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IELTS Reading Test comprises of 40 questions with various question types and you will have 60 minutes to answer the questions reading three different passages. Unlike in the listening section, you will not be given an extra time of 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet.

True/False/Not Given is a question type in the reading section that a lot of students struggle with. This question type is developed to test your ability to understand ideas and writer’s opinion and requires you to scan and understand the information in the reading text.

In this question type, you are given various statements and you have to identity if the given statements are TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.

In general, any statement that matches with the information in the text is marked TRUE. Any statement that contradicts the information in the text is marked FALSE. When there is no information related to the statement in the text, it is marked NOT GIVEN. Marking a statement TRUE often is easier than differentiating between FALSE and NOT GIVEN.

To differentiate between True, False and Not Given, it is very important that you understand the meaning of the statements given in this question type. You should remember that you are required to locate and identify specific information in the text and keywords can be really helpful when location details.

The questions will be in the same order as the sequence of information in the text which means the answers will appear in order. You should carefully decide which section of the text you should read to find the information you are looking for and not waste time going back to the start of the text every time you are looking for an answer.

Always be careful of paraphrasing and synonyms as it is very common in the IELTS reading test. The meaning of the statement and the information in the text is often same but different words and synonyms will be used and the statement may not be written in the same way as in the text. You should always focus on understanding the meaning. Building up your vocabulary can often be very helpful to you in this context.

Be aware of controlling words such as ‘many’, ‘some’, ‘all’, ‘often’ etc. that can entirely change the meaning of the sentences which is a common mistake.

Highlighting important points and key words when reading the text can also help you save a lot of time as facts mentioned in the text are likely to come up in the statements.

The most important tip is that you shouldn’t spend too much time on one question. If you do not find the answer, it may be because the information is not given in the text. Marking such statements as NOT GIVEN has high chances of getting it correct. You will at least have a one in three chance rather than just leaving it empty.

Remember! Practice is the key!