IELTS General Training Reading – Task Type 9 – Identification of Writer’s Views, Claims or Information in the Text

Task Description

What are candidates required to do?
The candidate is presented with a list of statements. If the statements are opinions or attitudes, the candidate is asked if the statements agree with or reflect the views or claims of the writer. The choice of answers in this case is either ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘not given’. If the statements concern factual information, the candidate is asked if the statements agree with the information in the text. The choice of answers in this case is ‘true’, ‘false’ or ‘not given’.

What skills are tested in this item type?
This item type tests a variety of reading skills including skimming and scanning and reading for detail.

Understanding the Task

To see examples of this task type please click on the link below.

Examples of Task Type 9

To understand better how candidates need to approach this task, it may help you to do the task yourself and analyse what you had to do to find the right answer.

Look at this sample Task Type 9. Complete the task, thinking about how you are doing it.

Sample Task Type 9 Task (PDF)
Answers

It is important to understand the difference between ‘no’ and ‘not given’ (or ‘false’ and ‘not given’). In the first variation of the task, ‘no’ means that the opinions or claims of the writer explicitly disagree with the statement – i.e., the writer somewhere expresses a view or makes a claim which is opposite to the one given in the question; ‘not given’ means that the view or claim or statement is neither confirmed nor contradicted and it is impossible to know what the writer thinks about it. (Students need to understand that any knowledge they may bring with them from outside the passage does not play any part in deciding these answers.)

Similarly, in the second variation, ‘false’ means that the passage states the opposite of the statement in the question; ‘not given’ means that the statement is neither confirmed nor contradicted by the information in the passage.

Things to consider

Now look at these questions about how you approached the task and consider your answers.

1. Did you read the whole passage before trying to answer the questions?
   
   
2. Did you note key words in the statements that you could check?
   
   
3. Did the key words appear in any part of the passage enabling you to answer the question?
   
   
4. Did the areas containing the answers appear in order in the passage?
   
   
5. What skills did you feel you needed to complete this task?