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In IELTS Writing Task 1, you are required to describe, summarise, and compare data. Comparatives and superlatives are essential tools for this — they allow you to make meaningful comparisons between data points, identify extremes, and highlight differences. This lesson covers the grammar you need and shows you how to use it effectively.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| high | higher | the highest |
| low | lower | the lowest |
| large | larger | the largest |
| small | smaller | the smallest |
| fast | faster | the fastest |
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| early | earlier | the earliest |
| steady | steadier | the steadiest |
| heavy | heavier | the heaviest |
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| significant | more significant | the most significant |
| dramatic | more dramatic | the most dramatic |
| popular | more popular | the most popular |
| expensive | more expensive | the most expensive |
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| good | better | the best |
| bad | worse | the worst |
| much/many | more | the most |
| little | less | the least |
| far | further/farther | the furthest/farthest |
The number of male graduates was higher than the number of female graduates.
Sales in 2020 were significantly lower than in 2019.
Spending on education was almost as high as spending on defence.
The figure for Japan was not as large as that for the USA.
Japan's figure was higher than China's by approximately 10 percentage points.
The population of City A was twice as large as that of City B.
Expenditure on healthcare was approximately half as much as expenditure on education.
The higher the level of education, the higher the average salary.
The more a country invests in research, the greater its economic output tends to be.
Japan was the largest consumer of seafood.
The USA recorded the highest figure overall.
Sweden had the highest rate of recycling among the countries shown.
2015 was the most productive year of the entire period.
China was by far the largest producer of solar panels.
Germany was the second largest economy in Europe.
The USA was the third most popular destination for international students.
To achieve Band 7+, modify your comparatives with adverbs of degree:
| Adverb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| significantly | by a large amount | significantly higher than |
| considerably | by a notable amount | considerably more expensive than |
| slightly | by a small amount | slightly lower than |
| marginally | by a very small amount | marginally less than |
| substantially | by a large amount | substantially greater than |
| approximately | about the same | approximately as high as |
| almost | nearly equal | almost as popular as |
| far / much | a lot (intensifier) | far more common than / much higher than |
Band 6:
The figure for the UK was higher than the figure for France.
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