DailyMocksLessons / Reading / Yes / No / Not Given
IELTS Reading
Yes / No / Not Given
The same three verdicts, but about the writer's opinions instead of facts.
Test instructions
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the passage?
Write:
YES: if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO: if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN: if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
What this task is
The writer clearly holds this view = YES.
The writer contradicts this view = NO.
You cannot tell what the writer thinks = NOT GIVEN.
True/False/Not Given checks facts. This task checks views, so it appears in passages where the writer takes a position. A view the writer reports is not always a view the writer holds. "Some researchers argue that..." tells you what those researchers think. If the writer never states their own view, choose NOT GIVEN.
The traps
The common mistakes in this question type. Learn to spot each one before test day.
The passage describes a position clearly. The statement gives that position to the writer. Unless the writer signals agreement, choose NOT GIVEN.
"It may be that", "the evidence suggests", "Ferreira argues". These small words carry the strength and the ownership of every claim. A statement that strips the hedge overclaims, and overclaiming is NO.
What to do next time
- Hunt for evaluative language. "Rightly", "it is hard to accept", "more convincing". That is where the writer's own voice lives.
- Ask two questions, in order. Does the writer address this at all? Only then: agree or disagree? Skip the first question and the NOT GIVENs get lost.
- The verdicts follow passage order, and groups balance all three. The same discipline as True/False/Not Given applies.
Now practise yes / no / not given questions free in the app. When you get one wrong, the review shows the correct answer and why the wrong choice looked right. Free, no payment needed.