Welcome to the single most confusing and frustrating question type in the entire IELTS Reading test: True / False / Not Given.
You’re deep into an IELTS Reading passage. You’ve found the right section of the text, and you’re comparing it to the question statement. You read the text. You read the statement. They seem similar… but are they exactly the same? Does the text say the opposite, or does it just not mention that specific detail at all?
Because, this question type is designed to test your ability to read with extreme precision. It’s a test of your logical reasoning and your attention to detail, and it’s where countless test-takers lose valuable marks. The difference between “False” and “Not Given” can feel impossible to figure out.
But it’s not impossible. There is a clear, logical system behind these questions.
This guide will give you that system. We will provide a definitive, step-by-step strategy to help you understand the precise difference between the three options. We will show you how to analyze the statements, locate the evidence, and make the correct choice with confidence, turning this confusing task into a reliable source of points for your final score.
What Do True, False, and Not Given Mean in IELTS Reading?
Before we get to the strategy, you must memorize the official definition of each option. Your entire decision-making process will be based on these strict rules.
- TRUE: The statement agrees with the information in the reading passage.
- This means you can find information in the text that directly confirms or supports the statement. It will often be a paraphrase, but the meaning is the same.
- FALSE: The statement contradicts the information in the reading passage.
- This means the passage says the opposite of the statement. You can find information in the text that directly proves the statement is incorrect.
- NOT GIVEN: There is no information on this in the passage.
- This means you cannot find the information in the text. The passage might talk about the topic, but it does not contain the specific detail needed to prove the statement either true or false.
How to Use the Order of Answers to Your Advantage
Here is an essential piece of information that makes this task much more manageable: the answers will almost always appear in the same order in the text as the questions are listed.
This is a huge advantage. It means the information for question 15 will appear in the passage after the information for question 14, and before the information for question 16. This allows you to navigate the text logically and prevents you from having to search the entire passage for every single question. If you have found the answer to question 14 and are now looking for question 15, you know you only need to look forward in the text, not backward.
True, False, Not Given Questions : How to Tackle
Follow this systematic process for every question. Do not skip any steps.
Step 1: Read the Statement and Identify the Core Idea
Your first job is to read the question statement very carefully. Do not just look at the keywords. You need to understand the entire meaning of the sentence.
- Underline the keywords: Focus on names, dates, numbers, and, most importantly, any qualifying words like “all,” “some,” “only,” “always,” “often,” or “majority.” These words are often the key to determining if a statement is True or False.
Example Statement:
The majority of scientists **always** agree that climate change is the **only** cause of rising sea levels.
The keywords are “scientists,” “agree,” “climate change,” and “rising sea levels.” But the most important words are the qualifiers: “majority” and “always” and “only.”
Step 2: Scan the Passage for the Keywords
Now, you need to find the part of the text that discusses this idea. Use your scanning skills to search for the most obvious keywords (like “scientists” or “sea levels”). Remember that the answers are in order, so if you’ve just found the answer to question 14, you can start scanning from that point onwards.
Step 3: Intensively Read and Compare the Information
Once you have located the relevant sentence or paragraph, it is time to slow down and read it very, very carefully. You must now compare the information in the text to the information in the statement.
This is where you will decide between True, False, and Not Given.
- Is it TRUE? The text will confirm the statement, often using paraphrasing.
- Text: Most researchers believe that the primary driver of the increase in ocean height is the warming of the planet.
- Comparison: “Most researchers” matches “the majority of scientists.” “Primary driver” matches “main cause.” This looks like it might be True.
- Is it FALSE? The text will directly contradict the statement.
- Text: While climate change is a major factor, **some scientists** argue that geological shifts are an **equally important** cause of rising sea levels.
- Comparison: This text directly contradicts the word “only” in our statement. The statement says climate change is the only cause, but the text says there is another equally important cause. Therefore, the statement is False.
- Is it NOT GIVEN? The text will talk about the topic, but it will not contain the specific piece of information needed to verify the statement.
- Text: Scientists agree that climate change is a significant cause of rising sea levels.
- Comparison: This text confirms that scientists agree climate change is a cause. But does it say the “majority” of them agree? Does it say they “always” agree? Does it say it’s the “only” cause? No. The text does not provide this specific information. Therefore, the statement is Not Given.
How to Tell the Difference Between “False” and “Not Given”
This is the key to a high score. Let’s make it as simple as possible:
- It is False if you can find information in the text that directly proves the statement is wrong. There is a direct conflict. If the statement says the car was blue, and the text says the car was red, it’s False.
- It is Not Given if you simply cannot find the information. If the statement says the car was blue, and the text only says it was a “large car,” you don’t know the color. The text doesn’t confirm it, but it also doesn’t contradict it. The answer is Not Given.
Common Traps in True / False / Not Given Questions and How to Avoid Them
Trap #1: Relying on Your Own Knowledge.
You might be an expert on the topic of the passage. You might know for a fact that the statement is true. This does not matter. Your answer must be based only on the information given in the text. If the information isn’t there, the answer is Not Given, regardless of what you know to be true in the real world.
Trap #2: The Qualifier Trick.
As we saw in our example, words like all, some, only, always, never, often, majority, minority are the most important words in the statement. A single word can be the difference between True and False. Always pay extra attention to them.
Trap #3: The “Not Given” Panic.
Many students are afraid to choose “Not Given.” They feel like they must have just missed the information. Trust your strategy. If you have found the relevant part of the text and the specific detail from the statement is not there, then it is Not Given. There will almost certainly be at least one Not Given answer in every set of questions.
Mastering True / False / Not Given questions is a process of disciplined, logical thinking. By following this four-step method, you can stop guessing and start answering these questions with the precision and confidence needed to achieve a high band score.
Ready to test your logic?
👉 Take a full, computer-based IELTS Reading Mock Test and see if you can spot the difference between False and Not Given.