IELTS Reading: True, False and Not Given

For: Independent learners who can understand short factual texts but confuse False with Not Given.

Test type: Academic and General Training. The decision-making skill applies to both; their Reading texts differ.

Study time: 25 minutes. This is a short skill-building lesson, not a full Reading test.

What you will learn

By the end, you should be able to:

  • Classify six statements using only the passage.
  • Identify the exact words that support or contradict a statement.
  • Explain what information is missing for each Not Given answer.

What the task requires

Choose True when the passage supports the statement, False when it contradicts it, and Not Given when it does neither. Do not use your general knowledge to fill a gap. This task concerns information; a task about a writer’s views may instead require Yes, No and Not Given. See the official Academic Reading format and General Training Reading format.

A practical strategy: find, compare, decide

  1. Read the statement. Identify the person or thing, the action, and any restriction such as only, all or before.
  2. Find the relevant part of the passage. Look for the same idea, not just the same word.
  3. Compare the whole meaning. A changed date or quantity can change the answer.
  4. Ask: does the text support this, give an incompatible fact, or leave the issue unresolved?

For Not Given, name the gap: “The text gives the opening hours, but it does not say who chose them.” You do not need to prove the opposite.

Worked example

Text: “The office lends laptops to staff for up to three days. Staff must collect them in person.”

Statement: “Staff can borrow a laptop for a maximum of three days.”

True. A maximum of means up to. The wording changes, but the limit stays the same.

Statement: “The office delivers borrowed laptops to staff.”

False. Collection in person contradicts delivery by the office.

Statement: “Most staff borrow laptops every month.”

Not Given. We know the rules, but not how often people borrow laptops.

Independent practice: a community repair project

Read the passage before answering. Aim to finish the questions in eight minutes, then allow time to check your evidence.

The repair room

In March, a community centre opened a repair room where local residents could bring broken household items. The project began with two Saturday sessions each month. Each session lasted three hours. At first, the organisers accepted only small electrical appliances, such as lamps and toasters.

Residents had to book a place by telephone before attending. There was no charge for the volunteers’ time, but residents paid for any replacement parts their repairs required. Volunteers explained each stage of the repair and encouraged owners to watch. The aim was to help people understand their possessions as well as to reduce waste.

In June, the organisers began accepting damaged clothing too. A local tailor joined the team to help with this work. The centre also bought a sewing machine, which remained in the repair room for use during sessions.

By August, every session was fully booked. The organisers decided to add a Wednesday evening session from September. They kept the Saturday sessions unchanged. They also introduced an online booking form while continuing to accept telephone bookings.

The centre records the number of items brought in and whether each repair succeeds. It has not measured how much money residents save. At the end of each session, owners take their items home, including any that the volunteers cannot repair.

Vocabulary in context

  • Appliances: electrical devices used at home; the lamps and toasters are examples.
  • Replacement parts: new pieces fitted in place of broken ones.
  • Tailor: someone who makes or repairs clothing.
  • Fully booked: all available places have been reserved.

Questions 1–6

Do the following statements agree with the information in the passage?

Write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN for each answer.

  1. When the project started, repair sessions took place twice a month.
  2. Residents received replacement parts free of charge.
  3. The tailor had previously worked at the community centre.
  4. The new Wednesday session replaced one of the Saturday sessions.
  5. Residents could still make a booking by telephone after the online form was introduced.
  6. Most items that could not be repaired were electrical appliances.

Answers and evidence

Finish all six before opening the explanations.

Show answers and explanations for questions 1–6
  1. TRUE. Paragraph 1 says “two Saturday sessions each month”. This is the same frequency as twice a month.
  2. FALSE. Paragraph 2 says residents “paid for any replacement parts”. Free volunteer time does not mean free parts.
  3. NOT GIVEN. Paragraph 3 says a local tailor joined the team. It gives no employment history. Being local does not establish a previous job at the centre.
  4. FALSE. Paragraph 4 says the organisers “kept the Saturday sessions unchanged”. Wednesday was an addition, not a replacement.
  5. TRUE. Paragraph 4 explicitly says they were “continuing to accept telephone bookings”. A new method did not remove the old one.
  6. NOT GIVEN. Paragraph 5 says unsuccessful repairs are recorded, but gives no breakdown by item type. Neither a majority of electrical items nor its opposite is established.

Common mistakes and corrections

  • “It sounds unlikely, so it is False.” Correct this by finding an explicit contradiction. If neither version is established, use Not Given.
  • “The passage mentions the tailor, so statement 3 is True.” Check the claim about the tailor’s previous job, not just the person’s presence.
  • “Free repairs means everything is free.” Separate labour from replacement parts; the passage gives different rules for each.

Review your work

Count correct answers out of six only as a lesson check, not an IELTS band estimate. For each error, write your original choice, the decisive sentence, and the detail you overlooked. For a Not Given answer, write the missing detail instead of inventing evidence.

Helpful ESS practice

Use Asking About a Community Class to practise checking schedules and conditions. Read its dialogue and identify which details are stated explicitly. This is general English support, not an IELTS Reading test.

Your next step

Complete one identifying-information task in the official Academic samples or General Training samples, according to your test type. Write an evidence note for every answer.

Return to the ESS IELTS hub.

Independent ESS learning material. The passage and questions are original practice, not official IELTS items. Official format references checked on 30 October 2026; linked above.