1) What Not Given really means

Not Given is not a synonym for False or for unlikely in the real world. It means the passage does not supply enough information to confirm or deny the statement. You are judging what is printed, not what should be true.

Two families of NG appear in IELTS:

1. TFNG
   Compare a factual statement to the text.
   • True: text supports it.
   • False: text contradicts it.
   • Not Given: text lacks the key piece to decide.
2. YNNG (writer’s view)
   Compare a claim to the writer’s stance.
   • Yes: matches the writer’s view.
   • No: contradicts the writer’s view.
   • Not Given: the writer does not take a position on that exact claim.

Your first job is to identify which family you face. Your second job is to test the statement against a proof line. If no clause settles it, pick Not Given and move.

2) The NG Detector: a four step path

Use this every time. It fits on one line in your notebook.

1. Locate: find a Name, Key term, or Phrase linked to the statement. If you cannot find NKP within 30 seconds, mark NG and move unless you suspect a synonym you have not tried yet.
2. Align: if NKP exists, align scope and polarity. Check quantifiers like all, most, many, some, few, none. Box negatives like not, only, except.
3. Ask: does the text state enough to decide
   • If scope and polarity match with a supporting clause, it is True or Yes.
   • If the text prints the opposite, it is False or No.
   • If the text talks near the idea but misses a number, owner, time, or condition that the statement relies on, it is Not Given.
4. Anchor: underline the 6 to 12 word clause that proves your choice. No anchor means NG or the wrong option.

3) The edge case taxonomy

These are the silent gaps that trick strong readers. Learn the labels so you can spot them fast.

1. Owner gap
   The passage quotes a source, but the writer’s own position is missing. In YNNG, a claim that the writer believes X is NG unless the writer endorses it.
2. Hidden parameter
   The statement adds a number, cost, or threshold the passage never gives. Without the missing parameter, you cannot decide.
3. Scope extension
   The text says many, some, or in several cities. The statement inflates to most or all. If the broader scope is not printed, NG for TFNG. If it contradicts a line that limits scope, then False.
4. Silent comparison
   The statement ranks items or says more than or less than. The text lists raw figures without a direct comparison, or compares different cohorts. If the exact comparison is not made, NG.
5. Unstated cause
   The text describes two events near each other. The statement claims one causes the other. If the causal link is not stated, NG. If the text denies causation, False.
6. Future speculation
   The text reports a plan or possibility. The statement claims an outcome. If the outcome is not asserted, NG.
7. Title magnet
   The statement matches the theme implied by the title, not a printed line inside. Theme without a clause equals NG.
8. Table misfit
   The figure exists but the unit or cohort differs. If you cannot align label and unit exactly, NG rather than guessing.
9. Timeline blur
   The statement fixes a time window. The text mentions events but not the exact dates or order. If the order or window is absent, NG.
10. Conditional not triggered
    The text says only if or unless. The statement asserts the result without mentioning the condition. Missing condition gives NG.
11. Composition swap
    The text gives totals, the statement asks about a subgroup share, or the reverse. If the composition is not stated, NG.
12. Definition drift
    The statement treats a term as defined one way, the text defines it another way but never applies it to the case in the statement. If the application is missing, NG.

Pin this list next to your desk for a week. You will begin to notice patterns instantly.

4) Micro flowcharts you can memorize

A) TFNG quick chart

• Can I find NKP
  • No → Not Given
  • Yes → Do I have a clause that supports
    • Yes → True
    • No → Do I have a clause that contradicts
      • Yes → False
      • No → Not Given

B) YNNG quick chart

• Is this the writer’s view or a source
  • Source only → Not Given unless the writer endorses it
  • Writer line present → Does it match
    • Yes → Yes
    • No → No
• If the writer is silent → Not Given

These tiny charts are your guardrails when fatigue hits.

5) Case files with keys and explanations

Case File 1: Owner gap

Text
According to Dr Laine, street trees can cut midday temperatures by two degrees in dry climates. The report adds that early data in humid regions remain inconclusive.

Statement
The writer believes street trees reduce midday temperatures in all cities.

Decision
Not Given. The text attributes a claim to Laine and says data are inconclusive elsewhere. The writer’s own belief about all cities is not stated.

Case File 2: Hidden parameter

Text
The museum extended evening hours on Fridays. Visitor numbers increased in the month after the change.

Statement
Revenue per visitor rose after Friday hours were extended.

Decision
Not Given. Visitor count is printed. Revenue per visitor is not.

Case File 3: Scope extension vs False

Text
Surveys show many residents support a congestion charge.

Statement A
Most residents support a congestion charge.
Statement B
All residents support a congestion charge.

Decision
A is Not Given. The move from many to most is not printed.
B is False, because all contradicts many when the passage does not claim universal support.

Tip: if the text had said none oppose, then All might be True, but it does not.

Case File 4: Silent comparison

Text
The northern route covers 210 km. The coastal road covers 220 km.

Statement
The northern route is longer than the coastal road.

Decision
False. The printed numbers allow the comparison and contradict the statement. If the text had given only the northern distance, the comparison would be Not Given.

Case File 5: Unstated cause

Text
After the festival moved to spring, hotel bookings rose. Organisers also increased advertising that year.

Statement
The spring move caused the rise in hotel bookings.

Decision
Not Given. Two changes coincide, but causation is not asserted. If the text had said as a result of the move, bookings rose, then True.

Case File 6: Future speculation

Text
City planners propose building a cycling bridge next year. Modelling suggests potential time savings for commuters.

Statement
The bridge will cut average commute times next year.

Decision
Not Given. Proposal plus modelling suggests is not a future fact.

