ReadingGlossary
True, False, Not Given
Also written as TFNG, T/F/NG
A Reading question type asking whether statements agree with the information in a text. False means the text contradicts the statement; Not Given means the text neither agrees with it nor contradicts it.
The distinction between the two wrong-looking answers is where marks go. False needs the text to say the opposite. If you cannot point at the contradiction, the answer is Not Given, and the fact that you happen to know the statement is untrue does not count: IELTS asks only what the text says.
Reading has a second, similar type. Yes, No, Not Given asks whether statements agree with the writer's views or claims rather than with the information in the text. The instructions tell you which set of words to use, and using the other set costs the mark even when the thinking was right.
Guides that use this term
True, False, Not Given: How to Tell False From Not Given
False means the passage contradicts the statement. Not Given means it neither agrees nor disagrees, and the passage, not what you already know, is the only evidence allowed.
Reading
Checked against ielts.org on 8 September 2026.