R13: Using your own knowledge instead of the passage

Smart students sometimes lose marks for a strange reason: they know too much. They read a statement, think "I know this is true", and write TRUE. But the passage never said it. In IELTS Reading, the only thing that counts is the passage. Your general knowledge, even when it's correct, can trick you.

Why this matters

This mistake hits strong students most, especially those with a science or general knowledge background. It's very common in True/False/Not Given, but it also appears in multiple choice. Learning to switch off your outside knowledge is a simple fix that saves real marks.

The golden rule

Pretend you know nothing about the topic. The passage is the whole world. If it isn't in the passage, it doesn't exist.

Example 1: True in real life, Not Given in the passage

The Padma Bridge is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Bangladesh's history. Construction faced several delays before the bridge finally opened to traffic.

Statement: The Padma Bridge opened in 2022.

In real life, that's correct. But the passage doesn't give a year. So the answer is NOT GIVEN.

Example 2: The passage disagrees with common belief

Sometimes a passage says something surprising, like new research that challenges an old idea. You must go with the passage.

For decades, it was believed that goldfish have a memory of only a few seconds. However, recent experiments show that goldfish can remember information for months.

Statement: Goldfish have very short memories.

Many people believe this. But the passage says recent research shows this belief is wrong. So the answer is FALSE.

Example 3: Logical, but not stated

The company's profits rose sharply after it opened stores in three new countries.

Statement: The new stores caused the rise in profits.

It seems logical. But the passage only says profits rose after the stores opened. It doesn't say the stores caused it. That's NOT GIVEN.

How to protect yourself

1. Point to the words. For every TRUE or FALSE, you should be able to point to exact words in the passage.
2. Watch for "I just know" feelings. If you feel sure but can't point to a sentence, stop. That feeling is your outside knowledge.
3. Be careful with cause. "After" doesn't mean "because".

Try it yourself

Tea was introduced to Britain in the seventeenth century. At first, it was expensive and drunk mainly by wealthy people.

1. Tea came to Britain from China.
2. Early tea drinkers in Britain were mostly rich.
3. Tea is now the most popular drink in Britain.

Honest note

Your knowledge isn't useless. It helps you understand the passage faster and guess unknown words. Just don't let it answer questions for you.

Your task today

In your next True/False/Not Given block, write the exact proof words next to every TRUE and FALSE. If you can't, change your answer to NOT GIVEN and see if it was right.