IELTS Reading: Yes, No, Not Given

Officially identifying a writer's views or claims. It looks identical to True/False/Not Given and tests something different: not whether the passage states a fact, but whether the writer holds a view. Students who treat the two as the same type lose marks on both.

The difference, and why it matters

	True / False / Not Given	Yes / No / Not Given
Called	Identifying information	Identifying the writer's views or claims
Asks about	Facts in the passage	What the writer thinks
Found in	Factual, reported text	Argument, opinion and discussion text
You look for	Statements of fact	Evaluative language — should, must, regrettably, remarkable

The hunting ground changes. Facts are usually in one sentence; a view is often spread across a paragraph and carried by adjectives and modals rather than by any single claim.

The trap that is unique to this type

A view the writer reports is not a view the writer holds. "Critics argue the policy failed" tells you what critics think. If the statement says the writer believes the policy failed, and the writer only reports others saying so, the answer is Not Given — however strongly the quoted critics put it.

Watch who owns the verb: *argues, claims, maintains* attached to someone else is reporting.
Watch for the writer stepping in: *rightly, unfortunately, surprisingly* are the writer talking.
A writer who presents both sides without choosing has not expressed a view, and a statement claiming they prefer one is Not Given.

Yes / No / Not Given — FAQs

2 questions

Do both types appear in one test?

They can. Read the instruction above each set — it names which words to use, and writing TRUE where YES is required is marked wrong.

Is the method otherwise the same?

Largely. Passage order holds, the contradiction test still separates No from Not Given, and only the passage counts.

Practise Yes / No / Not Given

4 free IELTS reading questions, with an explanation on every answer. No sign-up — the scorecard is offered at the end, and only then.

Start the reading drill

More reading question types

Matching headings Pick the heading that fits each paragraph True / False / Not Given Does the passage state this fact? Matching information Which paragraph contains this? Matching features Link statements to people, places or dates Matching sentence endings Complete each sentence from a list Multiple choice One answer, or several, from a list Sentence completion Fill the gap in the words of the passage Summary completion Fill a summary, with or without a word list Diagram labelling Label a diagram from the text Short-answer questions Answer in a few words from the text

Sources

Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.

ielts.org/take-a-test/test-types/ielts-academic-test