IELTS Reading Diagram completion Formula
IELTS Diagram Completion questions look simple, but they punish careless reading. The trick is to follow a predictable extraction routine rather than hunting randomly in the passage. A compact formula helps students avoid losing marks.
A practical formula many high scorers use can be expressed as L–K–S–C.
Locate → Keywords → Scan → Check
This mirrors the way the brain actually processes reading tasks.
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First step: Locate
Before reading the passage, study the diagram carefully. Understand what process or structure it represents. Look at arrows, labels, order, and missing parts. This tells you where information will appear in the passage.
For example, if the diagram shows stages of coffee production, the blanks will appear in the same sequence in the text. IELTS almost always follows this order.
Example diagram idea:
Coffee beans → roasted → ______ → packaged
Here you immediately know the missing stage must occur between roasting and packaging.
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Second step: Keywords
Each blank usually has keywords nearby. These guide your search.
Look for nouns or verbs around the gap.
Example:
Coffee beans are roasted at high temperatures and then _____ before being packed into bags.
Keywords: roasted, packed.
These keywords help you locate the exact sentence in the passage.
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Third step: Scan
Now scan the passage quickly using the keywords. Do not read everything.
Example sentence in the passage:
After roasting, the beans are ground into powder before being sealed in airtight packets.
The answer becomes powder or ground, depending on word limits.
This is where many students fail: they read slowly instead of scanning.
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Fourth step: Check
Always check three things:
Word limit
Grammar fit
Meaning match
Example question instruction:
Write ONE WORD ONLY
Sentence:
Coffee beans are roasted and then ______ before packaging.
Correct answer: ground
Not acceptable: ground into powder because it breaks the word limit.
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Example full question simulation
Diagram: Coffee Production Process
1. Coffee cherries are picked.
2. Beans are removed.
3. Beans are roasted.
4. Beans are ______.
5. Coffee is packaged.
Passage line:
Once roasted, the beans are ground to produce coffee powder.
Correct answer: ground
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Quick formula students should remember:
Look → Keyword → Scan → Check
or shorter:
L–K–S–C
Locate the diagram stage
Identify keywords
Scan the passage
Check the word limit
