Compare and Contrast Language for Graphs

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The purpose of this lesson is to introduce you to compare and

contrast language which is needed to write about graphs.

To begin, take a look at the graph below.

1. Which country has the highest level of pollution?

2. Which country has the lowest?

The country with the higest level of pollution is USA and the country with the
lowest is New Zealand.

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Being able to compare and contrast data is an essential skill for IELTS writing,
especially in Task 1. Comparatives and superlatives are one common way to
do this.

Comparatives are used to compare two things:

Leopards are faster than tigers.

Superlatives are used to compare one thing against a group of others:

The leopard is the largest of the four big cats.

Here are the basics of how they are formed:

Example
Comparative Superlative
Word
Words with one syllable high higher the highest
 more the most
productive productive
Words with three syllables or
productive
more less the least
productive productive

Words ending in y wealthy wealthier the wealthiest

Short words ending with a
hot hotter the hottest
consonant/vowel/consonant
Irregular good better the best

Other Important Language

Comparatives and superlatives are useful to compare and contrast, but they won't be
enough.

Here are some other useful words and structures:

Transitions

1. The Middle East produces high levels of oil; however, Japan produces none.
2. The USA produces large amounts of natural gas. In contrast, South Korea
produces none.
3. European countries make great use of solar power. On the other hand,
most Asian countries us this method of power generation very little.
Subordinating Conjunctions

1. The Middle East produces high levels of oil, whereas / whileJapan produces
none.
2. Whereas / While the Middle East produces high levels of oil, Japan produces
none.
3. Although the Middle East produced 100 tons oil, Japan produced none.
Other Structures

1. Developing countries are more reliant on alternative energy

production than developed countries.
2. Solar power accounts for far less of the total energy production than gas or
coal does.
3. Hydropower is not as efficient as wind power.
4. Like Japan, South Korea does not produce any natural gas.
5. The Middle East produces twice as much oil as Europe.
6. Western countries consume three times more oil than the Middle East.
7. Russia consumes slightly more oil than Germany.
8. The UAE produced the same amount of oil as Saudi Arabia.

Using Approximate Data

When you compare and contrast, you also need to learn phrases so you can refer to
data that is not exact.

For example:

7.1
just over 7 million tonnes
approximately 7 million tonnes

65.6
nearly 70 million tonnes
almost 70 million tonnes

Compare and Contrast Language Practice

Look at the table below. What is being compared?

Natural Gas Consumption and Production, 2001

Consumption* Production*
Country
The USA 588.9 500.0
The United Kingdom 86.1 97.3
The Former Soviet Union 7.1 0.4
The UAE 30.0 35.9
Australia 19.1 28.0
Japan 68.6 0
New Zealand 4.9 5.1
South Korea 18.9 0
China 24.3 25.0

*in millions of tonnes

Look at the compare and contrast language in the drop down box and
choose the correct word to complete the sentences.

1. New Zealand consumed the gas at approximately 5 million

least
tonnes.
2. The former Soviet Union produced the amount at 0.4 million
lowest

tonnes.
3. The USA was the consumer and producer of gas at 600
biggest

million tonnes and 500 respectively.

4. The USA consumed and produced natural gas than any other
far more

country.

5. South Korea consumed 18.9 millions tonnes of gas; , it

however

produced none.

6. Chinas consumption and production of oil were at 24.3 and

nearly the same

25.0 respectively.

7. The USA, the Former Soviet Union, Japan and South Korea all consumed
more gas they produced.
than

8. Australia consumed four gas than New Zealand.

times more

9. Zealand produced 5.1 million tonnes of gas, South Korea

While

produced none.

