True / False / Not Given: 5 hacks to stop losing easy marks
8 min readVideoFor bands 5.5-7Hack Drill: 7 questionsFree
Video transcript (with on-screen text)
Full script
1. [0:00–0:10] Teacher on camera
True, False, Not Given. It looks easy, and that's exactly why it steals so many marks. Let's hack it.
On screen: TFNG: 5 hacks
2. [0:10–0:17] Voice-over
Five hacks, two minutes. Use them in order and these become some of the fastest marks on the whole paper.
On screen: 5 hacks / 2 minutes
3. [0:17–0:27] Voice-over
Hack one, the Finger Test. Put your finger on the passage. A sentence that says the same thing? That's True.
On screen:
- #1 Finger Test
- Statement: The harbour wall was completed before the ferry ran in winter.
- Passage: At first it ran only in summer, but after a new harbour wall was finished in 1971, it operated all year.
- Answer: TRUE (Same meaning: you can point at it)
4. [0:27–0:36] Voice-over
A sentence that contradicts it, that makes it impossible? False. Only talks about the topic, or nothing at all? Not Given.
On screen:
- Contradicts? Or just the topic?
- Statement: The ferry has operated all year since it opened.
- Passage: At first it ran only in summer.
- Answer: FALSE (The passage makes it impossible)
- Statement: The ferry is the cheapest way to reach Harrow Bay.
- Answer: NOT GIVEN (No sentence about price)
5. [0:36–0:46] Teacher on camera
And burn this in: no finger, no False. If the passage doesn't contradict it, False is off the table.
On screen: NO FINGER, NO FALSE
6. [0:46–0:56] Voice-over
Hack two, Anchor and Zoom. Grab the easiest word in the statement: a name, a number, a date, a capital letter.
On screen:
- #2 Anchor & Zoom
- Circle the easiest word to spot
- Statement: The ferry between Harrow Bay and the island first ran in 1962.
- a name or a Capital Letter
- a number or a date
- an unusual word
7. [0:56–1:05] Voice-over
Find it in the passage, then read the sentence before, the sentence itself and the one after. That's your whole search.
On screen:
- Zoom: read 3 sentences
- Passage: Harrow Bay is a small fishing town on the north coast. Its harbour has been used since the 1800s. For years, the town had no regular boat link. The Harrow Bay ferry began service in 1962. At first it ran only in summer. Today it carries cars as well as people. Tickets can be bought on board.
- sentence before · ANCHOR sentence · sentence after
8. [1:05–1:14] Voice-over
Hack three, the Sandwich Rule. Answers almost always follow the passage order. Found question three and question five?
On screen:
- #3 Sandwich Rule
- Q3: Found in Paragraph B
- Q4: Not found yet ... ?
- Q5: Found in Paragraph D
- Answers almost always follow the passage order
9. [1:14–1:25] Voice-over
Then question four's evidence sits between them. Read only that stretch. Nothing confirms or contradicts it? Not Given.
On screen: Q4 is between Q3 and Q5
10. [1:25–1:37] Voice-over
Hack four, Trap Radar. Trap one: qualifier swap, like most becoming all. Trap two: an extra detail the text never gives.
On screen: #4 Trap Radar / most→all / extra detail
11. [1:37–1:49] Voice-over
Trap three: a comparison with one side missing. Trap four: belief turned into proof. Trap five: your own general knowledge.
On screen: comparison / belief≠proof / no outside knowledge
12. [1:49–2:00] Voice-over
Power move: circle every all, most, some, only, always, never before you even look at the passage.
On screen:
- Power move: circle the tiny words
- Statement: All the farmers always used only the new seed.
- all · most · some
- only · always · never
- first · more than
13. [2:00–2:10] Voice-over
Hack five, the ninety-second cap. Stuck? Make your best guess, flag it and move on. Your time is worth more elsewhere.
On screen: #5 90-Second Cap
14. [2:10–2:18] Voice-over
Never leave a blank. A wrong answer costs you nothing. A blank is a guaranteed zero.
