IELTS True False Not Given and Yes No Not Given

IELTS Reading includes two closely related question types: True/False/Not Given (TFNG) and Yes/No/Not Given (YNNG). Both give you a statement to judge against the passage, and both use Not Given as the third answer option. The difference sits in what each statement checks: TFNG checks facts stated in the passage, while YNNG checks the writer's opinions or claims.

This guide sets out the decision framework behind True, False and Not Given, and behind Yes, No and Not Given, then covers the wording traps behind most wrong answers. For the full Reading section format, including timing and passage types, see our IELTS Reading section guide. If your passage mixes TFNG or YNNG with matching questions, our matching questions guide covers those separately. It closes with links to drill practice at three difficulty levels for each type.

TFNG vs YNNG: Facts vs Opinions

IELTS names these two question types precisely. The official IELTS Reading format page names TFNG Identifying information (True/False/Not Given), a task testing the factual content of the passage. YNNG carries the official name Identifying writer's views/claims (Yes/No/Not Given), a task testing the writer's opinions and claims instead of plain facts.

The table below lines up the official name against what each type checks.

The Decision Framework

Both formats share the same three-answer structure, and the logic behind each answer carries over from TFNG to YNNG with one change: facts become opinions. The table below sets both answer sets side by side.

True or Yes: The Statement Agrees

True applies when a statement agrees with information stated in the passage, according to IELTS. Yes works the same way for YNNG, applying when a statement agrees with the writer's view or claim rather than a plain fact.

False or No: The Statement Contradicts

False applies when a statement contradicts information in the passage, according to IELTS. No applies when a statement contradicts the writer's view or claim, per the same source. Both answers require an active contradiction, not a missing detail.

Not Given: Neither Confirmed Nor Denied

Not Given applies when a statement neither agrees with nor contradicts the passage, whether you are working a TFNG or a YNNG item, according to IELTS. The passage stays silent on the statement, so nothing in the text supports marking it True/Yes or False/No.

Why Not Given Trips Up Most Candidates

Not Given feels wrong to most candidates, since it asks you to trust silence instead of finding an answer. Two reasoning errors drive most mistakes here.

• Treating missing information as False. A statement is not false only because the passage never addresses it. False requires an active contradiction, not an absence.
• Treating a related word as confirmation. A statement sharing a topic, a name or a number with the passage still counts as Not Given if the exact claim never appears.

Mark a statement Not Given only after you search the paragraph covering its topic and confirm nothing there agrees with or contradicts it. Guessing True or False from a hunch produces more wrong answers than admitting the passage stays silent.

Common Wording Traps

Wrong answers on both formats often come from the exact wording of the statement, not from a wrong reading of the passage. Two traps account for most of them.

Absolute Qualifiers

Words like all, always, never and only tighten a statement beyond what the passage supports. If a passage states some schools adopted a policy, a statement claiming all schools adopted it turns False, since the qualifier overstates the passage's claim rather than leaving it unaddressed.

Partial Matches

A statement often repeats most of a passage's wording while changing one detail: a date, a name, a number or a cause. This single change flips a True answer to False. If a passage states a building closed for renovation in a given year, a statement claiming the building closed permanently the same year is False, since the passage names a temporary closure, not a permanent one.

IELTS Reading Format and Practice by Difficulty

Both TFNG and YNNG appear on the IELTS Academic and General Training Reading tests. The Academic version runs 60 minutes total, including time to transfer answers, across 3 passages and 40 questions, according to IELTS. The General Training version matches those numbers exactly, including the same True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given definitions. Passages total between 2,150 and 2,750 words on both versions, and TFNG and YNNG are two of 11 official question types tested throughout.

The table below confirms both test versions share the same Reading format.

IELTS also publishes a free sample question set covering all 11 official question types, including worked examples of TFNG and YNNG.

Practice both formats at easy, medium and hard levels before test day.

• True/False/Not Given drills
• Yes/No/Not Given drills

Our free IELTS Reading practice on the IELTS exam page runs both drill groups at easy, medium and hard levels, plus full-length Reading sections under the real 60-minute clock. Every set is free, with no signup required, and every answer comes with an explanation.

Sources

• IELTS Academic Test Format: Reading
• IELTS General Training Test Format: Reading
• IELTS Sample Test Questions