Band 9 IELTS Reading TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN | Strategy & Practice

Summary

In this video, Asiya provides an in-depth guide on tackling True/False/Not Given questions in the IELTS reading section. She explains the differences between True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given questions, and offers strategies for answering them effectively. Asiya emphasizes the importance of identifying keywords, understanding the passage context, and recognizing paraphrasing. She also shares tips on avoiding common mistakes and includes practice questions to illustrate her points. The video concludes with advice on handling difficult questions typically found in the later sections of the test.

Takeaways

• 📚 True False Not Given and Yes No Not Given questions are common in IELTS Reading and usually appear in sets within the first three sections of the test.
• 💡 The answer format for True False Not Given on paper-based exams is flexible, allowing for variations in capitalization and even accidental misspellings like 'why' instead of 'yes'.
• 🖊 For computer-based tests, candidates simply click on True or False, eliminating the need for typing any text.
• 🔍 It's likely that in a set of True False Not Given questions, at least one answer for each option (True, False, Not Given) will be used, suggesting a balanced distribution.
• 🔑 To answer these questions, start by underlining keywords in the question to guide your search through the passage.
• 🧭 The questions often come in order, so reading the passage systematically can help locate answers sequentially.
• 🕵️‍♂️ Pay close attention to detail and ensure that the meaning of the statement in the question matches exactly with the information in the passage.
• ⏱ The difficulty of questions increases with the section of the test; first section questions are usually simpler and can often be answered by a single sentence.
• 📈 For more difficult questions, especially in the third section, you may need to read multiple sentences or even an entire paragraph to determine the answer.
• 📝 Practice questions are a valuable tool for understanding the types of information and reasoning required to answer True False Not Given questions correctly.
• 🎯 Reading for the main idea of the passage can help answer certain questions more quickly and is a recommended strategy for the IELTS Reading test.
• 📉 The order of answers for many question types in IELTS Reading often follows the order of the questions, but some do not, so it's important to be aware of which types require different strategies.

Q & A

What type of questions are discussed in the video?

The video discusses strategies for solving True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given questions in the IELTS reading test.

How many sets of True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given questions are usually present in an IELTS test?

Almost all IELTS tests have at least one set of these questions, and sometimes there are up to three sets depending on the test.

Does the format of the answer affect the scoring in the paper-based IELTS test?

No, the format of the answer, such as using full caps, small letters, or capitalizing the first letter, does not affect the scoring as long as the answer is correct.

What is the general distribution of answers in a set of True/False/Not Given questions?

It is common to have at least one True, one False, and one Not Given answer in a set, although this is not guaranteed for every test.

How should you approach reading the passage for True/False/Not Given questions?

You should read the passage quickly, looking for the keywords related to the question, and then slow down to find the exact answer within the text.

What is the significance of reading the title of the passage before starting the questions?

Reading the title gives you an idea of the overall topic of the passage, which can help in understanding the context of the questions.

Why is it important to underline keywords when preparing to answer True/False/Not Given questions?

Underlining keywords helps you remember what you are looking for and makes it easier to locate the answer in the passage.

How does the difficulty of True/False/Not Given questions vary across different sections of the IELTS reading test?

Questions in the first section are usually the easiest, requiring a single sentence for an answer. Those in the second section are more difficult, and the third section's questions are the hardest, often requiring reading an entire paragraph to answer a single question.

What is the advice given for handling difficult questions, especially those at the end of the IELTS reading test?

The advice is to read all passages to get the main idea, which can help in answering complex questions more quickly and accurately.

What is the video's suggestion regarding the use of practice questions to improve IELTS reading skills?

The video suggests using practice questions to apply the strategies discussed and to count how many are answered correctly, then sharing the results in the comments for feedback.

What is the purpose of the video in relation to the IELTS reading test?

The purpose of the video is to share strategies and tips for solving True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given questions in the IELTS reading test, and to provide practice with these types of questions.