Case File 7: Table misfit

Table fragment
Column A shows monthly visitors. Column B shows ticket revenue.
June: A = 12,000. B = 84,000.

Statement
June had the highest daily visitor average.

Decision
Not Given. Monthly total is printed, but daily average requires the number of open days, which is missing.

Case File 8: Timeline blur

Text
Between 1890 and 1900, the canal froze in three winters. Trade declined in the late 1890s. The cause remains unclear.

Statement
Freezes occurred after trade declined.

Decision
Not Given. We know freezes happened in three winters and trade declined in the late 1890s, but the order is not fixed.

Case File 9: Conditional not triggered

Text
Refunds are available only if the workshop is cancelled by the organiser.

Statement
Participants can claim refunds when they decide not to attend.

Decision
False if the statement claims they can. If the statement asks whether the text confirms this, then Not Given is wrong because the text contradicts it. The condition excludes that case.

Case File 10: Composition swap

Text
The council planted 1,000 trees, including 200 fruit trees.

Statement
Fruit trees made up more than a quarter of the total.

Decision
True would be 250 plus out of 1,000. Here it is 200 of 1,000, which is 20 percent, so False. If the total had been omitted, that question would be Not Given.

6) Drill set you can run in minutes

Drill 1: NG label sprint
Take ten statements from any practice passage. For each wrong statement, mark which NG label applies: owner gap, hidden parameter, scope extension, silent comparison, unstated cause, future speculation, table misfit, timeline blur, conditional not triggered, composition swap, definition drift.

Drill 2: NKP hunt
Set a timer for 20 seconds per item. If NKP is missing at 20, write NG and move. This curbs fishing.

Drill 3: Small word scan
Create pairs that differ only by most vs many or not vs only vs except. Decide in 10 seconds each. Explain the decision with the small word.

Drill 4: Author vs source
Print a paragraph with a quote. Write A for author and Q for quoted beside each sentence. Answer two YNNG items without crossing ownership.

Drill 5: Unit guard
From a table, write the row label and unit for three cells before answering any question. This blocks table mirages.

7) Timing and confidence rules

• Per item: 60 to 90 seconds cap. If you cannot produce a proof clause by then, choose NG if NKP is missing or if a key parameter is absent. If you have strong but incomplete hints, mark L and return only if you can add a new anchor.
• Per passage: keep a hidden buffer of two minutes for a polarity and scope sweep. Many saved marks come from small word corrections.
• Review discipline: put a dot beside any answer you change. Flip only with a new clause or a clear small word you missed.

8) Frequently confused contrasts

• Not Given vs False
  • False requires a printed contradiction.
  • NG is printed silence or incomplete detail.
• Not Given in TFNG vs YNNG
  • TFNG: the fact cannot be judged.
  • YNNG: the writer’s view is not stated, even if a source expresses an opinion.
• Not Given vs too hard
  • Use the test: can I underline one clause that settles it
  • No clause means NG or move on. Difficulty is not a category.

9) Mini mixed set with keys

Text
A city offered free buses after 8 pm for two months. Evening ridership increased, but sales data show uneven effects across districts. Areas with late opening shops saw a rise in card transactions. Office corridors closed by 7 pm saw little change. The transport office will review whether to extend the trial.

Statements

1 The writer believes free buses increased sales in all districts.
2 The trial will continue into the next quarter.
3 Office corridors did not benefit because they close earlier.
4 Free buses increased evening ridership.
5 The main cause of rising transactions was later closing times.

Decisions and proofs

1 Not Given. Uneven effects is printed. All is not.
2 Not Given. The office will review whether to extend, not a decision.
3 Not Given or False depending on phrasing. If the statement asserts the cause, NG. The text suggests a correlation but does not claim causation.
4 True. Evening ridership increased is explicit.
5 Not Given. The text states a rise where shops open late but does not assert main cause across the city.

10) Seven day tune up

Day 1
Copy the NG taxonomy and the two mini flowcharts. Run Drill 2 on a short set.

Day 2
Owner gap focus. Do one YNNG set. Bracket quotes and star the author’s lines.

Day 3
Numbers and tables. Practice unit guard and composition swap recognition on two figure based exercises.

Day 4
Causation vs correlation. Collect five pairs where events coincide. Rewrite each as NG unless causation is printed.

Day 5
Scope and small words. Create twenty micro items that change only quantifiers or negatives. Decide in 10 seconds each.

Day 6
Mixed set of 18 TFNG and YNNG. Enforce the 90 second wall. Log every NG as one of the labels.

Day 7
Autopsy. For each wrong NG, write the missing piece in a five word note such as missing owner, missing threshold, missing order. Rework those items once with the Detector steps.

Targets by Day 7

• At least 80 percent accuracy on NG decisions
• Zero fishing beyond 90 seconds
• Every NG choice tied to a specific label
• Proof clause present for more than 90 percent of non NG answers

11) Quick reference cards

NG in TFNG

• No NKP after honest search
• Missing number, unit, or threshold
• No printed comparison or order
• Causation not stated
• Condition not triggered

NG in YNNG

• Writer silent or neutral
• Only a source speaks
• Writer hedges away from the exact claim

Mantra
No clause, no decision. If silence blocks proof, choose Not Given.

12) Closing advice you can trust

Most NG errors come from generosity. You want to reward a sensible idea, so you fill in the missing piece from experience or logic. The test does not reward sensible. It rewards printed. Build the habit of asking what is on the page. If a number is missing, a cause is hinted but not stated, or the writer’s voice is absent, you have your answer. That is Not Given. Use the Detector path, name the edge case, underline proof when it exists, and stop fishing when it does not. Your accuracy rises, your time stabilises, and NG becomes a secure choice rather than a guess.