FALSE or NOT GIVEN — the trap that costs the most marks
If you've ever stared at a TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN question for two minutes thinking "this could be either FALSE or NOT GIVEN" — you're not alone. This is one of the Reading question types where students lose the most marks. One simple rule fixes it.
- Tell the difference between FALSE and NOT GIVEN every time.
- Apply a simple 3-question decision rule to any TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN statement.
- Stop losing marks on the Reading question type students lose the most marks on.
LEARN — Why FALSE and NOT GIVEN feel the same
The problem and the one rule that fixes it. About 4 minutes.
Here's a moment most IELTS students know well. You read a statement. You read the passage. You can't decide between FALSE and NOT GIVEN. You sit there for thirty seconds thinking "well, the passage doesn't really say this is true... so it must be false?" You write FALSE. The answer was NOT GIVEN.
This is the most common Reading error in the entire test. Students lose marks here who shouldn't.
The reason is simple. FALSE and NOT GIVEN feel similar, but they are completely different things. Most students don't have a clear way to tell them apart. They guess. Sometimes they're right. Often they're wrong.
Here's the difference, in plain language:
The passage says the opposite of the statement. The passage actively contradicts the statement. If the statement says "X is true," the passage says "X is not true." There is a real disagreement.
The passage doesn't talk about it at all. The passage is silent. The statement might be true. The statement might be false. We don't know — because the passage never tells us.
Here's an example. Suppose the passage says:
Coffee shops have become popular meeting places in big cities. Many young professionals use them as informal offices, working on laptops for hours.
Now look at these three statements:
"Coffee shops are used as informal workplaces by some young people."
Show the answer →
"Coffee shops are losing popularity as meeting places in cities."
Show the answer →
"Most coffee shop customers are under thirty years old."
Show the answer →
Notice what happened. Statement B was FALSE because the passage said the opposite. Statement C was NOT GIVEN because the passage was silent. Two different things. Two different answers.
Three questions, asked in this order
- 1. Does the passage agree with the statement (same meaning, different words)? If yes → TRUE. Stop here.
- 2. Does the passage say the opposite of the statement? If yes → FALSE. Stop here.
- 3. Is the passage silent on this (it doesn't say either way)? Then → NOT GIVEN.
This rule is so simple it feels too easy. But the reason most students get TFNG wrong is that they don't follow this order. They mix up "the passage doesn't agree" with "the passage disagrees." Those are different.
If you can't find the opposite stated in the passage, the answer is almost always NOT GIVEN. Trust the rule.
PRACTICE — Walking through three statements together
Guided practice with the rule. About 3 minutes.
Read this short passage carefully. Then we'll work through three statements together, using the decision rule.
Electric bicycles have grown rapidly in many Asian cities over the past decade. In Vietnam and Thailand, they are particularly common among university students and young workers. The bicycles are cheaper to run than motorcycles, and they don't require a special licence in most countries.
However, there have been growing concerns about safety. In Bangkok, traffic authorities reported a sharp rise in accidents involving electric bicycles in 2024. Some cities have responded by introducing new helmet laws, though enforcement remains inconsistent.
Now let's work through three statements.
"Electric bicycles are popular with students in some Asian countries."
Apply the rule:
Question 1: Does the passage agree? The passage says they are "particularly common among university students" — same idea, different words. Yes, the passage agrees.
Show the answer →
"Electric bicycle accidents have decreased in Bangkok since 2024."
Apply the rule:
Question 1: Does the passage agree? No, the passage says accidents "rose sharply." Question 2: Does the passage say the opposite of the statement? The statement says decreased; the passage says rose sharply. These are opposites. Yes — the passage contradicts the statement.
Show the answer →
"Electric bicycles in Asia are more dangerous than motorcycles."
Apply the rule:
Question 1: Does the passage agree? The passage talks about safety concerns and accidents — but it doesn't compare electric bicycles to motorcycles. Question 2: Does the passage say the opposite (that electric bicycles are safer than motorcycles)? No, it doesn't say that either. Question 3: Is the passage silent on this comparison? Yes — the passage never compares the two.
Show the answer →
Notice that for statement 3, the topic (safety) was in the passage. That's the trap. Students see the topic in the passage and think "I should be able to find this answer." But the topic being mentioned isn't enough. The passage must directly agree or directly disagree. If it does neither, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
APPLY — Four statements, on your own
No more guidance. Use the rule. About 4 minutes.
Read this new passage carefully, then answer the four statements below. Use the decision rule. Don't peek at the answers before deciding.