Outlines

00:00

📚 IELTS True False Not Given Strategy

This paragraph introduces the topic of the video, which is a strategy for tackling True False Not Given questions in IELTS reading. It explains the prevalence of these questions in IELTS tests and the flexibility in answer formats, emphasizing that any form of 'true' or 'false' is acceptable. The paragraph also highlights the likelihood of using all three answers in a set and suggests a strategy for locating answers within the text, including reading in order and underlining keywords.

05:05

🔍 Navigating IELTS Reading Questions

The second paragraph delves into the difficulty levels of True False Not Given questions across different sections of the IELTS reading test. It provides tips for careful reading and comparison, emphasizing the importance of detail and the need to identify direct contradictions for 'false' answers. The paragraph also introduces practice questions related to polar bears, guiding viewers through the process of finding and verifying answers within a given text.

10:06

🧐 Advanced IELTS Reading Practice

This paragraph presents more challenging questions from the third section of the IELTS reading test, focusing on the job prospects experiment and couple's relationship studies. It demonstrates the process of locating relevant information in the text and comparing it to the statements in the questions. The paragraph illustrates how to determine if answers are 'true', 'false', or 'not given', based on the presence or absence of specific information.

15:07

🎯 Summarizing IELTS Reading Strategies

The final paragraph wraps up the video with a summary of the strategies discussed and a call to action for viewers to share their performance on the practice questions. It also touches on the importance of reading for the main idea to answer certain questions more efficiently and hints at the varying difficulty levels of IELTS reading questions, particularly noting the challenging nature of综合性 questions at the end of the third section.

Keywords

💡IELTS Reading

IELTS Reading refers to the reading comprehension section of the International English Language Testing System, which assesses the ability to understand and analyze various texts in English. In the video, this term is central as the speaker discusses strategies for tackling 'True False Not Given' and 'Yes No Not Given' questions, which are common in the IELTS Reading test.

💡True False Not Given

This term describes a type of question in the IELTS Reading test where candidates must determine if a statement is true, false, or not given based on the information in the text. The video provides strategies for answering these questions, emphasizing the importance of careful reading and understanding the text to make accurate judgments.

💡Yes No Not Given

Similar to 'True False Not Given', 'Yes No Not Given' is another question type in the IELTS Reading test, but it requires a binary decision (yes or no) with an additional option for 'not given' if the information is not present in the text. The video script discusses this format and how it usually appears in the test sections.

💡Answer Formats

Answer formats refer to the acceptable ways of responding to questions in the IELTS Reading test. The video clarifies that for 'True False Not Given' questions, answers can be written in various formats without affecting the score, such as 'true', 'false', or even 'yes' by mistake.

💡Practice Questions

Practice questions are examples provided in the video to illustrate the application of the strategies discussed. They are integral to the video's educational purpose, allowing viewers to understand how to apply the strategies in a real test scenario.

💡Locate

In the context of the video, 'locate' refers to the process of finding the specific part of the text that contains the answer to a question. The speaker emphasizes the importance of locating the relevant sentence or sentences to answer 'True False Not Given' and 'Yes No Not Given' questions accurately.

💡Keywords

Keywords are significant terms or concepts in a question that help candidates quickly find the relevant information in the text. The video script advises underlining these words for easy reference when searching for answers in the IELTS Reading test.

💡Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing in the video refers to the restatement of a sentence or phrase using different words while retaining the original meaning. The speaker mentions that candidates should not only look for exact keywords but also recognize paraphrased information in the text when answering questions.

💡Contradiction

A contradiction occurs when there is a conflict or inconsistency between the statement in the question and the information in the text. The video explains that for a statement to be marked as 'false', there should be a strong, direct contradiction in the text.

💡Not Given

In the context of the IELTS Reading test, 'Not Given' is an answer option used when the text does not provide information to confirm or deny the statement in the question. The video script provides examples of how to determine when a question should be answered with 'Not Given'.

