Follow the writer’s position
A Yes, No, Not Given question asks whether a statement agrees with the writer’s views or claims. Your own opinion is irrelevant. A sensible proposal can still receive NO if the writer rejects it. A claim you suspect is wrong can receive NOT GIVEN when the writer never settles it. Keep a small mental label beside each view: who holds it, how strongly they hold it, and whether the writer accepts it.
Use YES for agreement, NO for contradiction and NOT GIVEN when the writer’s position is not established. Unlike factual True, False, Not Given practice, this task asks you to track an argument. A sentence beginning “critics say” introduces somebody else’s view; it does not automatically tell you the writer’s view. Read on for a response such as “however” or “this overlooks”.
Before answering, break the statement into a subject, a claim and a qualifier. In “all libraries should remove every shelf”, both “all” and “every” matter. Do not replace a cautious recommendation with a universal rule. First locate the relevant discussion, then read enough surrounding sentences to understand whose argument you found.
Original passage: A useful library is more than a busy library
A. When a public library reports a rise in visitors, the news is welcome. Yet visitor totals alone are a poor measure of its value. A person who spends an hour filling in an important application may benefit more than someone who enters briefly to collect a leaflet. Libraries should therefore describe what people can accomplish inside them, not merely how many people cross the entrance.
B. Some commentators argue that printed books occupy space which could serve more people as meeting rooms. There are buildings where a different layout would help. Nevertheless, removing every shelf would be a mistake. For readers who cannot comfortably use a screen, a printed collection remains an essential service. Flexible spaces and substantial book collections can coexist; presenting them as rivals is unnecessarily limiting.
C. Digital services also deserve investment. However, buying devices without providing help is unlikely to remove barriers for inexperienced users. A member of staff who explains a confusing form can make an ordinary computer genuinely useful. Training should be treated as part of digital provision, rather than an optional addition after the equipment has been purchased.
D. Councils often seek a single comparison that ranks their branches. Such a league table may be easy to publish, but neighbourhoods have different needs. A quiet branch serving isolated residents can be valuable even when another attracts larger crowds. Local feedback should inform decisions about opening hours and activities. It cannot guarantee that every resident will be satisfied, but it offers a better starting point than assuming identical programmes will suit every district.
Original fictional learning text. The passage and questions were created for this lesson, not copied from an IELTS test.
Six claims to judge
Choose YES, NO or NOT GIVEN. Decide what this writer believes, using only the passage.
Answers and the evidence behind them
Compare your reason as well as your answer. Each explanation identifies the decisive detail and the tempting mistake.
1. Reveal answer and explanation
NO. Paragraph A explicitly calls visitor totals alone a poor measure. The statement says they are enough; the writer says they are insufficient. This is an opposing position, not missing information.
2. Reveal answer and explanation
YES. Paragraph B defends printed collections as essential for readers who cannot comfortably use screens. The writer rejects the complete-removal argument attributed to commentators.
3. Reveal answer and explanation
YES. Paragraph C argues that training belongs within digital provision. The question paraphrases this relationship without claiming that every user requires the same training.
4. Reveal answer and explanation
NOT GIVEN. Paragraph D says councils often seek a single comparison. It does not establish that every council currently uses visitor numbers for a ranking. A general discussion cannot prove a universal practice.
5. Reveal answer and explanation
NO. The final paragraph explicitly says feedback cannot guarantee satisfaction for every resident. “Ensure that all” contradicts that limitation; this is stronger than merely lacking an example.
6. Reveal answer and explanation
NOT GIVEN. The passage mentions opening hours but makes no comparison between weekend and evening access. The writer may have a preference, but you cannot discover it in this text.
Repair a stance-reading mistake
Try this worked contrast: “Some commentators want all shelves removed” reports the commentators’ position; “removing every shelf would be a mistake” gives the writer’s response. Highlighting only the first sentence could produce the wrong judgement. Record both voices before you decide whether the statement agrees with the writer.
If you missed Question 4, write the extra information the question demanded: every council, a current practice and visitor numbers as the chosen measure. If you missed Question 5, underline “cannot guarantee”. This is positive evidence against the statement, so NOT GIVEN is unsuitable. On your next exercise, justify every NO with an actual contradiction and every NOT GIVEN with the precise missing relationship.
Continue with factual True, False, Not Given practice to compare the two tasks, or use multiple-choice reading to examine how a whole argument differs from an attractive detail.
Question-format reference: official IELTS Academic Reading guidance, checked 15 October 2026. All teaching examples and practice material on this page are original.