10.2 Section II Special Item Formats: Graphics, Tables & Ordering
Key Takeaways
- Official Section II directions state that some items ask you to select part of a graphic, fill out a table, or put a list in the correct order.
- Some of these items require more than one click, so an incomplete response scores as wrong.
- Every Section II selection is accompanied by a graphic or picture, which previews setting and vocabulary before the audio plays.
- Ordering items reward tracking sequence markers such as primero, luego, a continuación, and por último.
- The 12-minute section timer runs only while answering, so time spent studying the graphic during audio costs nothing.
10.2 Section II Special Item Formats: Graphics, Tables & Ordering
The official Section II directions contain a sentence most candidates never absorb:
"The questions have various formats. Some questions offer four possible responses, each with an oval to click to indicate your answer. Other questions ask you to select part of a graphic, fill out a table, or put a list in the correct order; for some of these questions, you will have to click in more than one place to complete your response. For these questions, follow the specific directions given."
Everything in this section follows from that paragraph. If your entire preparation has been four-option multiple choice, roughly a quarter of Section II will look unfamiliar on test day — and you will meet it under a 12-minute clock with audio you cannot replay.
1. The Graphic Comes First
Official directions also state that each audio selection is accompanied by a graphic or a picture. This is not decoration; it is a free preview.
| What the graphic shows | What it tells you before a word is spoken |
|---|---|
| A departures board | Transport announcement; expect times, platforms, destinations, delays |
| A campus map | Directions or an event location; expect place names and prepositions |
| A price list or menu | Commercial transaction; expect numbers and product names |
| Two people in an office | Workplace dialogue; expect formal register and usted |
| A weather map | Forecast; expect frente frío, lluvias, temperaturas, day names |
| A family at a table | Domestic conversation; expect informal register and tú |
Method: the instant the screen loads, name the situation in one phrase and predict three vocabulary items you expect to hear. This costs nothing — the section timer does not run during audio — and it primes recognition at native speed.
2. Format A: Select Part of a Graphic (Hot Spot)
You are asked to click a region of an image rather than choose a lettered option. Typical prompts:
- Según el anuncio, ¿desde qué andén sale el tren? Haga clic en el andén correcto.
- Indique en el plano dónde se encuentra la biblioteca.
- Señale el producto que está en oferta.
Method.
- Before the audio, mentally label every clickable region of the graphic (andén 1, andén 2...; norte, sur, este, oeste).
- During the audio, attach the heard detail to a label rather than trying to hold a visual position in memory.
- Click the label you noted. Do not re-read the whole graphic afterwards; the clock is running.
Trap: the audio often mentions two regions — the one that changed and the one that was replaced ("debido a obras en la vía tres, la salida se efectuará desde el andén siete"). The question asks for the operative one, which is almost never the first one mentioned.
3. Format B: Fill Out a Table
You complete a grid, usually by clicking a cell or dragging a label into it. Typical prompts:
- Complete la tabla indicando qué actividad corresponde a cada día.
- Marque si cada afirmación es verdadera o falsa según la narración.
Method.
- Read the row and column headers before the audio. They tell you the categories the speaker will use — days, people, prices, opinions.
- Take notes in the shape of the table. If the columns are days, write the five day abbreviations down your scratch paper before playback and fill across.
- Complete every cell. A partially filled table is scored as an incorrect response, not as partial credit.
Trap: speakers correct themselves ("el taller es el martes... perdón, lo cambiaron al miércoles"). The last statement wins. Note corrections by striking through, not by erasing.
4. Format C: Put a List in the Correct Order
You sequence events, steps, or items. Typical prompts:
- Ordene los pasos del proceso según la explicación del ponente.
- Coloque los acontecimientos en el orden en que ocurrieron.
Method.
- Read the items first. They are usually paraphrases, not quotations, so you are matching meaning rather than words.
- Listen for sequence markers, which the speaker will supply:
| Function | Markers |
|---|---|
| First | primero, en primer lugar, para empezar, al principio |
| Next | luego, después, a continuación, seguidamente, más tarde |
| Simultaneous | mientras, al mismo tiempo, entretanto |
| Prior | antes de, previamente, anteriormente |
| Last | finalmente, por último, al final, para terminar |
- Number them on scratch paper as you hear them, then transfer.
Trap: narrative order is not always chronological order. A speaker may say "antes de mudarnos a Lima, habíamos vivido tres años en Quito." Quito comes first chronologically although it is mentioned second. Pluperfect verbs (había vivido) are the reliable signal that an event precedes the one already mentioned.
5. Format D: Multi-Click Responses
Some items require clicking in more than one place — for example, selecting two products mentioned as being on sale, or marking two people who agreed with a proposal.
Method. When the directions say seleccione dos or the interface accepts a second click, count as you listen. If you have only one candidate when the audio ends, choose the most plausible second rather than leaving it blank; an incomplete response earns nothing, and there is no wrong-answer penalty.
6. A Worked Multi-Format Scenario
Graphic shown: a community centre noticeboard with four coloured panels labelled TALLERES, HORARIOS, INSCRIPCIÓN, CONTACTO.
Audio (announcement):
"Atención, vecinos. El centro cultural abre el plazo de inscripción para los talleres de otoño. Primero, consulten la oferta completa en nuestra página web. A continuación, rellenen el formulario que encontrarán en la ventanilla dos. Por último, entreguen el justificante de pago antes del viernes 30. Les recordamos que el taller de cerámica, previsto inicialmente para los martes, se impartirá finalmente los jueves de seis a ocho de la tarde."
Item 1 (hot spot). Haga clic en el panel donde los vecinos encontrarán la información sobre cuándo se imparte el taller de cerámica.
The relevant panel is HORARIOS — the question asks where scheduling information lives, not what the schedule is. Candidates who heard cerámica and clicked TALLERES fell for the echo.
Item 2 (ordering). Ordene los tres pasos del proceso de inscripción.
Sequence markers give it away: Primero -> consult the website; A continuación -> fill in the form at window two; Por último -> submit proof of payment.
Item 3 (table). Complete la tabla: taller / día / hora.
cerámica / jueves / 18:00–20:00. The martes is the superseded day, flagged by previsto inicialmente and finalmente. Writing martes is the intended error.
7. Time Discipline
The 12-minute Section II budget covers roughly 30 questions, and special-format items take longer than four-option ones. Two rules follow:
- Never re-listen mentally. You cannot replay the audio, so re-running it in your head only burns clock. Answer from notes.
- Answer every part before moving on. Multi-click and table items give nothing for partial completion, and you cannot return to a Section II item once you advance.
A Section II announcement states: "Debido a obras de mantenimiento en la vía tres, la salida se efectuará desde el andén siete." A hot-spot item asks you to click the departure platform. Which do you click?
A speaker says: "Antes de mudarnos a Lima, habíamos vivido tres años en Quito." In an ordering item, which city comes first chronologically?
During Section II, when should a candidate study the accompanying graphic?