← All guidesIELTS Reading True/False/Not Given: the 5-step Not Given detector
IELTS Reading True/False/Not Given: the 5-step Not Given detector — the question type that silently caps Reading scores.
By the IELTS Training editorial team · Last reviewed 2026-10-04Free account to read
1. Why Not Given breaks most candidates (and the two fixes)
Fix 1 — the definition. "Not Given" does NOT mean "I couldn't find it." It means: the passage does not contain enough information to decide whether the statement is true or false. If you searched the right paragraph and the information genuinely isn't there, Not Given is a positive finding, not an admission of defeat.
Fix 2 — the Yes/No vs True/False distinction. Academic Reading mixes them deliberately:
- True/False/Not Given → the statement claims a FACT about the passage. Compare against what the writer states.
- Yes/No/Not Given → the statement claims the writer's OPINION or a claim they endorse. Compare against what the writer believes.
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