What True/False + justify is: A True/False + justify question gives you a statement about the text. You do two things: you decide whether it is True or False, and you justify it by quoting the relevant words from the text.
You need BOTH to score the 1 mark — the tick on its own earns nothing. Because the text stays in front of you, the justifying words are always there to copy.
The exam instruction you'll see: In the real English Paper 2 exam, this question type is introduced by an instruction like:
“The following statements are either true or false. Tick the correct option, then justify it using words as they appear in the text. Both parts are required for the mark.”
What you have to do: BOTH parts are needed for the one mark: tick true/false AND copy the exact words from the text that prove it. A tick on its own, or a justification in your own words, scores nothing.
- True / False
- your decision about the statement
- to justify
- to give the reason by quoting the text
- the justification
- the relevant words from the text that prove your decision
- the statement
- the sentence you must judge true or false
- to quote / copy from the text
- to write the exact words as they appear in the text
- word for word
- exactly as written, with the same words in the same order
Both halves, or no mark: The standard rule is 1 mark only if you give BOTH the correct True/False decision and a correct justification quoted from the text. A right tick with no justification — or the wrong line — scores zero. Always write both.
The golden rule — copy the exact words: Almost every Paper 2 Reading answer must be copied word for word from the text. When a question says "answer using the words as they appear in the text", that is an instruction: paraphrasing scores ZERO. Find the exact word or phrase and copy it.
The answer is always in the text — you never need outside knowledge or your own ideas.
Five rules that win marks
- Copy, don't paraphrase. Use the exact words from the text — rewording loses the mark.
- Complete, but no extra words. Give the full answer, then stop — adding wrong or irrelevant words can lose the mark.
- True/False needs a quote. A tick with no justification quoted word-for-word from the text scores zero.
- Spelling slips are OK if the meaning is still clear — markers reward the right information.
- One answer per box. In multiple choice, put exactly ONE letter in the box; two answers scores zero.
| Do this | Not this |
|---|---|
| Copy "closed for repairs" straight from the text. | Write "shut for fixing" in your own words. |
| Answer the exact thing asked, then stop. | Add an extra clause that turns out to be wrong. |
| False — and quote "open every day except Monday". | Just tick False and move on. |
| Put one letter, B, in the box. | Put B and C in the box because you're unsure. |
Question types to recognise: Paper 2 Reading reuses the same techniques: find the exact words, gap-fill from a word list, multiple choice, True/False + justify, "find the word/phrase that means…", and heading-match. They all reward the same skill: locate the right line and use the exact words from the text.
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A reliable routine: Don't tick True or False and move on. Use a routine: read the statement, find the relevant line, decide true or false, quote the justifying words, and write both. The text is visible, so the justifying words are always there to copy.
Answer True/False + justify — 5 steps
1
Read the statement
Read the statement carefully and note exactly what it claims.
2
Find the line
Scan the text for the line that deals with that claim.
3
Decide
Decide whether the statement is True or False against that line.
4
Quote
Copy the justifying words from the text — just the relevant part, not the whole paragraph.
5
Write both
Write BOTH: the True/False decision and the justification. One without the other scores zero.
Read → Find → Decide → Quote → Write both
Never write True or False alone: The single most common way to lose marks here is writing True or False with no justification. Make it a habit: every True/False answer gets the exact line from the text written next to it.
A True/False + justify question in action: Here is a short text — the kind Paper 2 (Reading) gives you. The text stays in front of you, so you locate the justifying words rather than recall them. Read it once for the general idea, then we'll take one statement through the routine.
Liam and the animal shelter: Liam started volunteering at an animal shelter two years ago. At first he only went on Saturdays, but now he goes almost every day after school. He walks the dogs, cleans the cages and helps to find families who want to adopt them.
He says the work is hard and sometimes sad, especially when an animal is ill. Even so, he does not plan to give it up: he insists that seeing a dog happy in its new home gives him more joy than anything else.
- to volunteer
- to do unpaid work to help others
- the shelter
- a place that looks after animals with no home
- the cage
- an enclosure with bars where an animal is kept
- to adopt
- to take an animal into your home as your own
- to give (something) up
- to stop doing or having something
- even so
- in spite of that; nevertheless
Deciding and justifying
One statement, step by step
- Read the statement — "Liam plans to give up volunteering soon." (True / False + justify)
- Find the line and decide. Scan for "give it up": "he does not plan to give it up: he insists that seeing a dog happy in its new home gives him more joy than anything else." So the statement is False.
- Quote and write both — False. Justification: "he does not plan to give it up." The words are copied exactly from the text; the tick alone would score nothing.
Quote only the words that prove it: Notice the justification is just the few words that prove it — "he does not plan to give it up" — not the whole sentence about the dog and the joy. Copy the relevant words exactly, and always pair them with the False.
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Where True/False marks are lost: Most marks are lost to three habits: writing True or False with no (or an irrelevant) justification, paraphrasing instead of copying the exact words, and copying a whole paragraph instead of the few key words. Compare the two columns.
Good practice
- Always write BOTH the decision and the justification.
- Copy the exact words from the text — never paraphrase.
- Quote only the relevant words that prove your decision.
- Check the quoted line actually supports your True/False.
Typical errors
- Write True or False with no justification (scores nothing).
- Reword the line in your own words (a paraphrase scores zero).
- Copy a whole paragraph so the key words are buried.
- Decide True/False but quote a line about a different detail.
Spelling slips are OK — wrong words are not: A small spelling slip is fine if the meaning is still clear. What loses marks is a paraphrase (different words) or an irrelevant quote. Copy the relevant words exactly — short and exact beats long and vague.