10. New Zealand consumed 5 million tonnes of gas.

just under

Clear
 Describing Graphs using Comparative Forms 3

IELTS Task 1 questions typically require candidates to compare data within,

and/or between graphs and charts. Thus the use of comparative forms is
.required

We will focus here on comparative and superlative adjectives , and on logical

. connectors of comparison and contrast

3.1 Explanation: Comparative & Superlative Adjectives

richer than the richest more expensive than the most expensive

Rule 1: Add er'/est' for one-syllable adjectives: longer, smaller, the highest

Rule 2: Add more' / less' or the most' / the least' for three syllable adjectives or
longer: less expensive, the most dangerous

Rule 3: Most two-syllable adjectives require more' / less' / the most' / the
least': more stressful

Rule 4: Two-syllable adjectives ending in y' require ier' / iest' : noisier, noisy

Rule 5: Adjectives ending in a single vowel and a single consonant require the
final consonant to be doubled: big , the biggest, fat, fatter

3.2 Explanation: Logical Connectors of Comparison & Contrast

Simple Comparison: while [difference is not seen as surprising / unusual]

.There was 10% unemployment in London , while in Manchester there was 9% -

Contrast: but, although, while, however [difference is seen as surprising /

unusual]

Although most cities had unemployment rates of 8-11%, in Liverpool it was -

.15%

Most cities had unemployment rates of 8-11%, although / while / but -

.in Liverpool it was 15%

Most cities had unemployment rates of 8-11%. However in Liverpool it was -

.15%
3.3 Task: Graph Description using Comparative Forms

Look at Graph D below, which illustrates data relating to education and

.homelessness in the USA

Fill in the gaps in the text which follows, using the correct form (superlative or
:comparative) of these words

successful (x1), good (x1), bad (x2), while (x2), high (x1), low (x2)

.More than one answer may be possible in some cases

Graph D

The chart shows the educational achievements of homeless people in America

(divided into those in families and single homeless people) compared to those of
all US adults, for the year 1997. The (i) _ worst__ ___ educational attainment
was for homeless people in families (53% with less than a high-school diploma),
(ii) _________ the (iii) ________ results were for all US adults (45% or more
with a high-school diploma). Single homeless people were (iv) ___________ than
those in families: the percentage of single homeless without a high-school
diploma was much (v) _________ than for homeless people in families (37%
compared to 53%), (vi) ________ the percentage having only high-school
diplomas was much (vii) _________ (36% compared to 21%). Having said this,
similar percentages of homeless people in families and single homeless people
had more than a high-school diploma: 27% and 28% respectively. In sum, it is
clear that homeless people had (viii) _______ educational attainments than US
adults as a whole, and that homeless people in families had (ix) ________ levels
.of achievement than single homeless

Describing one part of the chart

:Starting with the adjective

The highest

The greatest
are employed in the
The lowest percentage of women
X category
The most proportion of cars sold
are red
A significant number of holiday makers
come from Spain
The smallest

The largest

:Starting with the subject

Red is the most car colour

popular
Professional second/third employment
prevalent
is the most category
common
Spain is the least holiday destination
 Describing two parts of the chart

:Starting with the adjective

As many

Twice as many
as
Three times as
many

Not as many
are sold
More red cars
are employed
Much more women
in X
Many more holiday makers
come from X
Considerably
than
more

Significantly
more

Slightly more

:Starting with the subject

as common as
Blue cars are
quite as popular
Women are
just as prevalent
Spain is
nearly as
 almost as

not as

more

much more

considerably
women
more
cars sold than
slightly more
holiday makers
less

much less

considerably less

How to compare and contrast numbers

http://www.dcielts.com/task-1-2/compare-and-contrast/

Some of the most important language in task 1 is the compare and contrast
vocabulary. This is because the instructions tell you to

make comparisons where relevant

You also need to describe numbers. This lesson helps you out with different ways
.to compare and contrast numbers. It is not all about more and less

Comparisons between sentences .1

One way to make comparisons is to start a new sentence with a word/phrase that
shows that you are about to make a comparison with the previous sentence. The
:basic words you need here are

