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IELTS / Guides / Reading · Yes / No / Not Given
IELTS Reading · Guide

Yes / No / Not Given in IELTS Reading: reading the writer's views accurately

You read statements and decide whether they agree with the writer's views or claims (Yes), contradict them (No), or whether the writer says nothing about them (Not Given). It tests whether you can tell what the writer thinks, as opposed to what other people say in the passage. It is common with argumentative passages in which several researchers are quoted.

About Reading practice

Format

  • Most often attached to a discursive passage, typically Passage 3, as a set of about 5 to 8 statements. It is used instead of True / False / Not Given, rarely both in one test.
  • The statements follow the order of the passage.
  • Three answers: YES if the statement agrees with the writer's claims, NO if it contradicts them, NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks. On computer you select the answer.
  • The instruction may say 'views of the writer' or 'claims of the writer'; the task is the same.
  • One mark per statement, with no deduction for wrong answers.

Strategy

  1. Read the instruction to confirm the set: this is about the writer's opinion, so Yes / No, not True / False. Choosing the wrong word set is an unnecessary loss.
  2. Underline the claim in each statement, particularly any evaluative or strength word such as 'essential', 'unlikely', 'should', 'completely'.
  3. Locate the sentence and then ask whose voice it is. The writer speaks in their own sentences ('It seems clear that...', 'This is surely mistaken'); other voices are introduced ('According to Okafor...', 'Critics argue...').
  4. Read the writer's reaction. A view reported without comment tells you nothing about the writer; the writer's response after 'however' or 'yet' often does.
  5. Pay attention to hedges. 'May', 'could', 'appears to' and 'suggests' express possibility, while 'proves', 'shows' and 'undoubtedly' express certainty; the strength must match the statement.
  6. Decide using the opposite test: if the writer's text is compatible with both the statement and its opposite, the answer is NOT GIVEN; if the writer argues the opposite, it is NO.
  7. Do not let your own opinion in. A statement you disagree with may still be what the writer claims, and one you agree with may be not stated at all.

Common traps

  • Treating a quoted expert's opinion as the writer's. If the passage says 'Dr Hale insists the policy has failed' and the writer says nothing more, the statement is NOT GIVEN.
  • Missing the strength of a verb. 'The writer thinks the plan may succeed' and 'The writer is certain the plan will succeed' are different claims.
  • Mistaking a fact for a view. A statement about what happened is answered from the facts, but if the passage never reports it, the answer is NOT GIVEN, not NO.
  • Missing sarcasm or a rhetorical question, where the writer's actual view is the opposite of the words on the surface.
  • Answering with True or False because the set above used them, when this set needs Yes, No or Not Given.

Practise it inside a real Reading section

Practice on PrepFreely is always a complete section, so you meet this question type in the same place and proportion as on test day. Random sections never repeat until you've done them all. Every answer is explained.

Practise Reading Take the Reading course

FAQ

How is Yes / No / Not Given different from True / False / Not Given?

True / False / Not Given tests facts in the text. Yes / No / Not Given tests the opinions and claims of the writer, so you must separate the writer's voice from other voices.

Does No mean the writer says the opposite?

Yes. No means the writer expresses a view that contradicts the statement. If the writer simply does not mention it, the answer is Not Given.

Where does it usually appear?

Usually with a discursive passage, often Passage 3, but the pattern is a tendency, not a rule.

What if the writer quotes someone and agrees with them?

Then the writer's agreement is the evidence. Look for phrases such as 'as Hale rightly points out' or 'this is a fair criticism'.

Do hedging words matter?

Very much. 'Might' and 'will' are different claims, and a statement that is more certain than the writer's wording is usually NO or NOT GIVEN.

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