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IELTS Reading True, False, Not Given: How to Get Them Right
In IELTS Reading True/False/Not Given questions, you decide whether a statement agrees with the information in the passage (TRUE), contradicts it (FALSE), or cannot be confirmed either way (NOT GIVEN). The most common mistake is choosing FALSE when the passage simply does not say. Answer only from the text, not from your own knowledge, and write your answers exactly as the instructions ask.
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- What it tests
- Whether you understand exact meaning, not just topic
- Hardest answer
- NOT GIVEN vs FALSE
- Rule 1
- Use only the passage, never your own knowledge
- Rule 2
- Write TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN, not YES / NO
- Order
- Questions usually follow the order of the passage
What TRUE, FALSE and NOT GIVEN mean
| Answer | Meaning | Ask yourself |
|---|---|---|
| TRUE | The statement agrees with the information in the passage. | Does the passage say the same thing, in other words? |
| FALSE | The statement contradicts the information in the passage. | Does the passage say the opposite? |
| NOT GIVEN | The passage does not say whether the statement is true or false. | Is there no information to confirm or contradict it? |
The difference between FALSE and NOT GIVEN is the key. FALSE needs evidence in the passage that says the opposite. NOT GIVEN means there is no evidence either way, even if the statement sounds likely.
True/False/Not Given vs Yes/No/Not Given
Both work the same way. TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN questions are about factual information in the passage. YES/NO/NOT GIVEN questions are about the writer’s views or claims. Always write the words the instructions ask for: writing YES when the question asks for TRUE, or the other way round, is marked wrong.
A step-by-step method
- Read the statement carefully and underline the key words, especially names, numbers and dates.
- Circle the qualifiers: words like all, some, only, always, never, most, first, mainly. They usually decide the answer.
- Find the part of the passage that deals with the statement. Questions usually follow the order of the passage, so the answer to question 3 is normally after the answer to question 2.
- Compare the meaning, not the words. The passage will use different words (paraphrase) for a TRUE answer.
- Decide: same meaning, TRUE; opposite meaning, FALSE; no information on that exact point, NOT GIVEN.
- Do not get stuck. If you cannot find it within about a minute, choose your best answer, mark the question and come back.
The traps that cost marks
- Qualifier changes. The passage says “some teachers”; the statement says “all teachers”. That is FALSE if the passage contradicts it, or NOT GIVEN if it only mentions some.
- Matching words, different meaning. The statement repeats words from the passage but changes the meaning. Check the meaning, not the words.
- Your own knowledge. A statement can be true in real life but NOT GIVEN in the passage. Only the passage counts.
- Partly true statements. If one part matches and another part contradicts the passage, the answer is FALSE.
- Comparisons and numbers. “More than”, “the largest”, “twice as many”, years and percentages must match exactly.
- Cause and effect. The passage may say two things happened; the statement says one caused the other. If the passage does not say that, it is NOT GIVEN.
Practice: passage and statements
Read the passage, then decide whether each statement is TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN. Try them before you look at the answers in the table.
Practice passage (written for this page)
When the city council opened its first rooftop garden on a public library in 2019, it expected the project to be a small experiment. Volunteers planted vegetables in raised beds, and the library offered free gardening workshops on Saturday mornings. Within two years, demand for the workshops had grown so much that the library added a second session on Sunday afternoons.
The council later installed rooftop gardens on four schools. Teachers reported that pupils who helped in the gardens were more interested in science lessons, although the council has not measured whether their exam results changed. Not every site was a success: one school garden was closed after a year because the roof could not safely support the weight of wet soil.
The project is funded mainly by the council, with smaller donations from local businesses. Its organisers now hope to add gardens to hospitals, but no hospital has yet agreed to take part.
| Statement | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The first rooftop garden was built on a library. | TRUE | “Opened its first rooftop garden on a public library in 2019.” |
| 2. The council expected the project to be very large from the start. | FALSE | It “expected the project to be a small experiment”, the opposite. |
| 3. The workshops were held only on Saturdays throughout the project. | FALSE | A second session was added on Sunday afternoons. |
| 4. Pupils who worked in the gardens got better exam results. | NOT GIVEN | The council “has not measured” exam results, so the passage does not say. |
| 5. All of the school gardens are still open. | FALSE | One school garden “was closed after a year”. |
| 6. Local businesses provide most of the project’s money. | FALSE | It is funded “mainly by the council”, with smaller donations from businesses. |
| 7. A hospital has already agreed to join the project. | FALSE | “No hospital has yet agreed to take part”, the opposite. |
| 8. The volunteers were all retired people. | NOT GIVEN | The passage mentions volunteers but says nothing about their age. |
Notice statements 4 and 8. Both sound plausible, and statement 4 even mentions something the passage discusses, but the passage gives no information to confirm or contradict them. That is what NOT GIVEN looks like in the real test.
Timing tips
- Reading has 40 questions in 60 minutes, so do not spend more than a minute or two on any one statement.
- Because the questions follow the passage order, once you find one answer, the next is usually nearby.
- Never leave a blank. There is no negative marking, so a guess can only help.
How to practise
- For every wrong answer, find the exact sentence that proves the right one, and note why you chose wrongly.
- Keep a list of your traps. Most people repeat the same two or three, often qualifiers and NOT GIVEN vs FALSE.
- Practise with official Reading tests, under time, so you get used to the real difficulty.
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between FALSE and NOT GIVEN?
Can I write T, F or NG instead of the full words?
Do True/False/Not Given questions follow the order of the passage?
Should I use my own knowledge?
What is Yes/No/Not Given?
Is there negative marking in IELTS Reading?
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