One of the most widely used question types in the IELTS Reading test is called Identifying Information, also known as True / False / Not Given questions. These tasks test how carefully you can compare the information in the reading passage with a statement in the question.
What the Task Involves
You will be given a number of statements. For each one, you must decide whether it is:
- TRUE – if the statement agrees with the information in the passage. In other words, the passage directly confirms it.
- FALSE – if the statement directly contradicts what the passage says. This means the passage provides the opposite information.
- NOT GIVEN – if the passage does not say anything about it. The information may be partly related, but the exact detail is missing.
The important rule here is that your answers must be based only on the passage, not on your own background knowledge or personal opinions.
Even if you know something to be true in real life, you can only mark it as TRUE if the reading passage itself confirms it.
Why This Question Type Is Difficult
Many students find True / False / Not Given challenging because:
- The test uses paraphrasing, so you will rarely see the same words in the question and passage.
- Statements may look correct at first glance, but contain a small detail that changes the meaning.
- Deciding between FALSE and NOT GIVEN can be confusing.
A good way to think of the difference is this:
- If the passage gives the opposite information, the answer is FALSE.
- If the passage simply does not say anything about it, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
Example
Let’s look at a simple example:
Questions 1–5
Choose TRUE if the statement agrees with the information given in the text.
Choose FALSE if the statement contradicts the information in the text.
Choose NOT GIVEN if there is no information about it in the text.
- In some cultures, students are not allowed to work in groups.
If the passage says: “In certain traditional learning environments, students are expected to study individually and group work is discouraged,” then the correct answer is TRUE.
If the passage says: “Group work is encouraged in all cultures without exception,” the answer is FALSE.
If the passage never mentions whether students are allowed or not allowed to work in groups, the answer is NOT GIVEN.