IELTS Reading True False Not Given: Complete Strategy Guide

True/False/Not Given questions are simple in theory. Read the passage. Compare it to the statement. Decide if it's true, false, or not mentioned.

In practice, they're a nightmare. Because "not mentioned" and "false" feel the same when you're under pressure. You read the passage, you don't see the information, and you think "that must be false." But it's not. It's Not Given. And every time you confuse the two, you lose a mark.

Here's how to stop making that mistake.

The Rules

True: The passage says the same thing as the statement, in different words.

False: The passage says the opposite of the statement.

Not Given: The passage doesn't address this at all. It neither confirms nor denies the statement.

That's it. Those are the definitions. The difficulty is applying them when the passage is complex and the clock is ticking.

Why Students Confuse False and Not Given

The trap is this: you read a statement, scan the passage, don't find the exact information, and assume it must be false. But "not found" is not the same as "contradicted."

Example:

Passage: "The company was founded in 1987 and employs approximately 500 people."

Statement: "The company has over 1,000 employees."

The passage says "approximately 500." The statement says "over 1,000." These contradict each other. The answer is False.

Now:

Statement: "The company is headquartered in London."

The passage doesn't mention where the company is headquartered. It doesn't say London, and it doesn't say anywhere else. The answer is Not Given.

The difference: False means the passage gives information that contradicts the statement. Not Given means the passage says nothing about the topic.

The Step-by-Step Method

Step 1: Read the statement. Understand what it claims.

Don't scan the passage yet. Make sure you understand the statement first. What specific claim is it making?

Step 2: Find the part of the passage that discusses this topic.

Scan for keywords from the statement. Names, dates, technical terms, and specific nouns are easiest to find. Once you find the relevant section, read it carefully.

Step 3: Compare the statement to the passage.

Ask yourself two questions:

Does the passage say the same thing? (True)
Does the passage say something different? (False)
Does the passage say nothing about this? (Not Given)

Step 4: If you can't find the answer, it's Not Given.

If you've scanned the passage and can't find any information related to the statement, stop looking. It's Not Given. Don't guess. Don't assume. Move on.

Real Examples

Let's walk through a passage and statement set.

Passage: "Dr. Sarah Chen's research team at the University of Melbourne published a study in 2024 examining the effects of remote work on employee productivity. The study tracked 2,400 workers across twelve companies over an eighteen-month period. Results showed that remote workers completed 13% more tasks than their office-based counterparts. However, the study also found that remote workers reported 22% higher rates of isolation and were 31% less likely to receive promotions within the following two years. Dr. Chen concluded that while remote work boosts short-term output, organizations should implement structured support systems to address the social and career costs."

Statement 1: "The study found that remote workers were more productive than office workers."

Answer: True. The passage says remote workers "completed 13% more tasks." That's more productive.

Statement 2: "The study followed 2,400 workers for two years."

Answer: False. The passage says "eighteen months," not two years. These contradict.

Statement 3: "Dr. Chen recommended that companies should eliminate remote work."

Answer: False. The passage says she recommended "structured support systems," not eliminating remote work. She didn't say stop remote work. She said address the costs.

Statement 4: "The study was funded by a technology company."

Answer: Not Given. The passage doesn't mention who funded the study. It might have been. It might not have been. We don't know.

Statement 5: "Remote workers were more likely to change jobs."

Answer: Not Given. The passage talks about isolation and promotions, but not job changes. The topic isn't addressed.

Common Traps

Trap 1: Adding your own knowledge.

Passage: "Tokyo is the capital of Japan."

Statement: "Tokyo is the largest city in Japan."

This is Not Given. Tokyo IS the largest city in Japan, but the passage doesn't say that. You're using outside knowledge. IELTS tests what the passage says, not what you know.

Trap 2: Changing one word.

Passage: "Some students prefer online learning."

Statement: "All students prefer online learning."

This is False. "Some" and "all" are opposites. One word changes the meaning entirely.

Trap 3: Extreme language.

Passage: "Regular exercise improves mental health."

Statement: "Exercise is the best way to improve mental health."

This is Not Given. The passage says exercise improves mental health, but doesn't compare it to other methods. "Best" is an extreme claim the passage doesn't support.

Watch for these words: all, every, always, never, only, best, worst, most, least. They often turn a True statement into Not Given or False.

Trap 4: Paraphrasing that doesn't match.

Passage: "The population of the city increased by 15% between 2010 and 2020."

Statement: "The city experienced significant growth in the last decade."

This is True. "15% increase" is "significant growth." "2010 to 2020" is "the last decade." The meaning matches even though the words are different.

How to Practice

Exercise 1: Take a True/False/Not Given section from a practice test. For each statement, find the exact sentence in the passage that proves your answer. Write it down. If you can't find the sentence, the answer is Not Given.

Exercise 2: For each False answer, write down what the passage actually says. "The statement says X, but the passage says Y." This trains you to identify contradictions specifically.

Exercise 3: Time yourself. You should spend about one minute per question. If a question takes longer than 90 seconds, mark your answer and move on. Come back if you have time.

The Speed Technique

Instead of reading the entire passage first, go to the questions. Read statement 1. Scan the passage for keywords from that statement. Find the relevant section. Decide: True, False, or Not Given. Move to statement 2.

This works because True/False/Not Given questions usually follow the order of the passage. Statement 1 appears earlier in the passage than statement 2. Statement 2 appears earlier than statement 3. Use this to your advantage.

When to Guess

If you've spent 90 seconds on a question and can't decide between False and Not Given, guess Not Given. Students who are confused between the two are usually looking for information that isn't there. That's the definition of Not Given.

Don't leave any answers blank. There's no penalty for wrong answers in IELTS Reading.

Score Boost

True/False/Not Given questions typically appear in Reading Sections 1 and 2. They're worth one mark each. Getting eight out of ten right instead of five out of ten improves your raw score by three marks, which can be the difference between Band 6 and Band 6.5.

Master this question type first. It's the highest-impact improvement for most students.

Practice with timed Reading tests and AI scoring. Our platform tracks your accuracy on True/False/Not Given specifically, so you can see exactly where you're losing marks.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

False means the passage says the opposite of the statement. Not Given means the passage says nothing about the statement's topic. The key test: if the passage contradicts the statement, it's False. If the passage doesn't address it at all, it's Not Given.

How do I improve my True/False/Not Given accuracy?

For each statement, find the exact sentence in the passage that proves your answer. Write it down. If you can't find the sentence, the answer is Not Given. Practice this method with 30 questions before your exam. Your accuracy will improve significantly.

Are True/False/Not Given questions harder than other IELTS Reading question types?

They're considered one of the hardest because students confuse False and Not Given. The questions themselves are straightforward: read the passage, compare to the statement, decide. The difficulty is in the judgment call between False and Not Given.

How many True/False/Not Given questions are on the IELTS Reading test?

There's no fixed number. You might get 7-13 TFNG questions across the three passages. They typically appear in Sections 1 and 2. Each question is worth one mark.

Should I read the passage first or the questions first?

Read the questions first, then scan the passage for the relevant section. TFNG questions usually follow the order of the passage, so statement 1 appears earlier than statement 2. Use this to your advantage and work through them in order.