IELTS Reading tutorial for True/False/Not Given type of questions

Some types of questions in IELTS Reading are comparatively easier to answer (like gap filling, and sentence completion), but a few types prove quite difficult for the aspirants. One of these difficult types is the ‘True/False/Not Given’ type of question.

In these questions, a list of facts is presented according to which you have to decide whether the sentences are True, False, or Not given. There are many students who would be capable of answering most of these questions correctly if their choices were limited to two: True (Yes) and False (No). Unfortunately, the spell ‘Not given’ works well against almost every exam taker.

So, I decided to make this tutorial in order to help you break the spell! (It’s fun!)

Let’s get started!

The ground rules are:

• If the details or facts are clearly stated in the text, then the sentence is True (Yes).

• If the exact opposite is clearly stated in the text, then the sentence is False (No).

• In case neither the fact nor its opposite is clearly stated in the text, the answer is ‘Not given’.

Step 1: Head to the questions first and start marking the keywords. (Keywords will be the words you will try to find in the passage; they could be similar or their synonyms)

Step 2: Skim the passage and highlight the keywords that match the ones you read in the questions in Step 1

Step 3: Scan the sentences in the passage that had those keywords, and see if the meaning matches or opposes the question sentence. If you cant find anything related to the question statement, it will be Not Given

For a better understanding, watch the video below with the example.

The answer to the questions appears in the text in the same order as the questions.

When you get to the sentence or part which you believe consists of the answer, read carefully and choose the correct answer by deciding whether the sentence is ‘True’, ‘False’, or ‘Not given.

Synonyms play an important role in these types of questions, just like the previous ones.

I hope this tutorial helps you to score higher bands in the Reading section. I would love to read your comments and feedback.

All the best!!!

#ielts #reading #band7 #tutorial

Download the document here