💡Band 9 Question

A 'Band 9 Question' refers to a question that is considered to be of the highest difficulty level in the IELTS Reading test, typically found at the end of the third section. The video script mentions this term to illustrate the complexity of certain questions and the level of understanding required to answer them correctly.

Highlights

IELTS reading tests often include at least one set of true false not given or yes no not given questions.

True false not given questions are typically found in the first or second sections, while yes no not given is usually in the third section.

Answer formats for true false not given questions are flexible, allowing variations in capitalization and wording.

Mistakes in wording such as writing 'yes' instead of 'true' will not affect the score in the paper-based exam.

Computer-based IELTS tests require clicking on true or false, eliminating the need for typing.

It is common to use all three answers (true, false, not given) in true false not given questions.

True false not given questions generally come in sets of four or five, sometimes up to nine.

The order of true false not given questions in the text often matches the order in which they appear in the test.

Underline keywords in the questions to help locate answers in the text.

Reading the whole passage is recommended, even if looking for specific answers, to understand the general idea.

Look for paraphrasing rather than exact keywords when matching questions to text.

The difficulty of questions increases with the section number, with first section questions being the easiest.

Attention to detail is crucial when comparing questions and answers to ensure the meaning is the same.

False answers should have a direct and strong contradiction, not just minor differences.

Practice questions are provided to help understand the application of strategies in true false not given questions.

The order of answers in many IELTS reading tasks follows the order of questions, but some do not.

Understanding the main idea of the passage can help answer some questions more quickly and save time.

The most difficult questions in the IELTS reading test are often found at the end of the third section.

Transcripts

hi there it's asiya and this is an updated  video about true false not given questions  

in ielts reading i'm gonna share with you  my strategy for solving these questions  

and we'll also discuss different  tips and tricks that can help you  

we'll have a look at some practice  questions too okay let's get started  

well almost all ielts tests have at least  one set of true false note given or yes no  

not given questions and sometimes you just have  one set but sometimes you have a set of these  

questions in each section of your test so you  have three sets it really depends but it seems  

that true false not given questions are usually  in the first or second sections of your test  

and yes no not given is usually in the  third or sometimes in the second section  

now let's talk about the answer formats  and what i'm about to say will surprise you  

okay if you need to answer true false not given  you can write four words and you can write them  

in small letters in capital letters or capitalize  the first letter it really doesn't matter but  

if the answer is true and by mistake you're right  yes it will be counted as a correct answer even if  

you answer just why instead of true it's still  a correct answer and i found this information  

in the official ielts video i know that many of  you are surprised to hear that so i will link this  

video in the description and i'm also not saying  that you should answer why instead of true i'm  

just saying if you make this silly error it won't  affect your score but yes it is safer to just  

write true or false and of course all that is only  for those who take the paper-based exam because if  

you take the computer-based test you simply click  on true or false you don't need to type anything  

another tip for you is that you will likely use  all three answers true false not given questions  

usually come in sets of four or five questions  sometimes up to nine questions and it seems that  

at least one will be true one will  be false and one will be not given  

in the last test i took i had six questions two  were true two or false two are not given of course  

i can't guarantee that you will have the same  distribution it may not be the case in your test  

but there is a good probability that you will  use all three answers for example you have five  

questions two are true two are false what do you  think the fifth answer is i would say there is a  

very good chance it's not given in order to answer  true false not given questions first of all you  

should locate the answer you need to find that  sentence or sentences which contain your answer  

okay so first of all you read the question the  good thing is that true false not given questions  

come in order you can read the first question  you start reading the passage then you find  

your answer you read the next question you resume  reading the passage and so on so many questions in  

ielts reading actually come in order some don't  but many do and i have a separate video about it  

i will link it below you can do it with true  false not given questions almost all of them  

but not those that come at the very end of their  test these are questions number 38 39 40 sometimes  

you have several true false not given or yes  no not given questions so those may not come  

in order all others usually do okay so you read  the first question you need to underline keywords  

to remember what you're actually looking for if  you have any names surnames dates that's great  

they will help you locate the answer but even if  you have a surname i still think that you should  