In contrast
The most popular form of holiday among the Welsh was self-catering with over
60% choosing to cook for themselves. In contrast, only 5 % of the English chose
.this form of vacation and hotel accommodation was much more popular at 48%

In comparison

Almost 50% of the English, Scots and Northern Irish chose to stay in a hotel for
their holiday. In comparison, staying in self-catering accommodation was much
.less popular with around 10% of people choosing this

However

The general pattern was for hotel accommodation to be the most popular with
around half the people choosing it. The majority of the Welsh, however, chose to
.stay in self-catering accommodation

On the other hand

It is clear that a majority of the British chose to stay in hotel for their holiday. On
the other hand, there was an exception to this because over 50% of the Welsh
.opted for self-catering accommodation

.Note that we normally use a comma after In contrast and In comparison

Note that there are lots of different ways to use compare and contrast and these
are just the most basic examples. If you are looking for a higher band score, its
.good advice to learn different ways to use these words

.Note too that typically however is not used as the first word in a sentence

Comparisons within sentences .2

Another possibility is to compare two pieces of information within the same
:sentence. The basic words you need here are
while

While there are 4 million miles of train lines in the UK, there are only 3 million in
.France

whereas

Whereas the majority of the French prefer to travel to work by train, only a small
.minority of the British do

although

.Although 15% of the French read novels, only 5% of the British do

but

Almost 25% of French females study maths with a private tutor, but nearly 60%
.study English with one

Comparisons with more or less/fewer .3

This is another obvious way to make comparisons and contrasts. You should note
though that you are normally going to compare numbers and nouns and not
:adjectives. You want to remember these two key bit of grammar

Than

Remember that after more/less/fewer we use than

.more girls chose to read books than go to cinema 5%

Fewer/less

:If the word is uncountable we use less, if it is countable we use fewer

.Fewer mobiles phones were bought in 2013 than 2014

.Less oil was consumed in 2013 than 2014

 Qualify your comparisons with .4
much/far/slightly or a number
This is similar. The idea here is that you still use less/more/fewer but this time you
:explain how much. Typically, the best way to do this is to use a number

Far fewer people chose to travel by train than by car. [Wheres the detail?]

fewer people chose to travel by train than by car. [Better now we have detail 25%
and not just a comparison]

Comparisons with most or least/fewest .5

When you are looking for details to include, the highest/lowest number is almost
.always important. This too is a form of comparison

.The most popular form of entertainment in the UK was going to the cinema

.The least common form of transport was taking a taxi

Comparisons with similar or same or as..as .6

Dont forget that some of the numbers you will be comparing are similar. These
.are the basic words and structures you need

Similar (to)

The percentages of females and males who studied languages at university were
.very similar

.A similar amount of gas and electricity was used domestically in homes

.The figures for 2012 were very similar to the figures for 2013

Same as as
The percentage of females who studied at university in 2011 was almost exactly
the same as in 2012

Comparisons with differ/different/difference .7

If something is similar, it can also be different! Here is another set of basic
:variations for you

.The amount of time spent at home differed by almost 25% according to gender

There was a difference of over 25% in the amount of time males and females
.spent at home

This figure was very different among males, only half of whom watched
.television

Comparisons with numbers .8

Another way to make comparisons is to do some simple arithmetic! Here are
:some simple variations

more/less/fewer [million 5]

.million fewer units of gas were sold in 2014 5

Twice

Twice as many people elected to use gas and not electricity for cooking [note
the twice as as structure]

Twice the amount of gas was used for cooking in this period. [note that we
amount with uncountable nouns]

Three/four etc times

.Four times as many people chose to heat their house with electricity as with gas

Half
.Half the number of people chose to use gas as electricity

.Electricity was half as popular as gas for cooking

How to identify the main points in a line graph

Focus on each line in turn and identify the key details

Then look at how the two lines compare

Do NOT try and look at the whole graph at once

:The key points are likely to be found by looking at

the start and the end this gives you an overall trend

the high points and low points these are almost always key

where the lines cross these are important for comparison

!!!!periods of no change dont ignore these

where the lines change direction these points of change

This chart shows how the rate of increase in the cost of buying a home and
renting accommodation rose in the three years between January 2013 and
.January 2016

