Lessons / Listening / Table completion
IELTS Listening
Table completion
Fill the empty cells of a grid. Rows are things, columns are facts about them.
The instructions, word for word as the test writes them
Complete the table below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
What this task is
A table compares several things at once. Courses and their costs, tours and their departure times. Some cells are filled in for you. The numbered blanks are yours.
The answers arrive in reading order: left to right along a row, then down to the next row. The test keeps that promise, and it is your map through the audio.
The traps
These are built in on purpose. Know them by name and half the danger is gone.
Speakers mention the pre-filled information too. If you hear "Tuesday" and grab it, check the table has not already given it to you.
The conversation moves from the pottery course to life drawing in half a sentence. Stay on row one and every answer after that lands one row out.
What to do next time
- In the preview, read the column headers and the filled cells. They tell you the topic of every blank before a word is spoken.
- Track position with your finger or cursor. Left to right, top to bottom. When the speakers move on, move with them, even if a cell is still empty.
- Predict the type of each blank from its column. A "Cost" column wants a number. A "Day" column wants a day. Half the listening is done before the audio starts.
Now meet it under a clock. Start a free mock. Every table completion question you get wrong comes back with the sentence that proves the answer, and the reason the trap was tempting.