Not Given vs “No Information”: The IELTS Reading Polarity Distinction

T/F/NG · Y/N/NG · May 2026

Updated 2026-10-12

Direct answer

Not Given means the passage does not allow you to say True/Yes or False/No — it is a logic status, not a feeling that you lacked information because you skimmed past the sentence. False/No needs a contradiction. If the idea is unaddressed, NG. If you simply failed to find a sentence that is there, that is a search miss, not a definition of NG.

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Three statuses, one trap

Students treat NG as “I am unsure.” Unsure is not a mark. The test asks whether the statement’s truth value is settled by the text.

Unsure = NG A confidence heuristic

False from absence You punish the statement for a missing number that was never required

True from topic Same theme, no matching claim

NG vs False vs search failure

Pattern	What goes wrong	Correct move
NG	Text silent on that claim	You cannot prove or deny
False/No	Text contradicts	A clear opposite
Search miss	The proof sentence exists later	You guessed NG too fast

Prove or deny, else NG

1. Underline the statement’s verb and scope

all / only / caused.

2. Find a candidate sentence

If none after a reasonable scan, NG.

3. Test contradiction

If it opposite-matches, False/No.

4. Do not use outside knowledge

Your science lecture is not the passage.

Key takeaways: Not Given vs “No Information”

NG is a logic status, not a mood.
False needs contradiction.
Failing to find a sentence is not the definition of NG.
Scope words decide many items.

Not Given vs “No Information”: common questions

Papers use Not Given. People say “no information” loosely. Use the logic, not the slogan.

Only if the passage contradicts the number. Missing is NG.

Same logic, less time to search. This page is the Reading distinction.

Official IELTS references

The criteria and score bands on this page follow the public IELTS documents below. Band9AI is independent and not affiliated with the British Council, IDP or Cambridge.

What this looks like in a timed Band9AI mock

This is a practice pattern, not a published accuracy statistic. On a timed Band9AI mock, not given vs no information trap usually shows up as a local penalty (one item type or one criterion) while the rest of the paper still looks acceptable. Re-run the same item type under the clock; do not only re-read the explanation.

Parent hub: best AI IELTS tools. Trap cluster: best ai ielts tools.

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Practice drill: Not Given vs “No Information”

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