What are True False Not Given questions?
True False Not Given (TFNG) questions are one of the most common question types in the IELTS Reading test. They appear in both Academic and General Training Reading and test your ability to understand the information in a passage accurately.
In TFNG questions, you are given a series of statements and must decide whether each statement:
TRUE
- Agrees with the information in the passage.
- Has the same meaning as the text, even if different words are used.
FALSE
- Contradicts the information in the passage.
- Says the opposite of what the text says.
NOT GIVEN
- Cannot be answered from the passage.
- The text does not provide enough information to decide whether the statement is true or false.
The most important rule is that you must use only the information in the passage. Your own knowledge, opinions or assumptions do not matter.
Why are True False Not Given questions difficult?
Students often focus on individual words instead of meaning. IELTS examiners rarely copy sentences directly from the passage. Instead, they use synonyms, paraphrasing and subtle changes in meaning.
Another challenge is the Not Given answer. Many candidates expect every statement to have a clear answer in the text. However, IELTS deliberately includes statements that cannot be confirmed or contradicted.
Students also lose marks because they:
- Use their own knowledge instead of the passage.
- Choose False when the answer is actually Not Given.
- Miss important qualifying words such as some, often, mainly or all.
- Fail to notice comparisons and exceptions.
- Read too quickly and overlook key details.
Fortunately, TFNG questions become much easier when you learn to compare meanings rather than individual words.
TFNG explained
The simplest way to understand TFNG questions is to turn each statement into a question.
Ask yourself:
Can the passage answer this question?
TRUE
The passage answers “Yes”.
Statement: The factory closed in 2018.
Passage: The factory stopped operating in 2018.
✅ TRUE
The meaning is the same.
FALSE
The passage answers “No”.
Statement: The factory closed in 2018.
Passage: The factory continued operating until 2020.
✅ FALSE
The information directly contradicts the statement.
NOT GIVEN
The passage cannot answer the question.
Statement: The factory closed in 2018 because of financial problems.
Passage: The factory closed in 2018.
✅ NOT GIVEN
We know it closed in 2018, but we do not know why.
A Quick TFNG Rule
| Answer | What the Text Does |
|---|---|
| TRUE | Says the same thing |
| FALSE | Says the opposite |
| NOT GIVEN | Does not answer the question |
Common TFNG Traps
IELTS uses several common traps to test whether you are reading carefully.
1. Comparisons
Students often miss words such as:
- more than
- less than
- better than
- worse than
- similar to
Statement: Paris is larger than London.
Text: London is larger than Paris.
✅ FALSE
One comparison word changes the entire meaning.
2. Quantifiers
Quantifiers show how much or how many.
Common quantifiers include:
- all
- most
- many
- some
- few
- none
Statement: All students passed the course.
Text: Most students passed the course.
✅ FALSE
“Most” does not mean “all”.
3. Cause and effect
Students often assume reasons that are not stated.
Statement: The company expanded because profits increased.
Text: The company expanded. Profits also increased.
✅ NOT GIVEN
The passage does not tell us whether one caused the other.
4. Dates and Numbers
A small change in a date or figure can make a statement false.
Statement: The bridge opened in 1998.
Text: The bridge opened in 1989.
✅ FALSE
Always check numbers carefully.
5. Opinions
Be careful when a passage reports somebody’s opinion.
Statement: Scientists have proved the theory.
Text: Some scientists believe the theory is correct.
✅ FALSE
Believing something is not the same as proving it.
6. Partial matches
This is perhaps the most common IELTS trap.
Statement: The museum is free for all visitors on weekends.
Text: The museum is free for children on weekends.
✅ FALSE
Part of the statement matches, but the overall meaning is different.
Tips for TFNG questions
- The True and False answers are always in the text – you never need to use your own general knowledge (though sometimes it might help you guess the answer before you find it in the text).
- There is always at least one True, one False and one Not Given answer.
- The statements are usually in the same order as they appear in the text.
- If you find the right part of the text but you can’t find the answer, the answer is Not Given.
- True False Not Given questions are the same as Yes No Not Given questions (YNNG questions related to people’s opinions)
- There are common tricks that you can learn to recognise (e.g. quantifiers, comparisons, subjective opinions)
- It’s ok to write both ‘TFNG’ and ‘YNNG’ on the answer sheet.
Step-by-Step TFNG Strategy
Step 1: Read the statement carefully.
Step 2: Turn the statement into a question.
Step 3: Find the relevant part of the passage.
Step 4: Read for meaning, not words – look for synonyms and paraphrasing.
Step 5: Answer the question.
