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IELTS Reading- True, False, Not Given Tips

and Strategy
By Christopher Pell 7 Comments

True, False, Not Given questions requires you to identify if information in a text is
true or not.

You will be given a number of factual statements and you have to check in the text if
they are true or not.

This is probably the most difficult question on the reading paper.

This post will:

look at example questions

discuss common problems

define True, False and Not Given

give you tips and advice

provide you with a strategy to use on exam day

In this article when I refer to statements I am talking about the questions, not the text
in the main reading article.

Example True, False, Not Given Question

This sample is taken from ielts.org and more sample reading questions can be
viewed here.

As you can see above, you will be given a number of factual statements and asked to
look at the text and decide if the statement is true, false or not given.

Common Problems
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The biggest problem here is the not given option. Most students are not used to
answering questions like this and it causes them lots of problems because they are not
sure what to look for. They also spend too much time making sure that it is not given
and this affects the rest of their test.

Students also fail to understand exactly what each statement means and therefore
cannot identify if it is true or false. Many focus on keywords instead of understanding
what the statement as a whole means.

Another common mistake is identifying keywords in the statements and then trying to
find words that exactly match them in the text. You can do this, but more often the
words will be synonyms.

Finally, some students fail to understand exactly what true, false and not given
actually mean and get confused.

Now lets look at solving these common problems.

What do TRUE, FALSE and NOT GIVEN mean?

The most important thing to remember is what the words true, false and not
given actually mean and therefore what IELTS wants you to write.

If the text agrees with or confirms the information in the statement, the answer
is TRUE

If the text contradicts or is the opposite to the information in the statement, the
answer is FALSE

If there is no information or it is impossible to know, the answer is NOT

GIVEN

True means that the meaning is the same. It is just similar then it
is FALSE. Remember that we are dealing with factual information so there is no
room to say it is similar or nearly the same.

Lots of students have argued with me during practice and said the statement is true
because it kind of means the same. There is no kind of with these questions, only
facts.

Very important- Just because an answer is NOT GIVEN does not mean there are no
words in the statements that match words in the text. This is something that confuses
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people, if words match then it must be TRUE or FALSE, right? Not really. This is not
a good way to think about these questions because there probably will be matching
words for NOT GIVEN answers, they just dont have enough information to answer
the question as a whole.

Top 10 Tips

1. Ignore anything you already know about the topic and dont make assumptions.
Base your answers on the text only.

2. Identify any words that qualify the statement, for example some, all, mainly,
often, always and occasionally. These words are there to test if you have read the
whole statement because they can change the meaning. For example, Coca-
Cola has always made its drinks in the U.S.A. has a different meaning from
Coca-Cola has mainly made its drinks in the U.S.A.

3. Be careful when you see verbs that qualify statements, such as suggest, claim,
believe and know. For example, The man claimed he was a British citizen, and
The man is a British citizen mean two different things.

4. There will be at least one of all three answers. If you dont have at least one
true, false or not given you have at least one answer wrong.

5. Dont skim and scan the text to find the final answer. You will have to read the
appropriate part of the text very carefully in order to understand what the
author means.

6. Dont look for words that exactly match those in the statements. You should
also look for synonyms. Remember that you are matching meaning, not
words.

7. If you cant find the information you are looking for, then it is probably not
given. Dont waste time looking for something that is not there.

8. If you have no idea what the answer is put not given. You probably have no
idea because the answer is not there.

9. Answers are in the same order they appear in the text. Do not waste time going
back. Keep on reading.

10.YES/NO/NOT GIVEN questions are slightly different because they deal

with opinion. TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN questions deal with facts.
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True, False, Not Given Strategy

This is my suggested strategy. There are many different strategies and you should use
the one you feel comfortable with. You can also adapt this strategy to what suits you.

1. Always read the instructions carefully and make sure you know if it is a
TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN or YES/NO/NOT GIVEN question.

2. Read all the statements carefully, trying to understand what the whole sentence
means rather than simply highlighting keywords. Watch out for qualifying
words such as some or always.

