IELTS True/False/Not Given: how to tell False from Not Given

True/False/Not Given asks one thing about each statement: does the passage agree with it, contradict it, or never settle it? It appears in IELTS Reading for both Academic and General Training. The usual way to lose marks is to treat Not Given as "probably false". This guide gives the definitions IELTS publishes, a four-step method, the traps that catch people, and three practice items with answers.

What do True, False and Not Given mean in IELTS Reading?

True means the statement says the same thing as the passage, in different words. False and Not Given are defined on the official format page:

"'False' means that the statement contradicts the information in the text."

"'Not given' means that the statement neither agrees with nor contradicts the information in the text."

IELTS adds a warning that matters more than it looks: "You must be careful not to use any information you already know about the topic of the text when choosing your answer." If you know the statement is wrong in real life but the passage never says so, the answer is still Not Given.

What's the difference between False and Not Given?

False needs evidence. Not Given is the absence of it.

Answer	What the passage does	What you can point to
True	Says the same thing as the statement	Words that match the whole claim
False	Says something that clashes with the statement	Words that say the opposite
Not Given	Covers the topic but never settles the claim	Nothing: the claim is simply missing

A test you can run in the exam: can you put your finger on words that contradict the statement? If yes, it is False. If you can find the topic but no words that settle the claim, it is Not Given.

How do you answer True/False/Not Given questions?

1. Mark the claim. Underline the subject, the verb and any strength word in the statement (all, most, only, first, because).
2. Find the spot. Look for the subject, not the exact words. Statements are paraphrased, so the passage will use different vocabulary. IELTS states a text order for some question types, such as multiple choice and short answer, but not for this one, so do not rely on statements following the text.
3. Read the whole sentence and the one after it. The qualifier often sits in the next sentence.
4. Compare the claim part by part. Every part matches: True. One part clashes: False. One part is missing: Not Given.

If a statement has taken a minute, write your best answer and move on.

Which traps cost the most marks?

• The added detail. The statement matches the passage and then adds a claim the passage never makes. In item 1 below, the passage mentions lower markers of inflammation; a statement about blood pressure is Not Given.
• The comparison nobody makes. "Elections to water boards attract more voters than national elections" (item 2) sounds plausible, but the passage never gives turnout figures for either.
• Strength words. "A large increase" and "little change" are opposites. Words such as all, always, most, only and large are where True turns into False.

Do the passages differ between IELTS Academic and General Training?

True/False/Not Given is shared by both versions, but Yes/No/Not Given is listed on the Academic Reading format page and not on the General Training one, and the passages differ. Academic Reading texts come from “books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online resources”, with 2150–2750 words in total. General Training has three sections of increasing difficulty: everyday texts such as notices, advertisements and timetables; work texts such as job descriptions, contracts and training materials; and one long general-interest text, with 2150–2375 words in total. Sources: the Academic and General Training Reading format pages, checked 15 and 16 October 2026. Not sure which version you need? Start at the IELTS hub.

Practice items from the ScoreFluent bank (not real exam questions)

These are ScoreFluent bank items written to the published format. They are not real IELTS questions. Each shows one or two paragraphs and the statements those paragraphs settle; the full items in the app have a whole passage and more statements. Try each one before opening the answers.

Practice item 1: fermented foods

Excerpt: paragraph 4 of 7. The other six paragraphs and five of the eight statements are left out.

One of the more influential studies on the subject was carried out by a team of nutrition scientists who divided healthy adults into two groups for ten weeks. Members of the first group were asked to increase the amount of fermented food in their diets, while members of the second were asked to eat more fibre from plants such as beans and whole grains. At the end of the trial, the people in the fermented-food group showed a measurable rise in microbial diversity, and blood tests revealed lower levels of several markers of inflammation. The fibre group, by contrast, showed little change in diversity, although individual responses varied considerably.

Does each statement agree with the information in the text? Mark it TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.

1. People who ate more fermented food showed greater microbial diversity after the trial.
2. The group that ate more fibre showed a large increase in microbial diversity.
3. The trial found that eating fermented food lowered the blood pressure of participants.

Show the answers and reasons

1. TRUE. The fermented-food group showed a measurable rise in microbial diversity.
2. FALSE. The fibre group showed little change in diversity.
3. NOT GIVEN. The passage mentions lower markers of inflammation but says nothing about blood pressure results in the trial.

Practice item 2: Dutch water boards

Excerpt: paragraph 3 of 6. The other five paragraphs and five of the eight statements are left out.

