IELTS Yes No Not Given Practice
Practise deciding whether statements agree with, contradict or are not addressed by the writer's views and claims. Train the crucial difference between what the passage says and what you personally know or believe.
Yes / No / Not Given Trainer
Read the passage carefully. Decide whether each statement agrees with the writer's view, contradicts it, or refers to a position the writer does not state.
Choose Yes, No or Not Given
Base every answer only on the writer's position expressed in the passage.
Your Results
How Yes / No / Not Given Works
The key question is not simply whether a sentence is factually correct. You must decide whether it accurately represents the writer's own view or claim.
Writer Agrees
Choose Yes when the statement expresses the same position as the writer.
Writer Contradicts It
Choose No when the writer clearly expresses the opposite or an incompatible view.
Position Not Stated
Choose Not Given when the passage does not establish the writer's view on that specific claim.
Focus on Opinion
This task tests your ability to recognise the writer's ideas, claims and opinions.
A Better Yes / No / Not Given Method
The hardest distinction is usually between No and Not Given. A statement is not automatically No simply because you cannot find evidence supporting it.
Identify the Claim
Reduce the statement to its central idea before looking at individual words.
Locate the Writer's Position
Look for language showing judgement, recommendation, belief, doubt or criticism.
Test for Contradiction
Choose No only when the writer's stated position conflicts with the statement.
Ignore Outside Knowledge
If the writer does not express a position, choose Not Given even if you personally know something about the topic.
Yes / No / Not Given vs True / False / Not Given
They use similar logic, but they ask you to compare different things with the passage.
Yes / No / Not Given
- Focuses on the writer's views or claims
- YES means the writer agrees
- NO means the writer contradicts the statement
- NOT GIVEN means the writer's position is not stated
- Opinion and claim language is especially important
- You must distinguish the writer's position from your own
True / False / Not Given
- Focuses on information presented in the text
- TRUE means the statement agrees with the information
- FALSE means the information contradicts the statement
- NOT GIVEN means the information is neither confirmed nor contradicted
- The focus is specific information rather than writer opinion
- Outside knowledge must still be ignored
Why Not Given Is Often Misunderstood
Students often assume that a statement must be No when they cannot find support for it. But No requires an actual contradiction.
Common Mistakes
- Treating missing information as a contradiction
- Using personal knowledge to decide the answer
- Matching keywords without comparing the writer's meaning
- Ignoring qualifying words such as may, always, only or generally
- Confusing a fact mentioned by the writer with the writer's own opinion
- Assuming a related topic means the exact claim has been addressed
Better Habits
- Ask: What does the writer actually believe or claim?
- Look for explicit agreement or contradiction
- Compare strength: some, most and all are not equivalent
- Do not infer a position that the writer never expresses
- Separate examples from conclusions
- Base every answer only on the passage
Practice note: All passages, claims and questions in this trainer are original Victoria Academy practice material. They are not live IELTS examination questions, and the accuracy shown here is not an IELTS band score.
Find the Writer's Position. Don't Invent One.
Yes / No / Not Given becomes much easier once you separate agreement, contradiction and missing opinion. Practise here, then strengthen your complete IELTS Reading strategy with Victoria Academy.
IELTS Yes / No / Not Given FAQs
What does YES mean in IELTS Reading?
YES means the statement agrees with the writer's stated view or claim.
What does NO mean?
NO means the statement contradicts the writer's view or claim. There must be evidence of a conflicting position in the passage.
What does NOT GIVEN mean?
NOT GIVEN means the passage neither confirms nor contradicts the writer's position on that particular statement.
Is Yes / No / Not Given the same as True / False / Not Given?
No. Yes / No / Not Given focuses on the writer's views or claims, while True / False / Not Given focuses on whether statements agree with specific information in the text.
Should I use my own knowledge when answering?
No. Base the answer only on the writer's position expressed in the reading passage.
How do I distinguish NO from NOT GIVEN?
Choose NO when the writer expresses a contradictory position. Choose NOT GIVEN when the writer simply does not establish a position on the claim.
Are these official IELTS questions?
No. All passages and questions are original practice material created to develop IELTS Reading skills.
Is the accuracy score an IELTS band score?
No. It only measures your performance on the exercises completed in this trainer.