At a glance
| Phrase | What it means |
|---|---|
| Opposite / across from | On the other side of the road or room, facing it |
| Next to / beside / adjacent to | Directly at the side of |
| Just past / beyond | A little further than the place mentioned |
| On the corner of | Where two roads or paths meet |
| To the north of / in the north-east corner | Use the compass on the map, not your own left and right |
| At the end of the path | Where the path stops |
| In between | With one place on each side |
1A method for map questions
- Find the "You are here" point or the entrance. That is where the speaker usually starts.
- Check the compass. If there is none, the top of the map is normally north.
- Read the places already labelled. The speaker will use them as landmarks.
- Move your finger as the speaker moves. If you lose your place, listen for the next labelled landmark and rejoin.
2The left and right problem
If the speaker says "turn left", their left depends on which way they are facing, not on the page. Turn the paper in your mind, or physically, so you are facing the same way as the speaker.
Practice questions
Read each short script and decide where the place is, then tap to check.
- 1
"As you come through the main gate, the café is straight ahead, and the gift shop is directly opposite it." Where is the gift shop?
Answer: Facing the café, on the other side
"Directly opposite" means facing it across the space.
- 2
"Walk past the library and the car park is just beyond it, on the same side." Where is the car park?
Answer: Just after the library, on the same side
"Just beyond" means a little further on from the landmark.
- 3
"The toilets were next to the reception, but they have been moved to the north-east corner." Where are the toilets now?
Answer: In the north-east corner
The first location is a distractor. The answer is the corrected location.
- 4
"The first-aid room is between the hall and the kitchen." What is on each side of it?
Answer: The hall and the kitchen
"Between" means one landmark on each side.
Up next
Listening common mistakes
Distractors, spelling and word limits
Written by the AdmitVerse team. Last reviewed on . AdmitVerse is not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council or IDP. For official rules and test dates, see ielts.org.