Passage Reference: Her government forced local authorities to sell homes cheaply to existing tenants and stopped them building new ones. New social homes were to be financed centrally and run by local housing associations.

Common Mistake: Students often see stopped them building new ones and think this means all social housing stopped. They miss the next sentence, which explains that building continued in a different way. This is a Partial truth trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'stopped them building new ones' but 'new social homes were to be financed centrally' = Statement: 'a block on building social homes'

Tips: Always read the sentence after the key line to check if the writer adds an exception or clarification.

Key Vocabulary:

• forced = made to do
• financed centrally = paid for by the government

Question Focus: Missing comparison

Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN

Passage Reference: The result: surging housing costs which have priced modest earners out of the market, particularly in London and the south-east of England. Chief among the victims are public-sector workers, such as nurses and teachers.

Why this is correct: The passage says the problem is bad in London and the south-east, but it does not compare London with the rest of the south-east. The passage does not discuss whether London is worse.

Common Mistake: Students often assume London is worse because of general knowledge. But IELTS only tests what is written. This is a Not Given trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'particularly in London and the south-east of England' = Statement: 'worse than the rest of south-east England'

Tips: For NOT GIVEN, ask yourself: is there a clear comparison or ranking? If not, it is NOT GIVEN.

Key Vocabulary:

• particularly = especially
• modest earners = people with average or low income

Question Focus: Synonym match - depend on = relying on

Correct Answer: TRUE

Passage Reference: Even before the government's fresh money arrives, some local authorities in southern England are relying on planning gain to help meet demanding targets.

Why this is correct: The phrase relying on planning gain directly matches the idea of starting to depend on it. The meaning is the same.

Common Mistake: Some students overthink and look for exact words like depend. IELTS often uses synonyms. Missing this leads to a Synonym match error.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'relying on planning gain' = Statement: 'depend on the planning gain scheme'

Tips: When you see verbs like rely on, depend on, use, support, always think synonym match.

Key Vocabulary:

• relying on = depending on
• targets = goals

Question Focus: Clear paraphrase

Correct Answer: TRUE

Passage Reference: The stigma of social housing can often be eliminated by making it indistinguishable from neighbouring private housing.

Why this is correct: Making social housing indistinguishable from private housing means making it similar. The passage clearly supports the statement.

Common Mistake: Students sometimes think this is opinion and choose NOT GIVEN. But the writer clearly states this idea. Missing this is a Paraphrase trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'indistinguishable from neighbouring private housing' = Statement: 'make it similar to private housing'

Tips: Strong statements by the writer are often TRUE even if they sound like opinions.

Key Vocabulary:

• stigma = bad reputation
• indistinguishable = impossible to tell apart

Question Focus: Ability of councils

Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN

Passage Reference: Housing associations are generally better at getting repairs done than are councils. They have also been more effective in tackling problems like drugs and prostitution through innovations such as estate offices and on-site caretakers.

Why this is correct: The passage says housing associations are more effective, but it does not say councils are unable to deal with crime. The passage does not discuss inability.

Common Mistake: Students turn more effective into councils cannot deal with crime. That adds information not in the text. This is a Not Given trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'more effective than are councils' = Statement: 'councils are unable to deal with crimes'

Tips: More effective does not mean the other side is useless. Do not exaggerate.

Key Vocabulary:

• tackling = dealing with
• estate = housing area

Question Focus: Contradiction - opposite recommendation

Correct Answer: FALSE

Passage Reference: If public-sector workers cannot afford to live in the south-east of England, then the government should be changing pay scales that currently discriminate in favour of public sector workers in cheap bits of the country and against those in expensive bits, rather than reintroducing something that once looked like a boon to the poor and turned out to be a shackle.

Why this is correct: The passage says the government should be changing pay scales depending on location. The statement says this would not be helpful, which is the opposite.

Common Mistake: Students miss should be changing pay scales and focus on the criticism of social housing. This leads to a Contradiction trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'should be changing pay scales' = Statement: 'would not be helpful to modify salary'

Tips: Words like should show the writer's opinion. Check if the statement agrees or disagrees with it.

Key Vocabulary:

• pay scales = salary levels
• discriminate = treat unfairly

General Tips:

• TFNG questions follow passage order. Use the previous answer to help you find the next one faster.
• To choose between FALSE and NOT GIVEN, ask: does the passage clearly say the opposite? If not, choose NOT GIVEN.
• Do not use your own knowledge or assumptions, especially with places like London.
• Look for synonym matches. IELTS rarely repeats the same words.