3. Try to think of what synonyms might be in the text. This will help you identify
the matching part of the text.

4. Match the statement with the correct part of the text.

5. Focus on the statement again and then carefully read the matching part of the
text to establish if it is true or false. Remember the meaning should exactly
match that of the statement if it is true.

6. Underline the words that give you the answer, this will help you focus and you
can check back later. Again, be careful there are no qualifying words in the text.

7. If you cant find the answer, mark it as not given and move on to the next
question.

8. If you are really unsure or cant find the answer, mark it as not given.

How to Answer True, False, Not Given Questions in

IELTS Reading
BY GWENDOLYN ON MAY 13, 2016 IN IELTS READING

The IELTS Reading Module has 40 questions that come in a variety of formats. As the
reading section can include between 1500 to 2500 words, learning techniques on how to
answer each of these question types quickly will help ensure that you get top marks in this
module.
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In previous posts, we looked at how to answer sentence completion questions and matching
headings questions. Today, we are going to find out how to answer true/false/not given
questions.

True/False/Not Given Question Format

The screenshot below is an example of a true/false/not given question from the British
Councils Academic Reading Practice Test 1.

These questions are stated as a list of facts. You have to look at the text and decide if the
facts are true, false or not given. Simply put:

If the fact that you are given matches the reading, then it is TRUE.
If the fact that you are given contradicts the information in the reading in some way,
then it is FALSE.
If the fact that you are given is not mentioned in the reading, then it is NOT GIVEN.
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Source: British Council Academic Reading Practice Test 1

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Answering Techniques
The questions generally follow the order of the text. So start with question 1. Read
the fact slowly to make sure that you fully understand what it says.

Example: Read question 1. Question 1) Chronobiology is the study of how living things
have evolved over time.

Then turn the statement into a question.

Example: Is chronobiology the study of how living things have evolved over time?

Next, use your scanning and skimming skills to find the information in the reading
passage.

Example: In this reading passage, I scanned for the noun chronobiology and found this
text: Chronobiology might sound a little futuristic like something from a science fiction
novel, perhaps but its actually a field of study that concerns one of the oldest processes
life on this planet has ever known: short-term rhythms of time and their effect on flora and
fauna.

When you think you have found the answer, read the text carefully to determine if
you think it is true/false/or not given. If the answer to the question you formed is yes, then
it is true. If your answer is no, then it is false. If you cant answer the question, then the
answer is not given.

Example: The reading passage uses the words short-term rhythms of time, whilst the
question fact says how living things have evolved over time. Evolving over-time refers
to something that happens long-term. So this fact is FALSE.

Questions will probably use synonyms rather than the words in the text.

Example: Question 2 states the fact: The rise and fall of sea levels affects how sea
creatures behave. The reading passage says: Marine life, for example, is influenced by
tidal patterns. Sea creatures is used instead of marine life. Also, the rise and fall of
sea levels is used instead of tidal patterns. So this fact is TRUE.

Look out for words that qualify the sentence or make the sentence restrictive in some
way, for example adjectives like only, little, all, some, always, never, sometimes
etc., as some questions will alter just that one word in the statement.

Example: Question 4) states the fact. Circadian rhythms identify how we do different
things on different days. The reading passage says: When it comes to humans,
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chronobiologists are interested in what is known as the circadian rhythm. This is the
complete cycle our bodies are naturally geared to undergo within the passage of a twenty-
four hour day. Here different days and twenty-four hour days become qualify
statements. We can easily see that this fact then is FALSE.

If you find you are spending a long time looking for the answer to one question, then
probably the information is not given, and that will be your answer.

Example: Question 3 states the fact: Most animals are active during the daytime. The
reading passage says: Animals tend to be active or inactive depending on the position of
the sun or moon. Numerous creatures, humans included, are largely diurnal that is, they
like to come out during the hours of sunlight. Nocturnal animals, such as bats and possums,
prefer to forage by night. A third group are known as crepuscular: they thrive in the low-
light of dawn and dusk and remain inactive at other hours. Although the passage talks
about when animals are active, it does not mention when most animals are active. So this
answer is NOT GIVEN.