Building and maintaining the dykes was far beyond the resources of any single family, and so communities formed local councils known as water boards. The earliest appeared in the thirteenth century, and they gained the power to collect taxes and to punish those who neglected their duties. Water boards still exist and are often described as among the oldest democratic institutions in Europe, although their members are now elected by the residents rather than chosen by landowners. The principle behind them is that anyone who benefits from protection against the water must contribute to its cost.

Does each statement agree with the information in the text? Mark it TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.

1. Water boards were established in the thirteenth century.
2. Members of water boards are now chosen by landowners.
3. Elections to water boards attract more voters than national elections.

Show the answers and reasons

1. TRUE. The earliest water boards appeared in the thirteenth century.
2. FALSE. Members are now elected by the residents rather than chosen by landowners.
3. NOT GIVEN. The passage says members are elected by residents but gives no turnout figures.

How does Yes/No/Not Given differ from True/False/Not Given?

The logic is the same, but the target changes: statements are checked against the writer's views or claims, not against facts. IELTS lists it for Academic Reading as “Identifying writer’s views/claims (Yes/No/Not given)”, and the General Training Reading format page does not list it, although IELTS's General Training sample-questions page does include it in its list of Reading task types. IELTS's definition: "'No' means that the statement contradicts the writer's view or claim." Not Given works as before.

In practice, look for the writer's stance (verbs such as argues, believes or suggests, and phrases such as "it would be wrong to" or "is unlikely to") and do not answer from a fact the passage merely reports. Item 3 shows the difference: a statement can be about a real event in the passage and still be No, because the writer's view is more careful than the statement.

Practice item 3: free public transport (Yes/No/Not Given)

Excerpt: paragraphs 2 and 4 of 7. The other five paragraphs and four of the seven statements are left out.

Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, made public transport free for its residents in 2013. A few years later, the French port of Dunkirk followed, and in 2020 Luxembourg went further by abolishing fares across the entire country. In each case, the number of passengers rose. In Tallinn, some studies found an increase of roughly ten per cent in the first years, although analysts disagreed about how much of this was due to the policy and how much to the growth in the population.

Closer inspection of the new passengers, however, is disappointing for the supporters of the policy. Surveys in several cities suggest that many of those who began to use buses more often had previously walked or cycled, rather than driven. The change therefore improved the finances of these individuals but did little to reduce congestion or pollution. The explanation is straightforward: the fare is only one of several considerations that influence the choice between car and bus, and for many motorists it is not the most significant. Journey time, reliability, comfort and the availability of parking weigh at least as heavily in their calculations.

Does each statement agree with the views of the writer? Mark it YES, NO or NOT GIVEN.

1. The writer believes the growth in passengers in Tallinn was entirely due to the free fares.
2. The writer argues that free fares have done little to reduce traffic in the cities studied.
3. The writer claims that parking charges in Tallinn have been raised since 2013.

Show the answers and reasons

1. NO. The writer reports that analysts disagreed about how much of the growth was due to the policy rather than population growth.
2. YES. The writer says many new passengers had previously walked or cycled, so congestion and pollution were barely reduced.
3. NOT GIVEN. Parking availability is named as a factor in the choice between car and bus, but nothing is said about charges in Tallinn.

How is True/False/Not Given marked?

Reading is marked against an answer key. IELTS says: "The IELTS Reading test contains 40 questions. Each correct answer is awarded 1 mark." Its scoring page describes no deduction for a wrong answer, so a blank can never score and a guess can. Raw scores convert to bands on a scale that moves slightly between test versions. IELTS's indicative figures:

Raw marks out of 40	Academic Reading band	General Training Reading band
15	5	4
23	6	5
30	7	6
35	8	7

IELTS notes that "the precise number of marks needed to achieve these band scores will vary slightly from test version to test version", and that it is "usual that a greater number of questions must be answered correctly on a General Training Reading test". Source: IELTS scoring in detail, checked 15 and 16 October 2026. For how the four skills combine into an overall band, see IELTS scoring.

How should you practise True/False/Not Given?

• Do one passage at a time against the clock, then mark it.
• For every wrong answer, copy the sentence that decides it and name the trap: added detail, missing comparison or strength word.
• Redo the passage a week later without notes. If you still change an answer, you have not learned the trap.

Reading practice on ScoreFluent is free with a daily limit (see pricing), and new accounts also get 40 free credits that never expire. Practise this task free → More Reading guides: matching headings, multiple choice and sentence and summary completion. The full section guide is IELTS Reading, and the exam overview is on the IELTS hub.

Sources

The official sources are linked above and were checked on 15 and 16 October 2026. ScoreFluent is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to IELTS, IDP, the British Council or Cambridge University Press & Assessment. The practice items are ScoreFluent bank items, not real exam questions, and any score we show is a practice estimate, not an official result.