Example:

Source: Cambridge IELTS 9, Test 1 – Reading, Passage 3, Questions 34 – 39

Strategies:

1. Read the instruction -> word limit
2. Skim the chart -> what it is about (main idea)
3. Underline key words -> predict answers with relation to the stages
4. Scan for key words from the text -> compare to find answers
5. Double check -> if the chart is grammatical and meaningful

Tips:

• Check if the Flow-chart has a title/ heading. If yes, the chart summarizes ideas of certain paragraphs in the passage and you need to locate them. Otherwise, you have to scan the whole text for the answers.
• Key words around the gaps are usually paraphrased in the text => think of paraphrases/ synonyms of those key words & scan for those in the text
• The answers often follow the order of the passage.