Hopefully now that you know how some of the questions are stated and the techniques that
you can use to find the right answer, you will whizz through the Reading Module.

Like

True, False, Not Given IELTS Question Example

Let's take a look at a difficult T/F/NG question as an example. This question is from Cambridge IELTS book 10 (it is
highly recommended to practise before your test with these books, so that you become super comfortable with the
test questions)

EXAMPLE 1
Is this statement true, false or not given?:
Tourism has a social impact because it promotes recreation.

(This is the relevant sentence from the reading passage)

Tourism has a profound impact both on the world economy, and because of the educative effect of
travel and the effects on employment, on society itself.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ANSWER IS?

Ask yourself these questions:

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1. Does the sentence definitely and clearly say: "Tourism promotes recreation" ???

2. Does the sentence definitely and clearly say: "Tourism does not promote recreation" ???

If the answer to 1 is 'yes' = TRUE

If the answer to 2 is 'yes' = FALSE

If the answer to 1 and also 2 is 'no' = NOT GIVEN

CORRECT ANSWER: The sentence does not clearly say that tourism promotes recreation (1 = no). The sentence
does not clearly state that tourism does not promote recreation (2 - no). Therefore, the correct answer is NOT
GIVEN.

That was actually a really tricky example, so let's look at some easier example questions:

EXAMPLE 2
Grizzly bears usually begin hibernation in November and will get no water or nourishment. They
survive on their accumulated fat stores for the next 5 to 6 months. Around March or April, male grizzly
bears usually come out of their den, whereas females emerge in late April or May. The first food a
grizzly bear eats is the carcasses of animals that died during winter. A grizzly bear will usually walk to
lower elevations to reach snow-free areas that contain vegetation. This sometimes causes grizzly
bears to come into direct conflict with humans who build their homes along the rivers that bears go to
in order to find food.

Are these statements true, false or not given?

1. Male grizzly bears normally finish hibernating before the females of the species.

The relevant sentence is - Around March or April, male grizzly bears usually come out of their den,
whereas females emerge in late April or May.

TRUE: Does the sentence definitely and clearly say: "Male grizzly bears finish hibernation before females" ???
YES!!!

FALSE: Does the sentence definitely and clearly say: "Male grizzly bears do NOT finish hibernation before
females" ??? NO

Correct answer = TRUE

2. After hibernation, grizzly bears first search for berries.

The relevant sentences are - The first food a grizzly bear eats is the carcasses of animals that died during
winter. A grizzly bear will usually walk to lower elevations to reach snow-free areas that contain
vegetation.
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TRUE: Does the sentence definitely and clearly say: "After hibernation, the first thing that grizzly bears do is to eat
berries" ??? NO

FALSE: Does the sentence definitely and clearly say: "After hibernation, the first thing that grizzly bears do is NOT eat
berries" ??? YES!!! It says that grizzly bears eat dead animals first.

Correct answer = FALSE

3. Grizzly bears are often killed by humans when they come into conflict as the bear
searches for food near rivers

The relevant sentences are - A grizzly bear will usually walk to lower elevations to reach snow-free areas
that contain vegetation. This sometimes causes grizzly bears to come into direct conflict with humans
who build their homes along the rivers that bears go to in order to find food.

TRUE: Does the sentence definitely and clearly say: "Humans kill bears when they come into conflict" ??? NO

FALSE: Does the sentence definitely and clearly say: "Humans do not kill bears when they come into conflict" ???
NO

There is no information about humans killing grizzly bears

Correct answer = NOT GIVEN

IELTS T/F/NG TIPS

Do not think up your own answers - Some students give an answer according to what they THINK the answer should
be. Do not do this. Only answer according to exactly what is written down in the writing passage!

Do not waste time if you think the answer is not given - Lots of students spend too much time looking for more and
more information, if they think that the answer is not true or not false. If you can not find the information in 1 minute,
do not keep looking to try and find the answer. Go with your gut instinct. Follow the "Does the sentence definitely and
clearly say..." system above. If the information is missing, write NOT GIVEN, don't worry about it and quickly move on
to the next question.
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