IELTS Band 7 Plan Week 2: Paraphrase and Not Given

This week's sessions

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Day 1 · 📖 Reading · about 20 minTrue / False / Not Given at band 7Read this week's lesson and the True/False/Not Given guide. Write your own example of a False and a Not Given statement for one sentence.
Day 2 · 🔤 Vocabulary · about 20 minParaphrase spottingDo the paraphrase practice set below. Add every pair you missed to your vocabulary list.
Day 3 · 📖 Reading · about 25 minQualifiers and Not GivenDo the passage and questions below. For each False answer, underline the words in the passage that contradict the statement.
Day 4 · 📖 Reading · about 25 minReading practice test 4Do one passage in 20 minutes using the 90-second rule.
Day 5 · 📖 Reading · about 25 minReading practice test 5Do the passage in 20 minutes, then write five paraphrase pairs from the correct answers.

This week's lesson: paraphrase, Not Given and timing

At band 6, most mistakes in Reading come from not finding the answer. At band 7, you usually find the right part of the passage, then lose the mark on meaning: a statement that's almost true, a qualifier you didn't notice, or an option that uses the passage's words but not its idea.

Word match is a warning sign

When an option repeats exact words from the passage, be careful. Test writers often use the passage's words in a wrong option and a paraphrase in the right one.

Passage: The scheme was initially popular with commuters, but usage declined sharply once fares were raised. A. The scheme was popular with commuters throughout. ✗ (uses popular and commuters, but throughout is wrong) B. Demand fell after a price increase. ✓ (no shared words, same meaning)

False or Not Given: the precise test

Ask one question: Does the passage contradict the statement?

If the passage says something that cannot be true at the same time as the statement → False.
If the passage says nothing either way, or only talks about a related topic → Not Given.

Passage: Researchers surveyed 400 farmers in the region, most of whom grew wheat. All the farmers surveyed grew wheat. → False (most contradicts all) The farmers were paid to take part. → Not Given The researchers were surprised by the results. → Not Given, unless the passage says so

The most common band 6 error is choosing False because a statement seems unlikely. Unlikely isn't the same as contradicted.

Qualifiers change everything

Underline these in both the statement and the passage:

Frequency and quantity: always, often, rarely, all, most, some, few
Certainty: proved, suggested, may, is likely to, claimed
Comparison: more than, the first, the only, the largest
Time: initially, now, no longer, since

Passage: The findings suggest that the drug may reduce symptoms. Statement: The study proved the drug reduces symptoms. → False: suggest and may contradict proved.

Yes / No / Not Given

The same logic, but about the writer's views rather than facts. Look for opinion language: it is clear that, unfortunately, surprisingly, rightly, there is little evidence that.

Timing for band 7

You need about 30 answers, so you can't afford one passage that runs over.

Passage 1: 17 minutes. Passage 2: 20 minutes. Passage 3: 23 minutes.
The 90-second rule: if you can't locate an answer in 90 seconds, guess, mark it, and move on. Come back if there's time.
Do question types in a sensible order: usually summary or sentence completion first (they follow the passage order and help you learn the text), then headings or matching information.

Try it

Passage: Early versions of the device were unreliable and were rarely used outside laboratories. The first models often failed. → True (unreliable = often failed) The device was never used outside laboratories. → False (rarely isn't never) The device was invented in a university. → Not Given

Building a paraphrase habit

After each practice passage, choose five correct answers and write the question word and the passage word side by side:

decline → fell · obstacle → barrier · in the past → historically

After a few weeks, you'll start to hear and see these pairs automatically.

Practice for this week

Paraphrase spotting

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Qualifiers and Not Given

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Weekly check: Academic Reading full test 1

Three passages in 60 minutes; aim for about 30 out of 40.

Start the weekly check

When you finish, come back to your plan home: your dashboard updates with the new score.

Answers, explanations and transcripts

Finish the test first, then open each section to check your answers. Every answer has an explanation.

