JurassicLast reviewed:
Distinguish a contradiction from a missing fact. True, False and Not Given questions demand a comparison between a statement and the passage, rather than a vote on what sounds plausible. Matching information adds another challenge: the required detail may sit inside a paragraph whose main topic looks unrelated. Work on locating evidence before forcing faster completion.
This page describes common priorities when aiming for this band. It is not an assessment of your level; only an IELTS test or a teacher's assessment can confirm your band.
What usually needs to be in place
- Identify the exact claim being tested.
- Look for a contradiction rather than an absent keyword.
- Track details across paragraph boundaries.
- Reserve review time across all three passages.
These priorities are teaching hypotheses for planning practice, rather than a checklist that awards a result; use unfamiliar material and feedback from a qualified teacher to decide which part of the route deserves more attention.
Common sticking points on the way to band 5
- Background knowledge supplies a fact the passage never gives. RDG-TFNG-ASSUME
- A paragraph heading is mistaken for evidence about one small detail. RDG-HEAD-KEYWORD
- Too much time on the first passage leaves later questions unread. RDG-TIME-SPLIT
One practice step you can do today
Take a statement about a museum opening in summer. Find whether the text gives a season, gives a conflicting season or gives no season at all. Write a reason for each decision in the True/False/Not Given guide. Then set a reading timer for a short second passage and move on when your planned checkpoint arrives.
Open the practice tool or guide →
Keep a short record of the prompt, the decision you made and the evidence for the correction, including whether the difficulty arose while understanding the task, choosing a response or checking the final answer, and take that distinction into account when selecting fresh material, so that the next session tests a specific learning question rather than simply repeating material you already remember.
IELTS test format — Reading
Reading uses marked answers to test questions, with Academic and General Training treated as distinct papers; consult the scoring explanation for how results are reported rather than converting a local drill into a band. A short exercise covers only part of the paper, so a useful review looks at the reasons for answers on new material before drawing any broader conclusion about learning needs; the priorities above are our teaching choices and are not separate Reading band descriptors.
Read the assessment explanationChecked 5 Nov 2026
Jurassic teaching method
Teach a three-way comparison rather than a list of trigger words. Review an uncertain answer alongside its nearest misleading sentence. Progress means making the reason clearer on a new passage, not collecting a flattering practice label.
Questions about this practice route
Does missing wording mean Not Given?
Different wording can express the same fact; first compare the meaning before deciding information is absent.
Can matching information ignore the main topic?
Yes, a paragraph can contain a useful detail even when its main purpose concerns another issue.
How should I divide practice time?
Choose checkpoints before starting and record where time was spent, instead of assuming equal difficulty across passages.