Identify the task target
Exact factual relationship
IELTS Academic Reading · Question-type lesson
True / False / Not Given: test the exact factual claim
Decide whether the passage confirms, contradicts or does not provide enough information for the exact statement—not merely the same topic.
Short answer: Exact factual relationship. Start from subject, quantity, comparison and polarity, and control the main risk: treating related information as proof.
What this skill changes
Use it with a clear purpose
A useful reading skill changes what you notice, what you ignore and how you prove an answer.
Locate the right evidence
Subject, quantity, comparison and polarity
Control the distractor
Treating related information as proof
WeLearn method
A repeatable process, not a shortcut
Follow these steps until the sequence becomes automatic under time pressure.
Decompose the statement
Underline subject, verb, quantity, comparison and absolute language.
Locate the topic zone
Search by meaning and paraphrase rather than one repeated word.
Compare the exact claim
Ask whether the passage says the same thing, the opposite or neither.
Use Not Given precisely
Choose it only when the exact relationship cannot be decided from the text.
Worked contrast
See the difference before you practise
Weak move
The passage mentions the same topic, so the statement must be True.
Strong move
The passage mentions the topic but never states the quantity in the claim, so the exact answer is Not Given.
Guided practice
Apply the method with immediate feedback
Make a decision first. Then use the explanation to compare your reasoning with the evidence.
Guided practice · three evidence decisions
Urban trees and heat risk
Choose a clickable evidence state, then check whether the passage says the same thing, an incompatible thing or neither.
Passage
Urban trees and heat risk
Paragraph A
For many years, urban planners treated city trees mainly as decoration. Recent research has changed that view. Trees can lower surface temperatures by providing shade and by releasing moisture through transpiration. In dense neighborhoods, this cooling effect can reduce the need for air conditioning during hot months.
Paragraph B
However, the benefits are not distributed equally. Wealthier districts often have wider streets, private gardens and long-established parks, while lower-income areas may have fewer trees and more exposed concrete. Some cities now use satellite imagery to identify neighborhoods with the highest heat risk and the lowest tree coverage.
Paragraph C
Planting trees is not a quick fix. Young trees need years of care before they provide significant shade, and the wrong species can damage sidewalks or require too much water. Successful urban forestry programs usually combine tree planting with maintenance budgets, community participation and careful species selection.
01exact claim · evidence state
Urban planners have always considered city trees essential infrastructure.
02exact claim · evidence state
Trees can reduce temperatures partly by releasing moisture.
03exact claim · evidence state
Lower-income areas may have more exposed concrete than wealthier districts.
Source boundary: WeLearn training passage grounded in EPA explanations of trees, shade, evapotranspiration and urban heat. The source supports the topic; it does not certify the questions. Review the primary source (opens in a new tab).
Independent practice
Transfer the method to a new passage
Complete the full set before feedback opens. This checks whether the process survives without step-by-step prompting.
Compact passage · feedback closed
0/5 answeredSchool libraries after class
Complete all five statements before feedback opens. Related information is never enough by itself.
Passage
School libraries after class
Paragraph A
Several secondary schools have kept their libraries open after regular lessons. The decision was not only intended to help students borrow books. Teachers noticed that some pupils needed a quiet place to complete assignments before travelling home, especially those who shared bedrooms with younger siblings.
Paragraph B
The first after-school library sessions were supervised by English teachers, but that model was difficult to maintain. In the second term, trained volunteers and senior students helped with basic supervision, while teachers remained available only on two afternoons each week. This reduced staffing pressure without closing the service.
Paragraph C
Attendance records showed a clear pattern. Younger students used the library mostly for homework support, while older students were more likely to use reference books and online databases for exam projects. The head librarian argued that the library should not be judged only by the number of books borrowed, because the space now supported several kinds of academic work.
Paragraph D
The programme still had limits. Some parents wanted weekend opening hours, but the school board decided to review weekday demand first. No final decision about Saturdays had been made by the end of the year.
Same · opposite · unresolved
The libraries stayed open after lessons only so that students could borrow books.
Same · opposite · unresolved
Some students found it hard to study at home because they shared bedrooms.
Same · opposite · unresolved
English teachers supervised every after-school session throughout the year.
Same · opposite · unresolved
The school board rejected weekend opening hours permanently.
Same · opposite · unresolved
The head librarian believed book borrowing was the only useful measure of the library.
One complete submissionFeedback stays closed so every evidence decision remains independent.
Source boundary: WeLearn composite training passage about extended library access. It is not a report about one named school or an official IELTS item. Review the primary source (opens in a new tab).
Independent protocol
Repeat the set without weakening the evidence rule
- Complete one new True / False / Not Given set without opening feedback.
- For every item, record the exact evidence used for the decision.
- Name the closest distractor and explain its specific failure.
- Repeat only the items where your evidence or reasoning was incomplete.
Mastery check
You are ready to move on when…
- you can state what True / False / Not Given is testing before you search
- you can point to exact passage evidence for every answer
- you can explain why the closest alternative fails
- you preserve scope, polarity, logic and any stated word limit
WeLearn Progress Engine
Prove the exact evidence state across six levels
Two relationship drills lead into four compact passage sets. Drafts, time, scores and TFNG error patterns stay on this device.
