True, False, Not Given in IELTS Reading — Finally Explained

True/False/Not Given is the IELTS Reading question type students fear most — mostly because they confuse False with Not Given. One rule fixes almost every mistake.

The rule

False means the passage says the opposite of the statement. Not Given means the passage simply doesn’t mention it at all — there’s no information to contradict or confirm it.

Why students get it wrong

Test-takers often reason “the passage doesn’t fully support this, so it must be false.” That’s the trap — if the information just isn’t there, the answer is Not Given, not False.

A quick check

Ask yourself: can I point to a specific sentence that contradicts the statement? If yes, it’s False. If you can’t find any relevant sentence at all, it’s Not Given. If you can find a sentence that confirms it, it’s True.

Practice strategy

Locate the relevant part of the passage first, then decide. Never answer from memory or general impression of the topic.