one
Root cellar	a cool room dug into the ground	kept vegetables and apples fresh through the winter	not cold enough to keep (4) ______ safe for long
Pot-in-pot cooler	a small clay pot inside a larger one, with wet (5) ______ between them	needs no (6) ______	works best when the air is (7) ______

Audio

Practice 4: keeping food cold

In the exam you usually hear it once.

Try the questions first.

Gap fill

Table completion (IELTS Part 4)

Read the table above. Then listen to the lecture and write your answers. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Save words to review them later with flashcards.

stage
one part of a process
“Fermentation is the stage that surprises most students.”
ferment
to change chemically over time because of bacteria or yeast, often improving the flavour
“The beans are left to ferment for several days.”
roast
to cook something with dry heat, for example in an oven
“The beans are roasted to deepen their flavour.”
grind (ground, ground)
to crush something into very small pieces or a powder
“The nibs are ground into a thick paste.”
fragment
a small piece that has broken off something
“Divers collect coral fragments after storms.”
nursery
a place where young plants (or corals) are grown before being moved
“The fragments grow in an underwater nursery.”
insulation
material that stops heat from passing through
“Straw was used as insulation in ice houses.”
evaporate
(of a liquid) to change into a gas
“As the water evaporates, the inner pot stays cool.”
humid
(of air) warm and containing a lot of water
“Pot-in-pot coolers work badly in humid places.”
drawback
a disadvantage or problem
“The main drawback of ice houses was the cost.”
highlight
the best or most interesting part of something
“The highlight of the tour is the view of the sea.”

Key points

Column headings and completed cells tell you the type and form of each answer.
Answers usually come row by row: row labels are signposts that tell you where the speaker is.
Flow-charts follow time order, but “before”, “once” and “only after” can change the order inside one sentence.
Steps or options that the speaker rejects, or says were dropped, are distractors.
Obey the word limit and don't repeat words or symbols that are already printed.

Check your answers in the practice exercises to record a score.

Up next · Listening B2 Intermediate

Sentence completion and word limits

Go to lesson

Warm-up

In this lesson you will

Before you start

How table and flow-chart tasks work

Following a process

Quick check: which comes first?

Before you listen

How a strong listener completes the table

Table completion (IELTS Part 1)

Flow-chart completion (IELTS Part 4)

Flow-chart completion with a box of options (IELTS Part 4)

Table completion (IELTS Part 4)

Key points

Warm-up

In this lesson you will

Before you start

How table and flow-chart tasks work

Following a process

Quick check: which comes first?

Before you listen

How a strong listener completes the table

Table completion (IELTS Part 1)

Flow-chart completion (IELTS Part 4)

Flow-chart completion with a box of options (IELTS Part 4)

Table completion (IELTS Part 4)

Key points