Diagram labelling and process passages

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Academic Reading 25 minadvanced

Diagram labelling and process passages

Passages that explain how something works or is made can be the most reliable marks in the test. Read the diagram first, follow spatial and sequencing language, and copy exactly the right words into labels and flow-chart boxes.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

Recognise diagram label completion, flow-chart completion and lettered-diagram tasks, and follow their word-limit rules exactly
Use the diagram itself (given labels, arrows, shapes) to predict answers and find the right section of the passage
Follow spatial language (beneath, set into, at the far end) and sequencing language (once, prior to, meanwhile) to map a text onto a drawing
Avoid the classic traps: steps described out of order, neighbouring parts with similar names, wrong word form and broken word limits
Complete an exam-style process passage with flow-chart, labelling and short-answer questions in about 17 minutes

Process passages are easy marks if you read them the right way

Every so often a Reading passage stops arguing and starts explaining: how a solar still purifies water, how glass is recycled, how an old pump lifts water uphill with no engine. These technical passages usually come with diagram label completion or flow-chart completion questions.

Many candidates see words like valve, chamber, condense and momentum and panic. That costs them marks they could easily have had, because these tasks have three helpful features:

The answers are grouped together. They normally come from one or two paragraphs, not the whole text.
The diagram works like a map. Given labels and arrows tell you where to look and what kind of word is missing.
You copy the answer. You never paraphrase an answer. You find it and copy it accurately.

You do not need to understand engineering. You need to match words to positions and steps. That is a reading skill, and this lesson trains it.

What the exam actually gives you

The instructions look like this:

Label the diagram below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Complete the flow-chart below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Some flow-charts give you a box of options instead (Choose the correct letter, A–H). Some labelling tasks ask you to match part names to letters already marked on a drawing. Whatever the format, these rules apply:

Copy from the passage. Answers must be words that appear in the text, in the same form. If the passage says insulation, writing insulating material is wrong even though it means the same.
Stay within the limit. NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS means one or two words. Three words are wrong, however accurate. A hyphenated word (air-tight) counts as one word.
Spelling counts. A misspelt answer scores zero. British and American spellings are both accepted.
The grammar must fit. If the box says pressed into ___ and the passage says pressed into bales, the singular bale is wrong.
Do not rely on order. Officially, answers to these tasks may not follow the order of the text, although they usually come from one section. In practice, flow-chart answers almost always follow the stages of the process. Diagram labels jump around, because a drawing is organised by space, not by time.
Numbers. When the instruction says AND/OR A NUMBER, you may add a number to your words. Figures (6, 1796) are fine.

The formats at a glance

Format	What you see	What you write	Where the answers are
Diagram label completion	A drawing with numbered blank labels (8 ………)	Words copied from the passage, within the word limit	Usually one or two descriptive paragraphs. Labels follow the drawing, not the text order.
Flow-chart completion	Boxes joined by arrows, each with a gap	Words from the passage, or a letter from a box of options	One section that describes the process. The steps usually follow the text.
Lettered diagram	A drawing with parts marked A, B, C… and a list of part names	The letter of each named part	The paragraph(s) describing the structure, especially the spatial language
Table or notes about a process	Headings such as Stage / Equipment / Purpose	Words from the passage	Spread across the process description. Scan using the row headings.

The diagram-first method

1
Study the drawing for 30–40 seconds
Before you read a single line, look at what is already labelled (Sun, Container, Supply tank). These given labels are your anchors: words you can scan for. Notice the arrows (direction of flow, heat or light) and the shape of each blank. Is it a pipe, a layer, a container, a moving part?
2
Predict the word class and meaning
Labels are almost always nouns (liner, channel, valve). Flow-chart gaps can be nouns, verbs or adjectives, so read the words around the gap. A sharp rise in ___ needs a noun. Plants are cut when they begin to ___ needs a verb.
3
Scan for the anchors
Find the anchor words in the passage. The answers are usually within a few lines of them. Check how the text is organised too: often one paragraph describes what the parts are (structure) and another describes what happens (process).
4
Read the key section slowly, with your finger on the drawing
This is the one place in the Reading test where slow, careful reading pays. Trace each spatial phrase on the diagram: beneath the basin, set into the rear wall, at its far end. Trace each sequencing word on the flow-chart: once, as soon as, before this.
5
Copy the exact words
Copy the word(s) letter by letter. Check the word limit and singular or plural. Make sure you have not repeated a word that is already printed next to the gap.
6
Do a physical sense check
Ask yourself: could this part really be there, doing that? Insulation cannot sit above the glass. A storage container is not inside the basin. If your answer makes no physical sense, re-read the spatial language.

