How to answer True/False/Not Given questions in IELTS Reading

Most candidates who lose marks on True/False/Not Given do not lose them on vocabulary. They lose them on one confusion: treating “this is not true” as the same thing as “the passage does not say”. This guide separates the three labels, gives you a method that does not depend on instinct, and shows the method on short invented examples.

What the three labels mean

IELTS.org’s Academic Reading format page lists two related types. The first is identifying information, with the labels True, False and Not Given. The second is identifying the writer’s views or claims, with Yes, No and Not Given. The General Training version of Reading uses only the first.

For the first type, the page says “False” means that the statement contradicts the information in the text, and “Not given” means that the statement neither agrees with nor contradicts it. For the second, “No” means the statement contradicts the writer’s view or claim, and “Not given” again means it neither agrees with nor contradicts it.

Read those definitions as a checklist of three outcomes:

• True or Yes: the passage says the same thing as the statement, in different words.
• False or No: the passage says something that cannot be reconciled with the statement.
• Not Given: the passage does not contain enough to decide either way.

Why False and Not Given get confused

False feels like “wrong”, and a statement can feel wrong for two very different reasons. Either the passage says the opposite, or the passage never mentions it and you simply do not believe it. Only the first is False. The second is Not Given, because the test is about what the text contains and not about whether the statement is sensible.

A useful test is to ask whether you can put your finger on the contradiction. For False, there is a phrase in the passage that clashes with the statement. For Not Given, there is nothing to put your finger on, only a gap. If you cannot name the clashing words, you do not have a False.

The difference between the two families

True/False/Not Given is about facts: dates, numbers, events, cause and effect, what a study found. Yes/No/Not Given is about opinions: what the writer thinks, argues, claims or recommends. The trap in the second family is whose view you are reading. A passage often reports what other people think before the writer responds, and a statement that matches the reported view may still be No if the writer disagrees. Look for the writer’s own markers, such as “I believe”, “it seems clear” or “this argument overlooks”.

A method you can repeat

1. Read the statement and underline its key words. Note names, numbers, and the action or relationship it claims.
2. Find where the passage deals with it. Skim for the key words and their synonyms. Paraphrase is the rule in this question type, so expect different words.
3. Read that sentence and the ones beside it. One sentence can be contradicted or qualified by the next.
4. Compare the claim with the text. Does the passage say the same, say the opposite, or stay silent on the exact point the statement makes?
5. Name the evidence. Before writing the label, be able to point to the words that support it. For True and False you need a sentence. For Not Given you need to be able to say what is missing.
6. Move on. These questions are quick when the method is followed and slow when you argue with yourself. Mark your best label and continue.

IELTS.org’s format page states the answer order for multiple choice and sentence completion, but not for these types, so do not assume the statements follow the text in order. Working through the passage in sequence often helps, but check each location.

Worked examples

The passage and statements below are invented for practice. They are not from a real paper.

The city’s first tram line opened in 1902 and carried workers from the eastern suburbs to the docks. By 1930 it had been extended twice, although the council later described the second extension as poorly planned.

• “The first tram line opened before 1910.” True. The passage gives 1902, which is before 1910, so the statement says the same thing in a looser form.
• “The tram line had been extended three times by 1930.” False. The passage says twice. The numbers clash.
• “The first tram line was popular with dock workers.” Not Given. The passage says the line carried workers to the docks. It says nothing about whether they liked it.
• “The council was pleased with the second extension.” False. The passage reports the council called it poorly planned, which cannot be reconciled with being pleased.

Now the writer’s-views family, again invented.

Some planners argue that cities should ban cars from their centres. I am not convinced: a ban would simply move congestion to the streets around the edge.

• “The writer agrees with the planners.” No. The writer says they are not convinced.
• “The writer believes a ban would move congestion elsewhere.” Yes. This is the writer’s own claim.
• “The writer thinks cities should invest more in cycling.” Not Given. Cycling is never mentioned, so the passage gives no view either way.

The common traps

Qualifiers. Words such as all, only, always, never, most, some and first change the claim. If the passage says some commuters switched and the statement says all did, the passage contradicts it. Circle the qualifier and check the passage makes the same-sized claim.

Paraphrase. The statement will rarely reuse the passage’s words. “Rose sharply” may become “increased considerably”. Match meaning, not vocabulary. The opposite error also happens: a statement that copies the passage’s words but changes their relationship is often False.

Your own knowledge. If you know the statement is true in real life but the passage does not say so, it is Not Given. If the passage says something you know to be wrong, answer from the passage.

Half a statement. A statement may join two claims. If the passage supports one and is silent on the other, the whole statement cannot be True. Decide whether the missing half makes it False or Not Given by asking whether the passage contradicts it or just leaves it out.

Hedged language. “May”, “suggests” and “is thought to” are weaker than “is”. A statement that turns a possibility into a certainty goes beyond what the passage gives you.

Stopping too early. The first matching sentence is not always the deciding one. A later clause beginning with “however” or “although” can reverse it.

Fix your own pattern

After each practice paper, list every True/False/Not Given miss with the label you chose and the label you should have chosen. Most candidates show one habit, such as choosing False for Not Given, or choosing Not Given when they missed a paraphrase. Once you know which one it is, apply the matching check from this guide.

IELTS Mentor AI links a wrong answer to the sentence in the passage that decides it, which makes it quick to tell whether you overlooked a contradiction or read one into the text. Whatever you practise with, do the same review by hand: go back to the sentence, read it again, and say what it proves.

Where this fits

True/False/Not Given is one of eleven types on the Academic paper, and the format and question types overview shows the others. Matching tasks ask for a different skill, and matching headings is the closest contrast: it tests the main idea of a paragraph, not a single claim. Finding the evidence quickly is also a matter of pace, which how to finish IELTS Reading in 60 minutes covers. For the number of questions in the test, see how many questions are in IELTS Reading.