IELTS Reading Diagram Label Completion: Practice Questions & Tips
Diagram label completion shows you a picture of a machine, a building or a process, with some labels missing. You complete them with words from the text. It appears mostly in the Academic test, but it is quick to learn and the answers are usually easy to find once you know where to look.
The key is that a diagram almost always matches one paragraph that describes it in order: top to bottom, outside to inside, or step by step. Below you will learn how to use that, then label three diagrams yourself and try an exam-style task.
How diagram label completion works
The diagram has numbered gaps, and each one needs a word or two from the text, within a word limit such as NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS. Some labels give you part of the answer already (storage ___), so you only need the missing word. Spelling counts, as in every completion task.
A method that works
- 1
Look at the diagram first
What does it show, and which labels are already filled in? Those words help you find the paragraph.
- 2
Find the describing paragraph
Scan for the words of the given labels. The description is usually in one place, not spread through the text.
- 3
Follow the description in order
Texts describe objects from top to bottom, outside to inside, or in the order a process happens. Move through the diagram the same way.
Diagram label completion practice
Read the description, look at the diagram and type the missing word for the label, then press Enter. Each round picks 8 of 12 labels at random.
Now try a full exam-style task
In the test the diagram usually comes with a longer description. Give yourself about 4 minutes, write down your answers, and then open How to answer to check them.
Questions 1–5
Read the text below and answer Questions 1–5.
The modern beehive
The design of most modern beehives goes back to 1852, when the American beekeeper Lorenzo Langstroth noticed that bees always leave a small gap of about a centimetre between their combs. By building boxes with frames spaced exactly that distance apart, he made it possible to lift out each comb without breaking it.
A typical hive today is made of several boxes stacked on top of each other. At the top is a wooden roof, a shallow lid that fits over the boxes and keeps out the rain. Below it sits the honey super, a shallow box where the bees store the honey that the beekeeper will later collect.
Between the honey super and the larger brood box below is a flat metal grid known as the queen excluder. Its holes are wide enough for worker bees to pass through, but too narrow for the larger queen, so she lays her eggs only in the brood box and the honey above stays free of young bees.
The whole hive stands on a wooden base with a narrow entrance at the front, which the bees can defend easily against wasps and other insects.
Questions 1–5
Label the diagram below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1–5 on your answer sheet.
How to answer: step by step
- roof At the top is a wooden roof, a shallow lid that fits over the boxes. The text describes the hive from top to bottom, and the labels follow the same order.
- super Below it sits the honey super. An unusual word, so copy it carefully.
- excluder A flat metal grid known as the queen excluder. It lies between the two boxes, exactly where label 3 points.
- brood The larger brood box below: the deep box under the excluder.
- entrance A narrow entrance at the front. Base would not fit: the label already says narrow, and the text describes the entrance, not the base, as narrow.
Did you notice? The text described the hive from the top down, and the labels followed the same order. That is typical of diagram tasks: once you find where the description starts, the answers come one after another.
6 tips for diagram label completion
- 1
Use the words already there
Labels that are filled in, or half filled in, tell you which paragraph to read and which word is missing.
- 2
Read in the diagram’s order
Top to bottom, outside to inside, start to finish: the text usually follows the same direction.
- 3
Check the word limit
Many diagram tasks ask for ONE WORD ONLY. Do not repeat words that are already printed on the label.
- 4
Look at the arrows and lines
A label line points to one exact part. Make sure your word names that part, not the one next to it.
- 5
Copy carefully
Technical words like excluder or valve are easy to misspell. Copy them letter by letter.
- 6
Do not describe the picture
Your answer must come from the text, even if you can see what the part is and know another word for it.
Diagram label completion FAQ
Quick answers to the questions students ask most.
Is diagram label completion in General Training?
It is much more common in Academic Reading, which uses more technical texts, but it can appear in either test.
Are the answers in order?
Not always in number order, but the description in the text usually follows a clear direction, such as top to bottom, which the labels follow too.
Can I use words that describe the picture?
No. The answer must be words from the text, within the word limit, even if another word describes the picture well.
Do I need to understand the technology?
No. Everything you need is in the text. Match the description to the diagram step by step.
What if a label already has some words?
Write only the missing words. Repeating the printed words can take you over the word limit.
IELTS Reading question types
All 11 types in order. Pick one to practise next.
- 1True / False / Not GivenPractice →
- 2Yes / No / Not GivenPractice →
- 3Matching headingsPractice →
- 4Matching informationPractice →
- 5Matching featuresPractice →
- 6Matching sentence endingsPractice →
- 7Sentence completionPractice →
- 8Summary completionPractice →
- 9Diagram labelsYou are here
- 10Multiple choicePractice →
- 11Short answersPractice →