- YES → TRUE
- NO → FALSE
- NO ANSWER → NOT GIVEN
Step 6: Ignore your own knowledge
Only use information from the passage.
This rule alone can save several marks.
Example 1: a TRUE answer
Step 1: Read the statement carefully.
It is generally believed that large numbers of people were needed to build the pyramids.
Step 2: Turn the statement into a question.
Is it generally believed that large numbers of people were needed to build the pyramids?
Step 3: Find the relevant part of the passage.
The conventional picture is that tens of thousands of slaves dragged stones on sledges.
Step 4: Compare the meanings.
The passage does not use exactly the same words, but the meaning is the same:
- generally believed = the conventional picture
- large numbers of people = tens of thousands of slaves
Both the statement and the passage say that many people were involved in building the pyramids.
Answer: TRUE ✅
Why is this difficult?
Many IELTS candidates look for the exact words “generally believed” and “large numbers of people”. However, IELTS usually tests your understanding of meaning, not matching vocabulary.
To get the correct answer, you need to recognise that:
“The conventional picture” = “what people generally believe”
This is a common IELTS paraphrasing technique.
Example 2: a FALSE Answer
Step 1: Read the statement carefully.
Clemmons found a strange hieroglyph on the wall of an Egyptian monument.
Step 2: Turn the statement into a question.
Did Clemmons find a strange hieroglyph on the wall of an Egyptian monument?
Step 3: Find the relevant part of the passage.
While reading a book on the monuments of Egypt, Clemmons noticed a hieroglyph that showed a row of men standing in odd postures.
Step 4: Compare the meanings.
The statement says that Clemmons found the hieroglyph:
- on the wall of an Egyptian monument
However, the passage says she noticed the hieroglyph:
- while reading a book about Egyptian monuments
The passage clearly tells us where she found it, and it was not on a monument wall.
Answer: FALSE ✅
Why is this difficult?
Many students focus on the matching keyword “hieroglyph” and stop reading carefully. They notice that both the statement and the passage mention a hieroglyph and assume the answer is TRUE.
However, IELTS is testing whether you understand the whole meaning of the sentence.
The key difference is the location:
- Statement: on the wall of an Egyptian monument
- Passage: in a book about Egyptian monuments
Because the passage gives information that directly contradicts the statement, the answer is FALSE, not NOT GIVEN.
Exam Tip
A statement is FALSE when the passage gives the answer but the information is incorrect.
A statement is NOT GIVEN when the passage does not tell you the answer at all.
In this example, the passage clearly tells us where Clemmons found the hieroglyph, so the answer cannot be NOT GIVEN.
Example 3: A NOT GIVEN Answer
Step 1: Read the statement carefully.
Gharib had previously done experiments on bird flight.
Step 2: Turn the statement into a question.
Had Gharib done experiments on bird flight before he met Clemmons?
Step 3: Find the relevant part of the passage.
Clemmons contacted Morteza Gharib, aeronautics professor at the California Institute of Technology. He was fascinated by the idea. “Coming from Iran, I have a keen interest in Middle Eastern science,” he says.
Step 4: Compare the meanings.
The statement asks whether Gharib had previously done experiments on bird flight.
The passage tells us:
- who Gharib is
- where he works
- where he’s from
- that he was fascinated by the hieroglyph
However, the passage says nothing about any previous experiments on bird flight.
Answer: NOT GIVEN ✅
Why is this difficult?
Many students see that the passage is talking about Gharib and assume the answer must be either TRUE or FALSE.
However, IELTS is not asking:
- Who is Gharib?
or
- Was Gharib interested in the idea?
It is asking:
- Had Gharib previously done experiments on bird flight?
The passage never answers this question.
We do not know whether he had done such experiments or not.
Exam Tip
A statement is NOT GIVEN when the information you need is missing from the passage.
Ask yourself:
Can I find evidence that the statement is correct? ❌ No
Can I find evidence that the statement is incorrect? ❌ No
If the answer to both questions is No, then the answer is NOT GIVEN.
A useful shortcut is:
TRUE = The passage says YES.
FALSE = The passage says NO.
NOT GIVEN = The passage does not answer the question.
Frequently Asked Questions About IELTS True False Not Given Questions
1. Can I write ‘T’, ‘F’ and ‘NG’ on the answer sheet?
Yes. You do not need to write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN in full.
Writing T, F and NG is completely acceptable and can save valuable time in the exam.
2. I wrote ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ instead of ‘True’ and ‘False’. Will I lose marks?
No.
IELTS accepts both sets of abbreviations because True False Not Given and Yes No Not Given questions use the same answer options in practice.