The language that carries the answers

Function	Signal language	What it tells you
Position	above, beneath, on top of, at the base of, set into, mounted on, attached to, alongside, adjacent to, at the far end, flush with	Where a part is on the drawing. Trace it with your finger.
Shape and material	sloping, tilted, vertical, horizontal, rigid, flexible, narrow, perforated, sealed, made of galvanised steel	Which shape on the drawing matches the part
Sequence	first, initially, to begin with, then, next, once, as soon as, after which, following this, subsequently, finally	The order of the boxes in a flow-chart
Out-of-order sequence	before this, prior to, previously, having been (dried), until, by the time	A step mentioned later in the text happens earlier in the process. This is the classic flow-chart trap.
Simultaneous action	meanwhile, at the same time, while, as	Two things happen together. One of them may be a separate box.
Cause and function	so that, in order to, which causes, this forces, thereby, resulting in, is designed to, serves to	Why a step happens. This is often the content of a flow-chart box.
Process verbs (often passive)	is fed into, is heated, is drawn off, are separated, is diverted, is admitted	The action in each box. The gap is often the noun after the verb.

A basin-type solar still (cross-section)

Label the diagram: Questions 1–5

Study this diagram before you read the text below. Given labels (anchors): Sun, Container, Salt water in. Numbers 1–5 are the labels you will complete in the guided practice.

Read the diagram like an examiner before you read the text

Step 1: what is already given?

Anchors: Sun, Container, Salt water in. In the text, scan for sunlight, container and salty water.
Arrows: sunlight comes in through the top, vapour rises from the water, and droplets run down the slope to the right.

Step 2: what shape is each blank?

Label	What you can see	Prediction
1	a long sloping line across the top	a cover of some kind (noun)
2	a dark strip on the floor, under the water	a lining or coating (noun)
3	a thick layer under the whole basin	a protective layer (noun)
4	a pipe entering the tall rear wall	the pipe that brings water in (noun, maybe two words)
5	a small trough at the lower end of the slope	where the droplets collect (noun)

Step 3: one worked label. For label 1, expect a sentence like Over the basin sits a sloping ___. Three clues must all agree: the position (over the basin), the shape (sloping) and the function (lets sunlight in). When they do, copy the noun and check the word limit.

Now do labels 1–5 yourself in the guided practice below.

AnchorA word printed on the diagram that also appears in the passage. Scanning for anchors takes you to the right lines in seconds.
Spatial phraseWords such as over, beneath, set into and at the lower edge. Each one tells you exactly where a part is on the drawing.
Shape clueA sloping line, a thin layer, a small trough: the drawing tells you what kind of thing the missing noun names before you read a word.

Guided practice: label the solar still

5 min5 questions

Work at exam pace. The timer is a guide — it won't stop you.

From field to fibre: how raw jute is processed

Harvesting

Plants cut about four months after sowing, as they begin to flower

Bundling

Stalks tied into bundles and left in the field until the leaves drop

Retting

Bundles submerged for two to three weeks while bacteria break down the gum

Testing

A few stalks checked; bundles returned to the water if the fibre is not ready

Stripping and drying

Fibre pulled off by hand, washed and dried on bamboo racks

Grading and baling

Dry fibre sorted by quality and pressed into bales

A flow-chart turns a paragraph into ordered stages. Each box is a short noun or passive verb phrase. Now see how the paragraph behind this chart can trick you.

Worked example: from paragraph to flow-chart

The text

Jute, Bangladesh’s ‘golden fibre’, still reaches the market through a largely manual process. The plants are cut about four months after sowing, usually just as they begin to flower, since fibre from older plants is coarser. The stalks are tied into bundles and left in the field for a few days so that the leaves drop off. They are then submerged in a pond or a slow-moving river and held down with mud or logs. Over the next two to three weeks, bacteria in the water break down the gum that binds the fibre to the woody core, a process known as retting. The fibre is then stripped by hand, washed in clean water and hung on bamboo racks to dry in the sun, after which it is graded and pressed into bales. Before stripping begins, however, farmers test a few stalks: if the fibre does not come away easily, the bundles go back into the water for a few more days.

