True, False, Not Given questions are among the most misunderstood in IELTS Reading. Students who are otherwise strong readers often get 50% on these. Here's the exact approach that takes the guesswork out of them.
Understanding the Three Options
Before strategy, get the definitions exactly right:
- TRUE — the statement agrees with the information in the passage
- FALSE — the statement contradicts the information in the passage
- NOT GIVEN — the information in the statement is not mentioned in the passage at all
The critical distinction is between FALSE and NOT GIVEN. FALSE means the passage says the opposite of the statement. NOT GIVEN means the passage simply doesn't mention it — not that it's false, just absent.
The Most Common Mistake
Students answer NOT GIVEN when the answer is actually FALSE. Why? Because they use outside knowledge. If the passage doesn't explicitly support something, and you happen to know it's wrong from the real world, you might think it's FALSE. But if the passage doesn't address it, it's NOT GIVEN.
Rule: Your answer must come 100% from the passage. Not from what you know about the world.
The Step-by-Step Strategy
- Read the statement carefully. Identify the key claim — what is it actually saying?
- Find the relevant section in the passage. Use keywords from the statement to scan for the relevant paragraph. The questions follow the order of the passage, which helps.
- Compare carefully. Does the passage say the same thing? (→ TRUE) Does it say the opposite? (→ FALSE) Does it not mention this at all? (→ NOT GIVEN)
Sounds simple — but step 3 is where students slip up.
Testing Your Decision
When you've chosen an answer, test it with this question:
- For TRUE: "Can I point to specific words in the passage that confirm this?"
- For FALSE: "Can I point to specific words in the passage that contradict this?"
- For NOT GIVEN: "I've searched the passage and there is genuinely no information about this topic."
If you can't pass these tests, you're guessing. Go back and look more carefully.
Paraphrase Recognition is the Real Challenge
Statements are almost never word-for-word from the passage. The examiner paraphrases. Practice spotting equivalents:
- "The report found no significant evidence" → "The findings were inconclusive" → possibly TRUE
- "Children were the primary beneficiaries" → "Adults benefitted most" → FALSE
- "The species was discovered in 1987" → no mention of when it was discovered → NOT GIVEN
Beware of Partial Truths
A statement might be partially correct but still FALSE. If the passage says "Most participants saw improvement after 6 weeks" and the statement says "All participants improved within 4 weeks" — that's FALSE, even though improvement was mentioned. Pay attention to quantifiers: most/all, some/many, occasionally/frequently.
NOT GIVEN Is Not a Default
Many students default to NOT GIVEN when they can't find clear evidence. Resist this. If you've found the relevant section and the passage clearly says the opposite of the statement, it's FALSE — even if it feels like "the passage didn't really say that." Trust what you've read.
Time Management
Don't spend more than 90 seconds on any single T/F/NG question. If you're stuck, mark your best answer, move on, and return if time allows. Moving forward maintains momentum and prevents one question from ruining the rest of your time.
Practice the Right Way
After doing practice questions, always review the ones you got wrong and identify exactly why. Was it paraphrase recognition? Did you use outside knowledge? Did you confuse FALSE and NOT GIVEN? Understanding your specific error pattern is the fastest path to improving this question type.