R28: Note, table and flow-chart completion

Notes, tables and flow-charts organise information from the passage into a shape. The shape is a gift. It tells you what kind of word goes in each gap and roughly where to find it. This lesson shows you how to use the shape to find answers faster.

Why this matters

These question types usually focus on one part of the passage, often a description or a process. Once you find that part, the answers come quickly, one after another. If you know how to read the shape, these can be some of your most reliable marks.

Notes: follow the headings

Notes often have headings and bullet points. The headings match sections of the passage. Find the section, then work down the bullets in order.

Tables: read across and down

In a table, each column has a category, like Date, Place or Result. Each row is one item. Before searching, look at what's already filled in. It tells you the type of answer for each gap.

Flow-charts: follow the process

Flow-charts show steps in order, connected by arrows. They usually describe a process in one or two paragraphs. Look for sequence words in the passage: first, then, next, after this, finally, once.

A worked example: a flow-chart

Making paper by hand is a slow but simple process. First, old cloth or plant fibres are cut into small pieces and soaked in water. The softened material is then beaten into a thick liquid called pulp. Next, a wooden frame with a fine screen is dipped into the pulp and lifted out, leaving a thin layer of fibres on the screen. This layer is pressed to remove water, and finally the sheets are hung up to dry.

Complete the flow-chart. Write ONE WORD ONLY from the passage.

1. Fibres are cut and soaked in (1) __________.
2. The material is beaten into (2) __________.
3. A frame with a (3) __________ is dipped into it.
4. The sheet is (4) __________ to remove water.
5. Sheets are hung up to dry.

A worked example: a table

Three cities tested car-free days in 2023. In Lisbon, air pollution dropped by 20 percent. In Oslo, the biggest change was a rise in cycling. In Jakarta, officials reported that noise levels fell sharply.

Tips

• Check the word form. In 4, the passage says pressed, and the flow-chart needs a past participle after is. It fits.
• Don't repeat words already in the shape. In 7, levels is already there, so write only noise.
• Use what's filled in. If one row says 20%, other rows in that column may also need numbers.

Honest note

The cities and numbers in the table example are made up for practice. In the real test, every detail you need will be in the passage, and you should never add facts from outside.

Your task today

Find a flow-chart question in a Cambridge book. Before reading the passage, guess the word type for every gap.