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Decide whether a statement matches information in the passage.
Decide whether each statement matches the passage. Pick TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN. NOT GIVEN means the passage simply does not address it — even if the statement is true in real life.
Kakapos are nocturnal, herbivorous parrots endemic to New Zealand. Females alone incubate the eggs and feed the chicks for the first three months. The species was officially declared extinct twice — in 1924 and again in 1958 — before being rediscovered in remote areas of South Island.
Statement: 'Both parents share the responsibility of feeding the chicks.'
True/False/Not Given asks whether each statement agrees with the information in the passage. Write TRUE if the passage explicitly confirms it, FALSE if the passage explicitly contradicts it, and NOT GIVEN if the information is simply absent or cannot be determined from the text. The questions follow the order of the passage. Read the first statement and underline keywords, including any qualifiers ('all', 'some', 'always', 'rarely').
Scan the passage for the relevant sentence, then read it carefully alongside the statement. Ask: does the passage say the same thing (TRUE), the opposite (FALSE), or neither (NOT GIVEN)? The biggest pitfall is confusing FALSE with NOT GIVEN. FALSE requires the passage to actively contradict the statement; if the passage is merely silent on the point, it is NOT GIVEN, no matter how plausible the statement seems. Do not bring outside knowledge: a statement that is factually true in the real world is still NOT GIVEN if the passage does not state it.
Watch for partial matches: if a statement has two claims and the passage confirms one but not the other, it is usually NOT GIVEN or FALSE depending on the second claim. Pay attention to comparative and absolute language; 'X is the most common' is FALSE if the passage says it is merely common. Spend about 50-70 seconds per question. Answer in order to exploit passage sequence; if stuck, mark it and move on, then return.
Always commit to one of the three labels; never leave blanks. Write 'TRUE', 'FALSE', or 'NOT GIVEN' in full as instructed; abbreviations like 'T', 'F', 'NG' are typically marked wrong.
One mark per correct answer, no partial credit, and no negative marking. You must write the answer exactly as the rubric requires, usually 'TRUE', 'FALSE', or 'NOT GIVEN' in full. Abbreviations (T, F, NG) and incorrect spellings are marked wrong. Capitalisation is generally accepted in either case, but follow the rubric. These contribute to the 40-mark total, where 30/40 maps to Band 7, 27/40 to Band 6.5, 23/40 to Band 6, and 15/40 to roughly Band 5.
Tactical content is original synthesis based on these public IELTS prep resources.