read the whole passage you just don't need to read  it slowly trying to understand everything you can  

read it fast looking for your answer but you will  still get the general idea of what it's about  

okay when you find where the answer  is you slow down and you look for your  

answer sometimes you can find the exact  keyword in the question and in the text  

but quite often those are paraphrased so don't  look for exact keywords look for paraphrasing  

once you've located the correct bit of the  passage you need to answer your question  

and how easy or difficult it is to answer your  question depends on where in the test you found  

it questions in the first section are usually the  easiest and quite often you can find your answer  

in a single sentence those in the second section  are more difficult and sometimes you need to read  

two or even three sentences to answer and those in  the third section are the hardest and you may need  

to read the whole paragraph to answer a single  question be prepared for that now i've prepared  

for you several practice questions but before  we begin i just want to give you several tips  

the first one is remember that the devil is in  detail you really need to be very careful and  

compare each part of your question and answer to  make sure that the meaning is exactly the same  

cross out irrelevant bits don't rush make sure  it's all correct if it's false there should be  

a direct contradiction and it should be quite  strong not some tiny thing like a few people  

and several people like that's the same  there should be a strong contradiction  

okay i have several practice questions  of different level of difficulty  

please count how many you answer correctly and  then post your result in the comments below  

let's dive in let's begin with some  questions from the first section  

first of all you should read the title  why we need to protect polar bears  

now we know that the whole passage is about  polar bears here is the first question now  

please pause this video and try to find the  answer yourself and then resume once you're ready  

ready let's have a look together in this question  we have a surname leo and it would definitely help  

us to locate the correct sentences in the passage  here they are now we should carefully compare each  

part of the statement with that in the passage to  see if the meaning is the same and the answer is  

true or if there is a direct contradiction  and the answer is false or we simply don't  

have the information to say if this statement  is true or false and the answer is not given  

let's have a look at the question the study done  by leo and his colleagues compared different  

groups of polar bears so i've highlighted the key  parts now let's read the passage a 2014 study by  

shipping liu and his colleagues sheds light  on this mystery okay we have the same study  

they compared here we have the same word they  compared the genetic structure of polar bears  

with that of their closest relatives from a warmer  climate the brown bears if you don't understand  

some of the words it's okay just try to understand  the meaning and try to find the key words so they  

compared polar bears with brown bears but the  question says that they compared different groups  

of polar bears so what's the answer the answer  is false because we have a direct contradiction  

here is the next question please pause  the video and try to find the answer  

ready to continue let's read the question first  so i split it into several parts the polar bears  

mechanism for increasing bone density so polar  bears have a certain mechanism that increases  

something in bones even if you don't know the  word density you can still deal with the question  

so this mechanism could also be used by people one  day let's read the passage what's in the passage  

is the mechanism of bone remodeling in polar  bears so some words match mechanism and bone  

and we can see that it's a mechanism of something  that's happening in bear's bones so it's safe to  

say that they're talking about the same mechanism  if this mechanism can be understood many bad  

ridden humans and even astronauts okay humans and  astronauts are people could potentially benefit  

could benefit is the same as could also be used  and potentially means one day so both are talking  

about a possibility in the future this means that  the meaning of the statement is exactly the same  

as the meaning of the sentence in the passage  so the answer is true now let's have a look  

at some more difficult questions from section  three the title is how to make wise decisions  

here is a question please pause the  video and try to find the answer

ready to continue

first of all we need to locate where the answer  is in the passage so let's read the statement  

students participating in  the job prospects experiment  

okay so we are looking for some information  about the job prospects experiment let's read  

this paragraph for example in one experiment  okay so they are talking about an experiment

that took place during the peak  of a recent economic recession  

graduating college seniors okay graduating college  seniors are still students right let's read on  

they were asked to reflect on their job prospects  okay job prospects and we're looking for some  

information about job prospects experiment that's  good so that's the passage that we need now let's  

find the answer let's read the statement again to  understand what the actual question is students  