On screen:
- Never leave a blank
- Answer sheet: 1 TRUE, 2 FALSE, 3 NOT GIVEN, 4 TRUE, 5 NOT GIVEN, 6 FALSE
- A wrong answer costs nothing. A blank is a guaranteed zero.
15. [2:18–2:28] Voice-over
Finger Test, Anchor and Zoom, Sandwich, Trap Radar, ninety seconds. Now go try them on the Hack Drill.
On screen:
- Your 5 TFNG hacks
- Finger Test: same / contradicts / only the topic
- Anchor & Zoom: spot it, read 3 sentences
- Sandwich Rule: Q4 sits between Q3 and Q5
- Trap Radar: watch the 5 traps
- 90-Second Cap: guess, flag, move on
- Now try them: Hack Drill
Narration only (plain transcript)
True, False, Not Given. It looks easy, and that's exactly why it steals so many marks. Let's hack it. Five hacks, two minutes. Use them in order and these become some of the fastest marks on the whole paper. Hack one, the Finger Test. Put your finger on the passage. A sentence that says the same thing? That's True. A sentence that contradicts it, that makes it impossible? False. Only talks about the topic, or nothing at all? Not Given. And burn this in: no finger, no False. If the passage doesn't contradict it, False is off the table. Hack two, Anchor and Zoom. Grab the easiest word in the statement: a name, a number, a date, a capital letter. Find it in the passage, then read the sentence before, the sentence itself and the one after. That's your whole search. Hack three, the Sandwich Rule. Answers almost always follow the passage order. Found question three and question five? Then question four's evidence sits between them. Read only that stretch. Nothing confirms or contradicts it? Not Given. Hack four, Trap Radar. Trap one: qualifier swap, like most becoming all. Trap two: an extra detail the text never gives. Trap three: a comparison with one side missing. Trap four: belief turned into proof. Trap five: your own general knowledge. Power move: circle every all, most, some, only, always, never before you even look at the passage. Hack five, the ninety-second cap. Stuck? Make your best guess, flag it and move on. Your time is worth more elsewhere. Never leave a blank. A wrong answer costs you nothing. A blank is a guaranteed zero. Finger Test, Anchor and Zoom, Sandwich, Trap Radar, ninety seconds. Now go try them on the Hack Drill.
TFNG questions look easy. That's the trap. Most people read the statement, get a "feeling", and pick an answer. And they lose marks they should own.
This lesson gives you 5 hacks. Use them in order and TFNG becomes some of the fastest marks on the paper.
Hack #1: The Finger Test
Forget the long definitions. Put your finger on the passage.
| Can you point at a sentence that... | Answer |
|---|---|
| says the same thing as the whole statement? | TRUE |
| contradicts it (makes it impossible)? | FALSE |
| ...only talks about the topic, or nothing at all? | NOT GIVEN |
🔥 No finger, no FALSE. FALSE needs a sentence that contradicts the statement. If the passage doesn't confirm it or contradict it, the answer is NOT GIVEN. Every time.
This one rule fixes one of the most common TFNG mistakes: picking FALSE just because the passage doesn't say something.
Hack #2: Anchor & Zoom
Don't re-read the whole passage for every question. That's how you run out of time.
- Anchor. In the statement, circle (on screen: highlight) the word that's easiest to spot: a name, number, date, Capital Letter, or an unusual word.
- Zoom. Jump to that word in the passage. Read that sentence, plus the one before and the one after.
- Finger Test. Same / contradicts / nothing on this exact point.
Heads-up: the passage usually says it in different words. "Rose sharply" can come back as "increased dramatically". Match the meaning, not the words.
Hack #3: The Sandwich Rule
TFNG answers almost always come in the same order as the passage. Use that.
You found Q3 in paragraph B. You found Q5 in paragraph D. 🥪 So Q4's evidence must sit between them. Read only that stretch. Nothing there confirms or contradicts Q4? That's your NOT GIVEN.
No need to search the whole passage. The answer is trapped between its neighbours.
