Yes or No Tests the Writer, Not the Fact

Searchers open ielts reading yes no not given after mixing it with True, False, Not Given. The box asks whether a statement matches the writer. It does not ask whether the fact is true outside the passage.

The instruction box names the writer

Read the rubric before you hunt keywords. Official IDP material states that this set asks whether statements agree with the writer, contradict the writer, or give no evidence either way. Yes or No tests the writer's view or claim, not whether a fact is true in the world.

The object is the person who wrote the passage. If the box says “claims of the writer” or “views of the writer”, you are not scoring a science fact. You are scoring whether that writer owns the idea.

A news-like sentence can still hide an attitude. “The committee was right to delay the vote” is a claim. “The committee delayed the vote” is a report. Only the first one can support Yes or No about the writer's stance.

Yes, No, and Not Given are three different proofs

Yes means the writer states the claim; No means the writer states the opposite; Not Given means the writer is silent. IDP adds a useful test: a No answer can be proven. Not Given cannot be supported or contradicted.

1. Locate the stretch that discusses the same idea as the statement. Answers usually appear in order, which helps you find the stretch, not finish the decision.
2. Ask whether the writer states the whole statement. If only half appears, IDP treats that as Not Given.
3. If the writer states the opposite of a key verb, adjective, or proportion word, mark No.
4. If the writer never takes a side on that point, mark Not Given. Do not pick Not Given first to save time.

Watch words that flip easily: more slowly, not relevant, will increase, can be seen elsewhere. Those are the parts a writer can contradict. If the passage never mentions speed, relevance, or the future amount, the label is Not Given.

A true fact can still be Not Given

Candidates lose marks when they mark Yes because the statement sounds true in real life. If the passage reports a fact without the writer taking a side, the answer is Not Given even when the fact is true.

Suppose a statement says “City X will need a second rail line by 2030.” You may believe that from the news. The passage only reports current passenger numbers and never forecasts capacity. The writer has given you a fact and no claim about 2030. The answer is Not Given.

The same trap works in reverse. A statement can be false in the world and still be Yes if the writer claims it. Your job is not to correct the writer. Your job is to report what the writer claimed.

This is not the True False Not Given page

This page is not the True, False, Not Given routine on the reading-strategies guide. That IELTS reading strategies page decides TFNG against stated, contradicted, or silent information. Keep that routine there.

Yes, No, Not Given uses a similar three-way logic. The object changes. TFNG asks whether information is in the passage. YNNG asks whether the writer stands behind a claim. Mixing the labels is how people mark Yes on a bare report.

iWorld Learning has no named IELTS course. Use this page for the instruction-box decision only. Official wording stays on the IDP Yes, No, Not Given guide.

FAQ

The follow-up questions below are the ones candidates ask after they already know the three labels.

Is Yes, No, Not Given the same as True, False, Not Given?

No. YNNG tests the writer's claim. TFNG tests whether information is stated. The logic looks similar. The object of the question is different.

Can my own knowledge decide a Yes or No answer?

No. Only passage evidence can support or contradict the writer. Outside knowledge cannot create a Yes or a No.

Do Yes, No, Not Given answers follow passage order?

IDP notes that answers usually appear in order. Use that to locate the stretch. You still have to prove the writer's claim after you arrive.