For example:
- T = True
- F = False
- NG = Not Given
- Y = Yes
- N = No
You will not lose marks simply because you used the shorter forms.
3. Are Yes No Not Given questions different from True False Not Given questions?
The strategy is almost identical.
The main difference is what you are analysing:
- True False Not Given questions are usually about facts and information in the passage.
- Yes No Not Given questions are usually about the writer’s or another person’s opinions, beliefs or claims.
In both question types, you must decide whether the statement agrees, disagrees, or cannot be answered from the text.
4. Is there always at least one True, one False and one Not Given answer?
Usually, yes.
In official IELTS tests, there is normally a mixture of all three answer types. However, you should never try to guess an answer simply because you think there must be one of each.
Always base your answer on the evidence in the passage.
5. Should I use my own knowledge when answering TFNG questions?
No.
This is one of the biggest mistakes IELTS candidates make.
Even if you know a statement is true in real life, the answer can still be FALSE or NOT GIVEN if the passage does not support it.
Use only the information provided in the text.
6. Is NOT GIVEN the same as FALSE?
No.
This is probably the most important thing to understand about TFNG questions.
FALSE means the passage gives information that contradicts the statement.
NOT GIVEN means the passage does not provide enough information to decide whether the statement is true or false.
7. How can I identify a NOT GIVEN answer?
Turn the statement into a question.
Then ask yourself:
- Does the passage answer “Yes”? → TRUE
- Does the passage answer “No”? → FALSE
- Does the passage not answer the question at all? → NOT GIVEN
If you cannot find evidence for either True or False, the answer is usually Not Given.
8. Do True False Not Given questions follow the order of the passage?
Most of the time, yes.
The answers usually appear in the same order as the information in the text, making it easier to find the relevant section.
However, you should still read carefully and not rely on this rule 100% of the time.
9. What is the most common TFNG mistake?
Choosing FALSE when the answer is actually NOT GIVEN.
Many students find information about the topic and assume it answers the question. However, IELTS often includes statements that cannot be confirmed or contradicted by the passage.
Always check whether the text actually answers the question.
10. Do the words in the statement appear in the passage?
Usually not.
IELTS frequently paraphrases information using:
- synonyms
- antonyms
- different grammatical structures
- more general or more specific language
This is why understanding meaning is more important than matching individual words.
11. Which answer is usually the hardest?
Most students find NOT GIVEN the hardest because they are looking for information that is not there.
Remember:
TRUE = same meaning
FALSE = opposite meaning
NOT GIVEN = no answer
12. Can I get a high IELTS Reading score if I struggle with TFNG questions?
Absolutely.
The key skills are:
- recognising paraphrasing
- identifying synonyms and antonyms
- understanding the difference between FALSE and NOT GIVEN
- avoiding assumptions
With practice, TFNG questions become one of the most predictable IELTS Reading question types.
Conclusion
True, False, Not Given questions test how accurately you can understand and compare information in a reading passage.
TRUE (or YES) answers have the same meaning as the text, even if different words are used. This is why recognising synonyms and paraphrasing is so important.
FALSE (or NO) answers contain information that directly contradicts the passage. To identify these answers, you need to look carefully for evidence that proves the statement is wrong.
NOT GIVEN answers are different. The passage may discuss the same topic, but it does not provide enough information to answer the question. If you cannot find evidence that the statement is either true or false, the answer is probably NOT GIVEN.
Remember the golden rule:
TRUE = the text says YES
FALSE = the text says NO
NOT GIVEN = the text does not answer the question
Master this distinction, learn to recognise common IELTS paraphrasing techniques, and TFNG questions will become one of the most predictable question types in the IELTS Reading test. ✅
Want More Help with IELTS Reading?
If you found these True, False, Not Given strategies useful, imagine how much easier IELTS Reading becomes when you learn the same step-by-step techniques for every question type.
In my IELTS Reading course, I’ll show you exactly how to:
✅ Find answers faster without reading every word
✅ Recognise common IELTS traps and distractors
✅ Identify synonyms and paraphrasing confidently
✅ Tackle difficult question types such as Matching Headings, Summary Completion and TFNG questions
✅ Improve your timing and avoid running out of time in the test
✅ Build the skills needed for a Band 7, 8 or even 9 in IELTS Reading
The course includes video lessons, guided practice, exam strategies and detailed explanations based on real IELTS questions.
If you’re tired of guessing and want a clear system that works, join the course today and start improving your IELTS Reading score.
Get more help with TFNG IELTS Reading questions:
- A closer look at True False Not Given questions (IDP website)
- All my TFNG lessons