0/6levels mastered
0 statements in review
0:00 current attempt
Loading… draft and progress
Level 1 of 6 · Same · opposite · unresolved
Separate the three evidence states
Require direct support for True, an incompatible claim for False and genuine silence for Not Given.
3/4to master
Evidence workspace
Read the passage before deciding
Every answer must be supported by this text. Related knowledge outside the passage does not count.
Coastal walking paths
Paragraph A
A coastal town redesigned part of its walking path after winter storms damaged several wooden sections. Instead of rebuilding the path in the same place, engineers moved the most exposed section farther inland. This decision made the route slightly longer, but it reduced the likelihood that waves would reach the boards during ordinary storms.
Paragraph B
Local shop owners initially worried that the new route would take visitors away from the seafront cafes. After the path reopened, however, footfall data showed little change in weekend visitor numbers. The council suggested that clearer signs and two new viewing points helped people understand the altered route.
Paragraph C
Environmental groups supported the inland move because it allowed damaged dunes to recover. They asked the council to keep visitors off the most fragile areas with low fencing and seasonal notices. The council accepted the fencing proposal but said the notices would be tested for one summer before becoming permanent.
Paragraph D
Maintenance costs were reviewed six months after the reopening. Repairs were less frequent than before, although the council warned that one mild winter was not enough evidence to predict long-term savings.
When the public joins a research team
Paragraph A
Some research questions require more observations than one small team can collect or inspect. Citizen-science projects divide that work among many volunteers. A single report may be modest, but thousands of reports can reveal patterns across a wide area or help researchers examine an enormous image archive.
Paragraph B
Participation does not always require a laboratory. One project may ask people to classify galaxy images on a laptop, while another uses a phone to report rain or snow. Some tasks need a telescope or specialist knowledge, but many are designed for beginners using devices they already own.
Paragraph C
A large volunteer group is useful only if observations can be compared. Projects therefore provide instructions, examples and fixed reporting categories. Researchers may repeat checks, compare several classifications or flag unusual entries for review. The shared method reduces variation without pretending that every observation will be perfect.
Paragraph D
Computers can scan large datasets quickly, but they do not always recognise an unexpected shape or subtle visual pattern. Volunteers can verify an algorithm’s suggestions or label examples that improve later automated searches. In that arrangement, human judgement and computation perform different parts of the same investigation.
Paragraph E
The clearest outcome is useful evidence for science, and volunteers have even become co-authors of research publications. Participation can also build observation skills and a closer understanding of how scientific claims are tested. These benefits do not remove the need for project design and expert review, but they broaden who can contribute to discovery.
01Coastal walking paths · exact claim
Engineers rebuilt the damaged path in exactly the same location.
02Coastal walking paths · exact claim
Moving the path inland made the route a little longer.
03When the public joins a research team · exact claim
A single volunteer report can reveal a reliable pattern across a wide area by itself.
04When the public joins a research team · exact claim
Many citizen-science tasks are designed for beginners using devices they already own.
Source boundary: WeLearn composite training passage grounded in public coastal-resilience guidance. The named town and programme are teaching constructs. Review the primary source (opens in a new tab).
Guided Learn mode delivers answers and explanations to this browser. It is not a secure Practice, Exam or proctored mode.
Review and sources
How this True / False / Not Given lesson was reviewed
This material was reviewed in August 2026 to keep the official IELTS Reading format separate from the WeLearn learning strategy used on this page.
Review focus
- Guided, independent and Progress Engine passage pools are separated.
- FALSE requires direct incompatibility rather than a weaker, stronger or merely different claim.
- NOT GIVEN decisions name the exact missing quantity, identity, date, cost or policy.
Sources used
Official IELTS Academic Reading format: Confirms identifying-information questions and the TRUE, FALSE and NOT GIVEN evidence relationship.
WeLearn practice blueprint: Defines held-back transfer, explicit evidence states, local progress and the client-key security boundary.
Scope: these WeLearn exercises support academic-reading practice. They are not official IELTS questions and do not predict a band score by themselves.
FAQ en español
Preguntas frecuentes
Esta es la única sección de la lección que se conserva en español.
¿Qué significa Not Given en IELTS Reading?
Not Given significa que el texto no confirma ni contradice la afirmación. La idea puede sonar razonable, pero si no está sustentada por evidencia textual, no se puede marcar True ni False.
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre False y Not Given?
False contradice directamente el texto. Not Given introduce información que el texto no permite verificar. La clave es buscar contradicción explícita antes de elegir False.
¿Cómo se practica True/False/Not Given?
Primero subraya palabras absolutas, fechas, cantidades y comparaciones. Luego localiza la parte del texto relacionada y decide si hay equivalencia, contradicción o ausencia de información.
Continue your Reading pathway
Turn the skill into exam decisions
True / False / Not Given is presented here as guided WeLearn practice. The official IELTS format source defines the task family; the passages, explanations and distractors on this page are original training material.
- Official IELTS Academic Reading format — used to distinguish official task types from WeLearn strategy training.
- WeLearn original guided practice — explanations and distractors are designed for skill transfer, not copied from official questions.