High-quality answers often use synonyms, but the syntax must mirror the question. Train yourself to recognize parallel structures:

This is the ultimate test of Strictly English. Each statement must be judged against the passage alone.

High-quality approach: Underline keywords in the question. Scan the passage for those exact or synonymous terms. If 80% matches but 20% is missing, it’s Not Given. Do not guess based on probability.

This is the most common error. If the passage says “Caffeine can improve alertness,” and the question says “Caffeine cures insomnia,” the answer is Not Given (not False) because the passage never mentions insomnia. False requires a direct contradiction.

To consistently produce strictly english ielts reading answers high quality, you must train your brain to think like an examiner.

Take a sentence from a Cambridge passage. Write down 3 synonyms for the key words. Then check if those synonyms appear anywhere in the passage. You will discover that IELTS often does not use synonyms for the actual answer – that is the secret.

For True/False/Not Given and Matching Headings, you need a different skill: recognizing strict paraphrases.

For word-based answers, copy from the passage exactly. Change nothing. If the passage says “colour,” write “colour” (not “color”). If it says “19th century,” write “19th” not “nineteenth.”