Government & Public Services
Lesson 10.2 practises Yes / No / Not Given questions on government and public services, and separating writer's opinion from stated fact.
- Distinguish Yes / No / Not Given from True / False / Not Given
- Identify writer's opinion in a passage
- Use writer's-view language in your own writing
Reading · Y/N/NG vs T/F/NG
In Y/N/NG, if the claim isn't the writer's view, it's NO — even if it's true in real life.
Reading practice · Public services (extract)
'Governments have long argued that healthcare should be free at the point of use. The truth, however, is that the costs are simply moved into taxation, and often the people who use these services least end up subsidising the heaviest users. This is neither efficient nor, in the writer's view, particularly fair.'
- Governments believe free healthcare is important. (Y / N / NG)
- The writer thinks the current tax-funded model is unfair. (Y / N / NG)
- Most heavy users of healthcare are wealthy. (Y / N / NG)
Words like 'in the writer's view', 'the truth is', 'unfortunately' are signposts to the writer's opinion.
Pathway focus · Reading dense opinion writing
Academic Reading Passage 3 often revolves around a writer's argument. Y/N/NG questions cluster there.
Writing · Signalling YOUR opinion
Exam Strategy
- Exam Tip
Underline 'the writer / the author / in his/her view' — those are the only claims that count as YES.
Independent Practice
Read a 400-word opinion column and note every phrase the writer uses to signal their view.
Key Takeaways
- Y/N/NG = writer's opinion, not real-world truth.
- Signalling YOUR view clearly is worth marks in Task Response.