Understand True/False/Not Given
In IELTS Reading, you get a long passage (like a newspaper article or textbook page). Then you get statements about it.
Your job: Decide if each statement is:
Sounds simple. But this question type has the lowest accuracy rate in all of IELTS.
Let's see why — and fix it.
Visual mock-up of IELTS test with True/False/Not Given passage
Coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia in the 9th century. A goat herder named Kaldi noticed his goats became energetic after eating berries from a certain tree. He tried the berries himself and felt alert...
[ passage continues... ]
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
Write:
Note: This is exactly what you'll see. 3-5 statements per passage.
Practice identifying whether statements match, contradict, or aren't mentioned in a passage
The modern bicycle was invented in the 1880s in England. Before this, earlier versions existed but were difficult to ride and often dangerous. The "safety bicycle," with two equal-sized wheels, changed everything.
By 1890, bicycles had become affordable for middle-class families. Women especially embraced cycling as it gave them independence and freedom to travel without a chaperone. Some historians believe the bicycle did more for women's liberation than any political movement of that era.
Today, the Netherlands has more bicycles than people — approximately 23 million bikes for 17 million residents.
Instructions: Read the passage above. For each statement, select TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN.
The modern bicycle was invented in the 1800s.
Interactive explainer for True/false/Not Given questions