Hack #4: Trap Radar
These 5 traps show up a lot. Learn to spot them.
| Trap | Statement says | Passage says | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Qualifier swap | All the farmers used the new seed. | Most farmers used the new seed. | FALSE |
| 2. Extra detail | The bridge was built in 1890 to carry trains. | The bridge was built in 1890. | NOT GIVEN |
| 3. Comparison | Lake A is deeper than Lake B. | Lake A is 40 metres deep. (No depth for Lake B.) | NOT GIVEN |
| 4. Belief vs proof | It has been proved that coffee reduces headaches. | Some researchers believe coffee reduces headaches. | NOT GIVEN |
| 5. Real-world knowledge | The Sun is a star. | (The passage never says this.) | NOT GIVEN |
Why these answers:
- Trap 1: "most" means some farmers did not use it, so "all" is impossible → FALSE.
- Trap 2: the year matches, but nothing says why it was built. Extra detail with no evidence = NOT GIVEN. (If the passage said "built for cars", the extra detail would be contradicted → FALSE.)
- Trap 3: you need both sides of a comparison. One side missing = NOT GIVEN.
- Trap 4: someone believing it doesn't tell you whether it was proved. A statement that upgrades a belief to proof is NOT GIVEN, unless the passage says it was disproved or is still unproven → then FALSE.
- Trap 5: true in real life ≠ stated in the passage. Leave your general knowledge at the door.
🎯 Power move: circle every all / most / some / only / always / never / first / more than in the statement before you look at the passage. These tiny words decide a huge number of TFNG answers.
Hack #5: The 90-Second Cap
Each statement gets 60–90 seconds. Stuck after that?
- Use the Finger Test one last time: no sentence that contradicts it? Then it's TRUE or NOT GIVEN, not FALSE.
- Make your best guess, flag it, move on.
- Never leave a blank. A wrong answer costs nothing. A blank is a guaranteed zero.
Watch the hacks work
Passage (paragraph C):
The Harrow Bay ferry began service in 1962. At first it ran only in summer, but after a new harbour wall was finished in 1971, it operated all year. Local business owners say the ferry has doubled the number of winter visitors.
| Statement | Hack | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The ferry has operated all year since it opened. | Finger: "At first it ran only in summer" contradicts it | FALSE |
| 2. The harbour wall was completed before the ferry ran in winter. | Finger: "after a new harbour wall was finished… it operated all year" = same | TRUE |
| 3. Official figures show that the ferry has doubled the number of winter visitors. | Trap 4: business owners say so; no figures anywhere | NOT GIVEN |
| 4. The ferry is the cheapest way to reach Harrow Bay. | Finger: nothing about price anywhere | NOT GIVEN |
👀 Look at #3. Almost every word is in the passage, so it feels TRUE. But the passage gives an opinion from business owners; the statement claims official figures. No figures in the passage = no finger = NOT GIVEN.
Don't mix them up: TFNG vs YNNG
- True / False / Not Given → checks facts in the passage.
- Yes / No / Not Given → checks the writer's opinion.
- The hacks work for both. But write the exact label the instructions ask for: "YES" on a TFNG question is marked wrong.
Your 10-second checklist
Next: Hack Drill (7 questions, about 9 minutes) → then use the hacks for real on Test 1, Academic Reading Passage 1, Questions 1–7.
Hack Drill
7 questions. Answer them all, then check: you get the answers, the reason and the hack for each one.
The Return of the Tram
A The city of Lindmark removed its last tram line in 1958, when buses were seen as cheaper and more flexible. For four decades, the old tracks lay buried under asphalt, and most residents had forgotten they existed.
B In 2004, rising traffic congestion led the council to commission a study of public transport options. The study compared a new bus network, an underground railway and a modern tram system. The underground option was rejected first, mainly because of its cost, which was estimated at three times that of the tram.
C Construction of the first tram line began in 2009 and took four years. Some shop owners along the route complained that the roadworks reduced their trade. Two businesses on the route also closed during this period, though their owners gave no reason. When the line opened in 2013, it carried 18,000 passengers a day, well above the 12,000 the planners had predicted.
D Supporters argue that the trams have made the city centre quieter and cleaner. A survey carried out in 2016 found that most people living near the route approved of the service, although a minority said the trams were too crowded at peak times. The council has since approved two further lines, which are expected to open by 2030.
Questions 1-7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this