Vocabulary · Free lesson
IELTS Reading: False or Not Given?
Missing information is not automatically false information. Look for evidence before choosing a label.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
Choose False when the passage contradicts the statement. Choose Not Given when it neither confirms nor contradicts it. True means the statement agrees with the text. Do not use outside knowledge to fill a gap.
Contradiction needs evidence; absence is not evidence of the opposite.
Read the original museum passage below. Monday opening is contradicted by closed on Mondays. Free entry for children under twelve is confirmed. Who paid for the building is not stated. The opening year does not identify the funder. Judge the exact claim, not whether it sounds likely.
Original practice passage
The museum is closed on Mondays. Entry is free for children under twelve. The building opened in 2018.
The museum opens on Mondays. → False
The city paid for the building. → Not Given
Not Given does not mean the claim is impossible. It means this passage does not decide it.
Check the exact claim
Identify the claim
The city paid for the building.
Find what the text says
The building opened in 2018.
Check whether it decides the claim
An opening year does not identify who paid.
Try it now
Use the museum passage
Read all answers and explanations
Statement: “The museum opens on Mondays.”
FalseClosed on Mondays directly contradicts opens on Mondays. This is False, not missing information.
Statement: “Children under twelve can enter without paying.”
TrueFree entry for children under twelve confirms the statement, even though the wording differs.
Statement: “The city paid for the building.”
Not GivenThe passage gives an opening year, not a funding source. It neither confirms nor rules out city funding.
Put it into practice
Repair an evidence explanation
New text: “The park closes at six. The café closes at five.” Statement: “The café closes after the park.” Choose the accurate label and reason.
Not Given: neither closing time is stated.
See a model answer
False: the café closes before the park.
A False answer is supported by a clear contradiction, not by a guess.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Can I use what I know about museums?
Not to decide this task. Use the supplied passage, even if a claim sounds likely in real life.
An opening year does not prove who funded a building.
Must the statement repeat the exact words?
No. A paraphrase can express the same information. Compare meanings, including limits such as under twelve.
Free entry → enter without paying
Take it into your day
False contradicts the text; Not Given goes beyond what it establishes.
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