participating in the job prospects experiment  could choose one of two perspectives to take  

so this means that there were two perspectives  whatever those are and they can choose one of them  

so let's continue reading the passage students  were instructed to imagine their career either as  

if they were a distant observer or before their  own eyes as if they were right there okay so  

these are the two perspectives they are talking  about in the question in the question they say  

that they could choose one of the two perspectives  but here so far we've read that they were  

instructed to imagine but we don't know if they  were told what to imagine or if they could choose  

so let's continue reading further participants  in the group assigned to the distant observer  

here they were assigned to this group this  means they were allocated they couldn't choose  

so this is a direct contradiction and  this means that the answer is false

okay here is the fourth question please pause the  video and try to find the answer ready to continue  

let's have a look at our statement first what  are we looking for in the couple's experiments  

the length of the couple's relationships  had an impact on the results  

so in the passage we are looking for some  information about experiments with couples  

let's have a look at the paragraph in another  study couples okay so this is about an experiment  

with couples so this is the correct paragraph  now what's the question let's have a look at the  

statement again in the couple's experiments  the length of the couple's relationships  

had an impact on the results okay so the statement  says that depending on whether couples have been  

together for a long time or they just met recently  they had different results in the experiment let's  

read the paragraph and find out if it's true or  not in another study couples in long-term romantic  

relationships were instructed to visualize and so  on okay so they are talking about relationships  

but actually they are saying that in this  experiment all couples were in long-term  

romantic relationships they've been together for a  long time and if you finish reading this paragraph  

you will find out that this is the only mention  of the length of relationships there is nothing  

about couples in short-term relationships so the  statement says that the length of relationships  

had an impact on the results but what's the answer  well we don't know if couples who met each other  

recently had any different results because they  were not part of this experiment the answer is  

not given you know quite often if you can't find  the answer anywhere this means that it's not given  

here is the next question let's read it  together in both experiments the participants  

who looked at the situation from a more detached  viewpoint tended to make wiser decisions  

they are talking about the two experiments we  just read about with students and couples can  

you answer this question straight away if the  answer is no and you would like to read the  

two paragraphs again here they are please  pause the video and try to find the answer

okay let's continue let's have a look at  this statement again in both experiments  

the participants who looked at the situation  from a more detached viewpoint tended to make  

wiser decisions okay so those who looked from a  more detached viewpoint they looked from the side  

they made wiser or better decisions now  let's have a look if that's the case  

in the first paragraph we can find that  participants in the group assigned to the  

distant observer so distant observer is someone  with a more detached viewpoint they displayed  

more wisdom-related reasoning or in simple  terms they made better decisions they made  

wiser decisions okay let's have  a look at the next paragraph  

couples in the other's eyes condition  so they have a more detached viewpoint  

they were significantly more likely to rely  on wise reasoning or they tended to make  

wiser decisions so what's the answer okay the  answer is true in both experiments participants  

who looked from a more detached  viewpoint tended to make wiser decisions  

there was a lot to read but could you perhaps  answer this question straight away without reading  

the two paragraphs again i guess some of you could  and that's why i suggest reading all the passages  

in your ielts reading test and not just scanning  for the keywords if you get the main idea of the  

passage you're more likely to answer questions  like that straight away and save a lot of time  

and don't worry you're not gonna get many  questions of this level of difficulty this one  

comes at the end of the third section so this is  one of the most difficult questions in the ielts  

reading test we can say it's a band 9 question  ok how many questions could you answer correctly  

please tell me in the comments and if you couldn't  answer some of them please also tell me what was  

the problem i'd like to know what difficulties you  face and also how well my strategies work for you  

if you remember i mentioned that true false not  given questions or answers come in order in the  

same order as questions are asked similarly  answers to many other types of questions  

come in order too but some don't and i  shared my exact ielts reading strategy  

and all the types of tasks which come in order  and which don't come in order in this video here  

thank you so much for watching me today good  luck with your preparation and your exam bye