The number of employees working from home increased significantly during the early 2020s. By 2023, surveys in the United States and the United Kingdom found that around 40% of office workers were spending at least two days per week working from home, compared to under 10% before 2020.
The shift has had mixed effects. Many workers report higher productivity and better work-life balance. However, managers in some industries have raised concerns about reduced team cohesion and slower training of new staff. Some major companies have responded by requiring employees to return to the office at least three days per week.
Decide TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN for each statement
Use the three-step rule. Decide your answer for each statement first. Then click to check.
"Before 2020, fewer than 10% of office workers in the US and UK worked from home regularly."
Show the answer →
"All employers now allow staff to choose how many days they work from home."
Show the answer →
"Most workers feel they are more creative when working from home."
Show the answer →
Common trap: Students might write FALSE here because the passage doesn't support the claim. But "doesn't support" is not the same as "contradicts." NOT GIVEN is correct.
"Working from home has increased team cohesion in most industries."
Show the answer →
Watch out: The passage says "some industries" — but the statement says "most industries." Even with that difference, the direction (reduced vs increased) is opposite enough that FALSE is correct. The contradiction is clear.
4 out of 4: You have the rule. Practise on real test questions to make it automatic.
3 out of 4: You understand the rule. The one you missed is the pattern to watch — usually it's NOT GIVEN that gets marked as FALSE (statement 3 above).
2 out of 4 or less: The rule needs more practice. The full Reading Module 1 gives you a TFNG drill day plus a YNNG day (which is different again).
REFLECT — Lock it in
Three quick questions. About 2 minutes.
Reflection is what turns a one-time tip into a permanent skill. Take a moment with these.
TRUE means the passage agrees. FALSE means the passage says the opposite. NOT GIVEN means the passage is silent. If you can't find the opposite stated clearly, the answer is NOT GIVEN. Trust the silence.
What the full module includes that this sample doesn't
This sample showed you the FALSE vs NOT GIVEN decision rule. The full module — Reading Module 1 (The Strategy System) — is 12 days of work that fixes time management, question-type sequencing, and the comprehension-vs-strategy confusion that holds most students at Band 6.
A sample lesson teaches one rule. A full module builds a complete strategy system. Here's what the 12 days of Reading Module 1 give you that a single sample can't.
-
Interactive H5P drills with instant feedback
You don't just read about TFNG — you practise on 30+ statements with immediate right/wrong feedback and explanations. Same format on Matching Headings, Sentence Completion, Yes/No/Not Given, and Multiple Choice. Repetition until the rule becomes automatic.
Not in this sample -
The 20-minute-per-passage time budget — drilled daily
Most students run out of time on Passage 3 because they have no time discipline. The module builds the 20/20/20 minute habit with timed practice every single day. By Day 12, the timing is automatic.
Not in this sample -
The Yes/No/Not Given rule — separate from TFNG
TFNG is for facts. YNNG is for the writer's opinion. Writing TRUE when the question asks YES scores zero — even when your thinking was right. The module covers both rules with dedicated practice on each, plus drills on telling them apart fast.
Sample covered TFNG only -
Question-type sequencing — why Matching Headings goes LAST
Most students do Matching Headings first because it appears first on the page. Expert consensus says it should always be done LAST — the other question types teach you the passage structure first. This single change saves 3-4 minutes per passage.
Not in this sample -
Paraphrase recognition drills — beyond exact-word matching
IELTS almost never uses the exact words from the passage in the question. Students who search for matching words miss the correct answer. The module trains synonym and paraphrase recognition with hundreds of mini-drills.
Not in this sample -
Passage 3 strategies — the hardest passage trained separately
Passage 3 has inference questions, dense academic vocabulary, and the highest cognitive load. The module gives Passage 3 its own dedicated practice days with the techniques that actually work under time pressure.
Not in this sample
The sample fixed one specific question type. The module fixes the whole Reading approach — strategy, timing, sequencing, and the techniques that distinguish Band 6 from Band 7+.
Liked this? Here's where it came from.
Reading Module 1 — The Strategy System — is the foundation Reading module. If you run out of time on Passage 3, get confused by TFNG or YNNG, or feel like Reading is a comprehension test rather than a strategy test, this is the module. Twelve days. Same four-part structure as this lesson, every day.
Not sure if Reading Module 1 is the right module for you? Take the free diagnostic →
Want another free sample? Try Speaking: the hidden question or Listening: Section 4.