How to Solve TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN in IELTS Reading
When we ask test-takers what their least favorite reading comprehension question type is, we often get the answer, ‘true’, ‘false’, ‘not given’! This blog will pull apart a reading text focusing on how to make the correct choice, highlighting the reading skills needed to help you find factual information. It is important to know the difference between the two question types. True/False/Not given questions ask you to check whether a given statement stands confirmed by information/facts given in the text, stands contradicted or is neither confirmed nor contradicted. So, check the facts/information.
The biggest issue here is the ‘not given’ option. Most students are not used to answering questions like this and it causes them lots of confusion because they are not sure what to look for.
Students also sometimes 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.
Below is the example which will help you understand better :
To give correct answers, you need to understand what True/False/Not given implies:
¾True means that the information found in the text agrees with the idea in the statement.
¾False means that the information found in the text disagrees with the idea in the statement.
¾Not given means that in the text there is no information about the idea expressed in the statement, that is, the information in the text neither agrees nor disagrees with the idea in the statement.
Step by Step True/False/Not given strategies:
Careful reading: Read the instructions carefully. Note that yes/no/not given questions ask you to identify the writer’s opinion.
Yes: If the statement agrees with the views of the author
No: If the statement contradicts the views of the author’
Not given: If the writer does not give an opinion on this point
Preview your topic: Preview all the statements to get an idea of the topics you will be searching for in your reading text.
Main Idea: Look for keywords, the main point, or the opinion given in the statement.
Mark the section: Scan the text to locate the section which refers to that idea. If you come across information relating to other statements, put a mark beside the section so that you can find it quickly again later.
Decision Phase: Decide if the statement agrees with the facts/views of the author (mark true/yes) or disagrees (mark false/no) on your answer sheet. If the passage is silent or the author does not give an opinion, a mark is not given. Be careful about qualifying expressions like, sometimes, always, mostly, etc. This will help you differentiate between False/No and not given.
3 C Rule: Follow 3 C’s
¾ Confirmed – True
¾ Contradictory – False
¾ Confusing – Not Given
Information check :check if the information you have found is the one you need to answer the question by reading the section in detail
Mark the keywords: read the first statement in the task carefully and underline the keywords
Don’t share personal knowledge: Be careful to use only the information that is in the text; do not add what you know about the topic.
Follow same procedure: Read the next statement and repeat the procedure.
Order: The statements follow a chronological order. Once you find the first answer, proceed to the next sentence.
Tricky words: Watch out for those words that can slightly change the meaning of the sentence. For example, many, some, never, few, all, always, etc.
Waste time: Don’t waste too much time on one question. If you can’t find one, mark it Not Given.