The flow-chart (Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text.)

Plants are cut when they begin to (1) ………

Bundles stay in the field until the (2) ……… have dropped off

Bundles are submerged and weighted down

(3) ……… break down the gum (retting)

A few stalks are tested; bundles may go back into the (4) ………

Fibre is stripped, washed and dried on bamboo racks

Dry fibre is graded and pressed into (5) ………

Answers: (1) flower (2) leaves (3) bacteria (4) water (5) bales

(1) flower: word formAfter “begin to” you need a verb. The text says “begin to flower”, so the answer is “flower”. “Flowering” is not in the text and is the wrong form.
(2) leaves: plural“Until the ___ have dropped off” needs a plural noun (have). The text says “the leaves drop off”. “Leaf” would be marked wrong.
(3) bacteria: the doerThe box says “___ break down the gum”. In the text, “bacteria in the water break down the gum”. “Retting” is the name of the process, not the thing doing the work.
(4) water: the out-of-order stepThe testing step comes LAST in the text, but “Before stripping begins” places it before stripping in the process. Flow-charts follow the process, not the order of the sentences. Watch for every “before”, “prior to” and “having been”.
(5) bales: grammar check“Pressed into ___”: the text says “pressed into bales”. Copy the plural exactly.

Six traps in diagram and flow-chart tasks

The out-of-order step. Before this…, prior to… and having first been… describe an earlier stage later in the text. Follow the order of the process, not the order of the text.
Neighbouring parts with similar names. Outlet vs channel, delivery valve vs waste valve, drive pipe vs delivery pipe. The difference is always in the spatial or functional detail, so read the whole description, not just the first noun you see.
The example instead of the name. In insulation, often straw or sawdust, the part is insulation. Straw is only the material.
Repeating printed words. If the label already says ___ pipe, writing feed pipe produces feed pipe pipe. Check what is printed around the gap.
A compound noun that breaks the limit. Sloping sheet of glass is four words. Find the shortest exact form that still names the part.
Changing the form. Condenses is not condensation, and bales is not bale. If the exact form does not fit the gap, you probably have the wrong word.

বাংলায় বুঝে নিই: আগে ডায়াগ্রাম, পরে লেখা

ডায়াগ্রামে যে নামগুলো আগে থেকেই লেখা আছে (যেমন Sun, Container), সেগুলোই আপনার anchor। passage-এ এই শব্দগুলো scan করুন, উত্তর সাধারণত এর কয়েক লাইনের মধ্যেই থাকে। এরপর beneath, set into, at the far end-এর মতো spatial শব্দ ধরে আঙুল দিয়ে ছবিতে পথটা অনুসরণ করুন। উত্তর নিজের ভাষায় লিখবেন না। passage থেকে হুবহু কপি করুন, আর বানান ও singular/plural মিলিয়ে নিন।

Check your understanding

8 questions

1
A diagram label points to a thin layer under a water tank. The passage says: “The tank stands on a layer of compacted clay, which prevents leaks.” The instruction is ONE WORD ONLY. What do you write?
2
The hides are soaked in a lime solution for several days to loosen the hair. Prior to this, they are washed thoroughly to remove salt and blood.
The hides are washed after they have been soaked in lime.
3
Match each signal phrase with what it tells you.
prior to
meanwhile
set into
thereby
flush with
4
The passage says: “Once the grain has been dried, it is ground into flour.” In the flow-chart, drying comes grinding.
5
Instruction: NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS. The passage says the water “collects in a shallow stainless steel tray”, and the label points to the tray. Which answer breaks the rules?
6
Choose TWO things you should study on the diagram BEFORE reading the passage.
Select 2.
7
Put the stages of the solar still process in the correct order.
Drag the cards (or use the arrows) into the correct order.
- 1Sunlight passes through the glass
- 2Water collects in the channel and flows to the container
- 3Droplets run down to the lower edge of the glass
- 4Vapour condenses on the cool underside of the glass
- 5The water in the basin heats up and evaporates
8
Why do diagram labels often NOT follow the order of the passage?

Answer every question to check.

Two ways to attack a process passage

Band 5.5 approach

Reads the whole passage from start to finish first, trying to understand the engineering.
Meets momentum, recoil and snifter and starts to panic.
Looks at the diagram only when answering, then rereads the passage for each part.
Writes the first noun near a keyword: pipe for every pipe, valve for every valve.
Runs out of time on the flow-chart.