Paraphrase spotting

Answer key (8 answers)

#	Question	Answer	Why
1	Passage: 'The policy had little impact on traffic levels.' Which statement means the same?	Traffic levels barely changed as a result of the policy.	'Little impact' = 'barely changed'. C goes too far: the policy was connected to traffic; it just didn't change it much.
2	Passage: 'Researchers have yet to establish why the birds migrate earlier.' What does this mean?	The reason is still unknown.	'Have yet to establish' = haven't found out so far.
3	Passage: 'The method is far from perfect.' Which is closest in meaning?	The method has significant weaknesses.	'Far from perfect' means it has clear problems. Don't be misled by 'far' in option C.
4	Passage: 'Sales peaked in 2018.' Which statement is true?	Sales were higher in 2018 than in any other year.	'Peaked' means reached the highest point. D contradicts this.
5	Passage: 'The museum attracts visitors of all ages.' Which statement means the same?	The museum is popular with both young and old people.	'All ages' = 'both young and old'.
6	Passage: 'The idea was initially dismissed by other scientists.' Which statement means the same?	At first, other scientists rejected the idea.	'Initially' = 'at first'; 'dismissed' = 'rejected'. D adds information the sentence doesn't give.
7	Passage: 'Funding is a major obstacle for small theatres.' Which statement means the same?	Lack of money is a serious problem for small theatres.	'Major obstacle' = 'serious problem'. D is too strong: 'a major obstacle' doesn't mean 'the only one'.
8	Passage: 'Such incidents are relatively rare.' Which statement means the same?	These events don't happen very often.	'Relatively rare' = not very often. A is too strong: rare isn't never.

Qualifiers and Not Given

Passage text

Urban foxes

A Red foxes were first recorded living in British cities in the 1930s, when new suburbs with large gardens spread into the countryside. Since then, they have become a familiar sight in many urban areas, and recent surveys suggest that some cities now support more foxes per square kilometre than the surrounding farmland.

B Their success is often attributed to the availability of food left by people. However, a long-term study of foxes in one city found that household scraps made up less than half of their diet. The remainder consisted mainly of insects, worms, small mammals and fruit, which suggests that urban foxes are far more independent hunters than is commonly assumed.

C Urban foxes also appear to behave differently from their rural relatives. Researchers who placed unfamiliar objects in fox territories found that city foxes approached the objects more quickly, although the difference was small and not every animal behaved in the same way. Some scientists have proposed that this boldness is an adaptation to urban life, but others argue it may simply reflect the fact that city foxes are used to human activity.

D Public attitudes to urban foxes remain divided. In one national survey, most respondents said they liked seeing foxes, but a significant minority regarded them as pests. Calls for culling are periodically made, yet studies of past culls indicate that numbers recover within a year, as foxes from neighbouring areas move into the empty territories.

Answer key (8 answers)

#	Question	Answer	Why
9	Foxes have lived in British cities for less than fifty years.	False	Paragraph A: first recorded in the 1930s, which is far more than fifty years ago.
10	Some cities have a higher density of foxes than nearby farmland.	True	Paragraph A: 'some cities now support more foxes per square kilometre than the surrounding farmland'. Higher density = more per square kilometre.
11	Food left by people makes up most of an urban fox's diet.	False	Paragraph B: household scraps were 'less than half' of their diet, which contradicts 'most'.
12	Urban foxes catch more insects than rural foxes do.	Not Given	Paragraph B lists insects in urban foxes' diet but gives no comparison with rural foxes.
13	All the city foxes in the study approached unfamiliar objects quickly.	False	Paragraph C: 'not every animal behaved in the same way'. That contradicts 'all'.
14	Scientists agree that urban foxes have evolved to be bolder.	False	Paragraph C: some scientists 'have proposed' this, 'but others argue' differently, so they don't agree.
15	Most people in the survey had a positive view of foxes.	True	Paragraph D: 'most respondents said they liked seeing foxes'.
16	Culling is the most expensive way to control fox numbers.	Not Given	Paragraph D discusses whether culls work, not their cost compared with other methods.

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