IELTS Reading True / False / Not Given: tips and strategy

Decide if statements match the passage.

Reading

IELTS Reading true false not given questions test whether you can compare a statement with the factual information in a passage and judge exactly how much the passage says. Candidates often talk themselves out of marks here, usually by treating missing information as a contradiction, or by filling a gap in the passage with background knowledge the examiner never asked for.

What you see on screen

Each statement offers three clickable choices: TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN. You judge strictly against the passage text shown beside the questions.

How it is marked

One mark per statement, in passage order, with nothing deducted for wrong guesses. FALSE requires outright contradiction, not merely absent support.

How long to spend

Allow roughly a minute per statement as part of about 20 minutes per passage in the 60-minute test. Statements follow passage order, so if you cannot locate one, it may well be NOT GIVEN: choose, flag it and continue from where the next statement's information begins.

Strategy

Run one test on every statement: can you quote the line that contradicts it? If yes it is FALSE, if you are reasoning towards it, it is NOT GIVEN.
Break each statement into its parts — who, what, how much, when — and check each part separately; one altered part makes the whole statement FALSE.
Underline qualifiers like 'all', 'only', 'never', 'most' and 'some'. Swapping one of these for another is the commonest way a TRUE statement is turned FALSE.
Cap yourself at about one minute per statement, then guess between the two answers you are torn between, flag it, and return after finishing the set.

Traps that cost marks

Over-inferring from general knowledge or from what the passage implies. If the text stops short of saying it, the answer is NOT GIVEN however obvious the inference feels.
Marking a paraphrased match FALSE because the wording differs. TRUE statements are almost always rewritten in different words, never copied.

Worked example

Measurements of the Kessel Glacier began in 1952, when a team from a regional university placed marker poles across its lower section. The poles showed that the glacier's front retreated slowly during the 1950s and 1960s, then advanced briefly in the 1970s after several winters of unusually heavy snowfall. Since 1985 the retreat has been continuous. The team was led by a geologist, Anna Vettori, who later argued that valley glaciers of this size respond more quickly to changes in snowfall than to changes in temperature.

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Choose TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this 1. The Kessel Glacier has retreated in every decade since measurements began. 2. The heavy snowfall of the 1970s was caused by changes in ocean temperatures. 3. The first measurements of the glacier were made by university researchers.

Answer: 1 FALSE, 2 NOT GIVEN, 3 TRUE

Statement 1 is FALSE because the passage states that the glacier 'advanced briefly in the 1970s', which directly contradicts 'every decade'. Statement 2 is the classic trap: the snowfall is mentioned, so it feels answerable, but the passage gives no cause for it, so it is NOT GIVEN. Statement 3 is TRUE because 'a team from a regional university' is a paraphrase of 'university researchers'.

An original example written for this guide, not taken from a published test.

Questions candidates ask

What is the difference between False and Not Given in IELTS Reading?: FALSE means the passage says the opposite of the statement, so you can point to the words that contradict it. NOT GIVEN means the passage does not say whether the statement is right or wrong, even if the topic is mentioned. If the text tells you a glacier advanced in the 1970s, a claim that it retreated every decade is FALSE; a claim about why it advanced is NOT GIVEN.
Can I write T, F and NG instead of the full words?: On computer-delivered IELTS the question does not arise, because you click TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN on screen and nothing is typed. On the paper test, the safest approach is to write the words exactly as they appear in the instructions. This removes any risk of an unclear letter, and it keeps you from mixing up this question type with YES, NO and NOT GIVEN, where TRUE and FALSE would be wrong.
Do True False Not Given answers follow the order of the passage?: Yes. The statements are given in the same order as the information they refer to, which makes this one of the more predictable question types to locate. If you find the information for statements 4 and 6 but not 5, the answer to 5 sits between them. When that stretch of text says nothing on the point, NOT GIVEN is the likely answer.

Now try it under exam conditions.

Practise True / False / Not Given questions

Strategy

Run one test on every statement: can you quote the line that contradicts it? If yes it is FALSE, if you are reasoning towards it, it is NOT GIVEN.

Break each statement into its parts — who, what, how much, when — and check each part separately; one altered part makes the whole statement FALSE.

Underline qualifiers like 'all', 'only', 'never', 'most' and 'some'. Swapping one of these for another is the commonest way a TRUE statement is turned FALSE.

Cap yourself at about one minute per statement, then guess between the two answers you are torn between, flag it, and return after finishing the set.

Traps that cost marks

Over-inferring from general knowledge or from what the passage implies. If the text stops short of saying it, the answer is NOT GIVEN however obvious the inference feels.

Marking a paraphrased match FALSE because the wording differs. TRUE statements are almost always rewritten in different words, never copied.

Worked example

Answer: 1 FALSE, 2 NOT GIVEN, 3 TRUE

An original example written for this guide, not taken from a published test.

Questions candidates ask

What is the difference between False and Not Given in IELTS Reading?

FALSE means the passage says the opposite of the statement, so you can point to the words that contradict it. NOT GIVEN means the passage does not say whether the statement is right or wrong, even if the topic is mentioned. If the text tells you a glacier advanced in the 1970s, a claim that it retreated every decade is FALSE; a claim about why it advanced is NOT GIVEN.

Can I write T, F and NG instead of the full words?

On computer-delivered IELTS the question does not arise, because you click TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN on screen and nothing is typed. On the paper test, the safest approach is to write the words exactly as they appear in the instructions. This removes any risk of an unclear letter, and it keeps you from mixing up this question type with YES, NO and NOT GIVEN, where TRUE and FALSE would be wrong.

Do True False Not Given answers follow the order of the passage?

Yes. The statements are given in the same order as the information they refer to, which makes this one of the more predictable question types to locate. If you find the information for statements 4 and 6 but not 5, the answer to 5 sits between them. When that stretch of text says nothing on the point, NOT GIVEN is the likely answer.