Answer TRUE when the passage says the same thing as the statement, FALSE when the passage says the opposite, and NOT GIVEN when the passage does not tell you either way. Yes, No, Not Given works the same way, but tests the writer's opinions and claims instead of facts.
At a glance
- Where
- Academic and General Training Reading
- How many
- Usually a set of 4–7 statements
- Order
- The answers follow the order of the passage
- Marking
- One mark each; spelling of the answer does not matter on computer, you click it
How to answer, step by step
- Read the statement and underline its key idea and any limiting words: all, only, most, never, first, more than.
- Scan for the part of the passage about that idea. Look for synonyms and paraphrase, not the same words.
- Read that part closely and compare it with the whole statement, not just a few words of it.
- Same meaning: TRUE. The passage states the opposite or something that cannot also be true: FALSE. The passage says nothing that settles it: NOT GIVEN.
- If you cannot find the place after a minute, move on; the next answer is usually a little further down.
Common mistakes
- Using your own knowledge. Only the passage counts, even if the statement is true in real life.
- Matching words instead of meaning. A statement can repeat words from the passage and still be FALSE or NOT GIVEN.
- Mixing up FALSE and NOT GIVEN. FALSE needs a clear contradiction; if the passage is simply silent, it is NOT GIVEN.
- Missing qualifiers. "Some scientists believe" is not the same as "scientists agree".
Worked example
From Skillora IELTS Academic Mock Test 1 · Reading Passage 1, Question 1
Do the following statements agree with the information in Reading Passage 1? Write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.
Until recently, most people would have considered city beekeeping unusual.
Answer: TRUE
The passage says keeping bees in a city "would have struck most people as faintly ridiculous" for most of the twentieth century. Ridiculous is a strong form of "unusual", so the statement agrees.
“the idea of keeping bees in a city would have struck most people as faintly ridiculous”
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