Comparison in Formal and Academic Writing ESL Lesson Plan (C1, 60 Minutes)

Who it is for. Advanced students preparing for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 and university assignments. They describe data accurately but repetitively (more than ... more than ...) and make errors with multiples and proportions (two times more bigger, the double of), fewer / less, and comparisons of like with like (Japan's population is older than Sri Lanka).

Everything the lesson needs is on this page: the language analysis, the timed stages with the teacher's own words and instruction-checking questions, the differentiation, the printable handouts and the answer key.

Main aim. To develop students' range and accuracy in formal comparison: multiples and fractions (twice as many as, three times higher than, half as much as), compared with / in comparison to / relative to, whereas / while, the same structures with that of / those of, fewer / less, and formal inversion after than and as (than did ..., as does ...).

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can write a 150-word description of a chart using at least eight different comparative structures accurately.

• Subsidiary aim. To develop the skill of selecting and comparing key features in data.
• Subsidiary aim. To write a 150-word data description collaboratively.

What to know before the lesson: the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language, and the problems learners usually have with it.

• These structures allow precise, varied and objective comparison of figures in academic and formal writing.
• that of / those of avoids comparing unlike things (a population with a country).
• Inversion after than and as is optional and formal; it sounds natural with longer subjects.

• Not a focus; when presenting data aloud, stress the numbers and the comparative words: TWICE as many visitors.

• Colombo received twice as many tourists as Kandy. If Kandy received 100,000, how many did Colombo receive? (200,000.)
• Japan's population is older than that of Sri Lanka. What does that refer to? (The population.) · Why not older than Sri Lanka? (We compare populations, not a population and a country.)

The description uses at least eight different comparative structures accurately. Data are reported accurately, with like compared with like. 7 out of 8 or better on Handout 3, Exercise A.

Did students vary their comparisons? Was the that of / those of structure used correctly?

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

International visitors to three Sri Lankan cities (thousands)

Model description

The table compares the number of international visitors to Colombo, Kandy and Galle in 2015 and 2024, together with average spending in 2024.

Colombo attracted the most visitors in both years, and by far the most in 2024, when its figure had doubled. Galle experienced the most dramatic growth: in 2024 it received four times as many visitors as in 2015, whereas Kandy's figure rose only slightly. As a result, Galle and Kandy received the same number of visitors in 2024, although in 2015 Galle had only a third as many as Kandy.

In terms of spending, the average Colombo visitor spent twice as much as the average visitor to Kandy. Spending in Galle was considerably higher than that in Kandy, as was its rate of growth. Overall, fewer visitors went to Kandy than to Colombo, and they spent less money.

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Find an example of each structure in the model description.

Discuss.

• Why does the writer say higher than that in Kandy and not higher than Kandy? ______________________________
• as was its rate of growth: what is the normal word order? ______________________________
• Check the data: is four times as many accurate for Galle? ______________________________

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Rewrite each sentence using the word given. Keep the meaning the same.

B. Correct the errors.

• Kandy had 200 visitors. Colombo had 400. (twice) → Colombo had ______________________________
• Prices in 2024 were 300% of prices in 2014. (times) → Prices in 2024 were ______________________________
• Galle had 50 hotels. Kandy had 100. (half) → Galle had ______________________________
• Men spent less than women. (did) → Women spent more ______________________________
• Japan's population is older than Sri Lanka's population. (that) → Japan's population is older ______________________________
• Exports rose in 2023. Imports also rose. (as) → Exports rose in 2023, ______________________________
• Spending in 2024 was much higher than in 2015. (compared) → ______________________________, spending in 2024 was much higher.
• The north received 10% of visitors. The south received 60%. (whereas) → ______________________________
• Colombo had two times more bigger number of visitors. ______________________________
• There were less tourists in 2020. ______________________________
• The salaries of doctors are higher than teachers. ______________________________
• Women spent more than did women spend. ______________________________
• Galle received the double of visitors. ______________________________

Write a description of the chart (about 150 words). Select and compare the key features.

How students travel to school in two districts (% of students)

Your description:

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

Handout 2

Handout 3, Exercise A

Handout 3, Exercise B

Handout 4 (model description)

The table compares how students in Colombo and Kurunegala travelled to school in 2014 and 2024. In both years, walking was by far the most common method in Kurunegala, whereas in Colombo the bus was the most popular. However, the proportion of Colombo students who walked halved over the decade, falling from 30% to 15%. Over the same period, the use of private cars in Colombo doubled, and school vans became considerably more popular, rising from 20% to 30%. In Kurunegala, changes were far less dramatic: the figure for walking fell by only ten percentage points, bus use remained unchanged, and van and car use each rose marginally to 15%. In 2024, the proportion of Colombo students travelling by van was twice that in Kurunegala. Overall, fewer students walked to school in both districts, and car use grew more quickly in Colombo than it did in Kurunegala.

Common errors to watch for

• by far the most (in 2024) · four times as many visitors as in 2015; twice as much as · a third as many as Kandy · whereas Kandy's figure rose only slightly · higher than that in Kandy · as was its rate of growth · fewer visitors · less money
• To compare spending with spending (like with like), not spending with a city. · 2. as its rate of growth was · 3. Yes: 100,000 → 400,000.
• twice as many visitors as Kandy. · 2. three times higher than in 2014 / three times as high as in 2014. · 3. half as many hotels as Kandy. · 4. than did men. · 5. than that of Sri Lanka. · 6. as did imports. · 7. Compared with / to 2015 · 8. The north received 10% of visitors, whereas the south received 60%. / Whereas the north received 10% of visitors, the south received 60%.
• Colombo had twice as many visitors. / Colombo's number of visitors was twice as high. · 2. There were fewer tourists in 2020. · 3. The salaries of doctors are higher than those of teachers. · 4. Women spent more than men did. / Women spent more than did men. · 5. Galle received twice as many visitors.