Band 7.5 approach

Spends 40 seconds on the diagram and the flow-chart: given labels, arrows, the shape of each blank.
Skims to find which paragraph describes the structure and which describes the process.
Reads only those paragraphs slowly, tracing every spatial and sequencing phrase.
Tells neighbouring parts apart by their position or function (at its far end vs nearer the drive pipe).
Copies exact words, checks the limits and moves on with time to spare.

Technical vocabulary is not the real obstacle. The strong reader uses the diagram as a map and reads only the parts that matter. Use this approach on the practice passage below, which is longer and harder than the solar still.

Exam practice: a technical process passage

17 min13 questions

Work at exam pace. The timer is a guide — it won't stop you.

Final quiz: diagrams and process passages

10 questions

1
In paragraph E of the hydraulic ram passage, which word or phrase shows that two actions happen at the same time?
2
After the clay has been shaped, it is left to dry for two days. It is then fired in a kiln at about 1,000°C. Before shaping, however, the clay is mixed with sand to prevent cracking.
Sand is added to the clay after it has been shaped.
3
After the clay has been shaped, it is left to dry for two days. It is then fired in a kiln at about 1,000°C. Before shaping, however, the clay is mixed with sand to prevent cracking.
The kiln is heated by burning wood.
4
Passage: “The mixture is passed through a fine mesh, which removes any remaining husks.” Flow-chart (ONE WORD ONLY): Mixture is passed through a mesh to remove .
5
A label on a diagram reads “___ chamber”. The passage says “the hot gases rise into the combustion chamber”. What do you write?
6
Find and correct the mistake:
The dried fibre is graded and pressed into bale.
7
Match each part of the hydraulic ram with its function.
waste valve
delivery valve
air chamber
snifter valve
drive pipe
8
Put the working cycle of the hydraulic ram in the correct order.
Drag the cards (or use the arrows) into the correct order.
- 1Recoil lowers the pressure and the waste valve reopens
- 2Pressure rises sharply (water hammer)
- 3The waste valve slams shut
- 4Water is forced into the air chamber
- 5Water accelerates down the drive pipe
- 6The delivery valve closes and air pushes water up the delivery pipe
9
The passage says “a layer of insulation”. Instruction: ONE WORD ONLY. Choose TWO answers that would be marked wrong.
Select 2.
10
Which statement about flow-chart completion is accurate?

Answer every question to check.

Key takeaways

Words for technical and process passages

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mechanism

noun/ˈmekənɪzəm/

a set of moving parts in a machine, or the way something works

যন্ত্রকৌশল; কার্যপ্রণালী

The hydraulic ram's mechanism has only two moving parts.

component

noun/kəmˈpəʊnənt/

one of the parts that something is made of

উপাদান; যন্ত্রাংশ

Each component of the solar still can be made from local materials.

valve

noun/vælv/

a device that opens and closes to control the flow of a liquid or gas

ভালভ; প্রবাহ নিয়ন্ত্রণের কপাট

The delivery valve allows water into the air chamber but not back out.

chamber

noun/ˈtʃeɪmbə(r)/

an enclosed space inside a machine or a body

প্রকোষ্ঠ; কক্ষ

Air trapped in the chamber is compressed with every pulse.

condense

verb/kənˈdens/

to change from a gas into a liquid, usually when cooled

ঘনীভূত হওয়া (বাষ্প থেকে তরলে পরিণত হওয়া)

Water vapour condenses on the cool underside of the glass.

momentum

noun/məˈmentəm/

the force that a moving object has because of its mass and speed

ভরবেগ

The momentum of the water column produces a sudden rise in pressure.

rigid

adjective/ˈrɪdʒɪd/

stiff and not able to bend or change shape

অনমনীয়; শক্ত

The drive pipe must be rigid, so plastic is unsuitable.

submerge

verb/səbˈmɜːdʒ/

to put something completely under water

নিমজ্জিত করা; পানিতে ডুবিয়ে রাখা

The jute bundles are submerged in a pond for two to three weeks.

divert

verb/daɪˈvɜːt/

to make something, such as water or traffic, change its direction

অন্য দিকে প্রবাহিত করা; গতিপথ ঘোরানো

Water is diverted from the stream into a supply tank.

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