It is immediately apparent that, while both increased, the rate for house prices
.went up more and by the end of the period was higher than the rate for rentals

Although the cost of renting rose consistently throughout this period, the rate of
increase remained comparatively steady throughout this period going up from
.approximately 4% to just under 4.5% by 2016

The rate of increase of house prices was much less steady and fluctuated
.considerably after an initial sharp increase

period of fluctuation with the peak of around 5% being reached in early 2014 )
.and a low of 4.2% at the end of year
This situation was quite different in 2014. By that time, dual income families had
become easily the largest category at 55%. It is also striking how the father being
the sole earner had fallen dramatically to only 17%. Equally notable is how the
proportion of lone mothers had doubled to 16%. The figures for couples with no
income, single fathers and the mother as the major breadwinner all rose but still
.only accounted for only 8% of the total

Phrases to identify the main points

One technique is to use clear phrases that say what follows next is the main
.point. This is perhaps the clearest way of doing it

It is notable how/that or It is of note that

It is clear how/that

It is obvious how/that

It is immediately apparent that

The first item to note is

The most significant point is

Key adjectives
Another technique that is slightly less obvious and may actually improve your
score is to simply rely on adjectives that describe important points. Very often
you will be using the superlative (-est/most forms) to do this. Some key words
here are

the most significant (change)

the greatest (amount)

the most important (detail)

 the least (popular)

the highest (number)

a notable (difference)

a major (development)

Key nouns pattern/trend

This is another set of language that help you. This time you use words that show
an overall picture. These you may use in your summary statements in particular

the overall trend

the general pattern

Do be a little careful using trend- remember it only works when there is a

.change over time

Countables and uncountables with

numbers in task 1
In IELTS task 1 you need to know how to deal with numbers. Very often you will
want to summarise them by using language such as

much
many
few
less

Here I quickly show you how to avoid some very common problems with these
words, I give you a bonus more advanced task filling in the gaps to describe a
.table

Test yourself first

 Heres the test to see if you need the lesson. Anything less than 100% tells me
that you should read on. This is one area of vocabulary/grammar where you really
.should be error free

Countables and numbers

Start

A little grammar for you

:The one thing you need to know is that little words like these fall into 3 categories

1. words that are only used with countable nouns

2. words that are only used with uncountable nouns
3. words that can be used with both
The basic options

Some common mistakes

:There are two common mistakes to look out for

less used with countable nouns eg Less Fewer women chose to go the cinema
.than men

amount of used with countable nouns eg A large amount number of men do not
.do as much housework as women
 The MOST/MOST OF problem

This is a mistake that all teachers will recognise. It is super common. I have given
you examples here with most but the same grammar applies for all the words
.above

Most men watch less television than women do. CORRECT

Most of the men in the survey watched less television than women did.
CORRECT

Most of men in the survey watched less television than women did. INCORRECT

The most of men watched less television than women do. INCORRECT

The way to avoid most mistakes is to note that if you use of you also need to
use the

Some more advanced language

Is this language enough? Nope. You are almost certain to want to use some more
advanced/mathematical language too. You will find some more advanced
vocabulary for describing numbers with an exercise here. In summary, this means
being able to use phrases such as

twice as much
around a third of

How to describe differences accurately

?is double is 20, but what about 42 and 20? Or 30 and 88 40

These are the sort of complex figures you may need to describe in the exam
and the examiner is looking for an accurate description of just this type of
numbers. What you need to do is compare the numbers. Here is some helpful
language for you: it is important that you have some variations here
So 40 is exactly double 20

is approximately double 20 42

is just over a third of 88 30

More language of numbers

:To do this well, you need some mathematical language too