TRENDS 1 See & Say › 2 Transform › 3 Write It | COMPARE 4 See & Say › 5 Transform › 6 Write It | INTRO 7 See & Say › 8 Transform › 9 Write It

Lesson 5 — Transform

IELTS Task 1 Comparing Data · B2 · Lesson 2 of 3 (Set 2)

Today: no tables, no word bank. Cold recall first, then surgery on real broken sentences, then a full pie chart. You will struggle — that's how it sticks.

Cold recall — flip each comparison

Ten quick transforms from Lesson 4. Type your answer, click Check. Accept close variants (as long as the grammar is right).

1. Flip it: "Spain was higher than Portugal."
Portugal was lower than Spain.
2. Flip it: "Tokyo had twice as many visitors as Osaka."
Osaka had half as many visitors as Tokyo.
3. Which proportion phrase = 25%? (2–3 words)
a quarter of (or one in four / one quarter)
4. Which proportion phrase = 75%? (2–3 words)
three-quarters of (or three in four / the majority)
5. Modifier for tiny gap (1–2%)? (1 word)
slightly (or marginally)
6. Modifier for big gap (e.g. 60% vs 15%)? (1 word)
far (or much)
7. Transform to superlative: "Reading was lower than every other activity."
Reading was the lowest activity. (Or: Reading had the least time of all.)
8. "Less / fewer" — which goes with students? (1 word)
fewer (students = countable; less goes with uncountable like money / time)
9. Transform to multiple form: "Sales in Tokyo were three times higher than in Osaka." — flip it.
Sales in Osaka were a third of those in Tokyo. (Or: only one-third as high as Tokyo.)
10. Transform to proportion: "50% of teenagers play sport."
Half of teenagers play sport. (Or: One in two teenagers plays sport.)

Three ways, same fact — you write

Three chart facts. For each, write THREE versions: (A) comparative, (B) superlative, (C) multiple/proportion. Then reveal the models.

📊 Fact 1: Of four pets — Dogs 50%, Cats 25%, Fish 15%, Other 10% — write three sentences about the dog/cat comparison.
A comparative:
B superlative:
C multiple / proportion:

A. Dogs were considerably more popular than cats, at 50% versus 25%.

B. Of the four pets, dogs were the most popular, accounting for half of all households.

C. Dogs were exactly twice as popular as cats. (Or: Dogs made up half of all pets, while cats made up a quarter.)

📊 Fact 2: Average weekly hours — Social media 28h, Studying 14h, Sport 7h, Reading 3h. Write three about social media vs reading.
A comparative:
B superlative:
C multiple:

A. Teenagers spent far more time on social media than on reading.

B. Social media took up the most time of the four activities, while reading took up the least.

C. Social media took up roughly nine times as many hours as reading.

📊 Fact 3: Coffee sales — London £60m, Bristol £58m, Leeds £35m, Hull £20m. Write three about London vs Bristol (close gap).
A comparative:
B superlative:
C close-gap phrasing:

A. London was only slightly higher than Bristol.

B. London had the highest sales, with Bristol very close behind.

C. Sales in London and Bristol were almost identical, at around £60m each.

Tip: for tiny gaps, "almost identical / very close to / nearly the same as" all work — DON'T say "twice" or "much".

Sentence surgery — fix the broken comparisons

These are the exact mistakes B2 students make every single time. Fix each one. Reveal the answer to check.

❌ "Bristol is more higher than Hull."
Clue: "higher" is already comparative.
✅ Bristol is much higher than Hull. (Drop "more"; you can add "much" or "far" for emphasis.)
❌ "London had the most highest sales."
Clue: superlative is one word, not two.
✅ London had the highest sales. (Don't double up — pick "highest" OR "the most expensive", never both.)
❌ "Dogs were twice more popular than cats."
Clue: "twice" doesn't combine with "more than".
✅ Dogs were twice as popular as cats. (The pattern is: twice / three times AS [adjective] AS.)
❌ "There were less students in 2020 than in 2010."
Clue: countable noun.
✅ There were fewer students in 2020 than in 2010. (fewer + countable; less + uncountable like time / money.)
❌ "Cats are most popular than fish."
Clue: comparing only two — superlative is wrong.
✅ Cats are more popular than fish. (Two things → comparative. Use superlative only when you compare three or more.)
❌ "A quarter of the people preferred tea, while three-quarter preferred coffee."
Clue: only one of these proportion words is correct.
✅ A quarter of the people preferred tea, while three-quarters preferred coffee. (When more than one quarter, use the plural three-quarters.)
❌ "Spain is bigger as Portugal in tourist numbers."
Clue: wrong word after "bigger".
✅ Spain is bigger than Portugal in tourist numbers. (Comparatives use than, never as. as…as is for equal things: "as big as".)
❌ "London is most highest, after that comes Bristol."
Clue: two superlative errors AND awkward linking.
✅ London had the highest sales, followed by Bristol. (Use followed by to introduce the second-place item — it's the cleanest linker for ranking.)

Describe this pie chart — gap-fill

Look at the pie chart and complete the description. Mix all three comparison shapes.

How UK office workers commute, 2024

Car · 40% Train · 30% Bus · 15% Cycle · 10% Walk · 5%
Word bank — use each option once: the most · twice as · far · the least · followed by · account for
1. Driving was common method of commuting, used by 40% of workers, the train at 30%.
2. Cars and trains together 70% of all commutes — almost three-quarters.
3. The train was popular as the bus.
4. Walking was less common than any other method.
5. Walking was used by only 5% of workers, making it popular option of the five.

1. the most / followed by

2. account for

3. twice as (train 30% vs bus 15% = exactly twice)

4. far

5. the least

Free write — your own description

Look at the same pie chart from Tab 4. Write 4–6 sentences describing it. Rules:

  • Use at least one comparative (higher than / lower than / more popular than)
  • Use at least one superlative (the most / the highest / the lowest)
  • Use at least one multiple or proportion (twice as / a quarter of / accounted for)
  • Use at least one size modifier (far, slightly, considerably)

Model:

Of the five commuting methods, driving was the most popular, accounting for 40% of journeys. The train came second, used by almost a third of workers. The bus was considerably less common, at only 15%, while cycling and walking together made up just 15% of all commutes. Walking was the least popular method overall, used by only one in twenty workers — far fewer than any other category.

Notice the mix: superlative ("the most", "the least"), comparative ("less common"), proportion ("a third", "made up", "one in twenty"), size modifier ("considerably", "far fewer").

Done. Go to Lesson 6.

Now move to Lesson 6 — Write It. Speed drill, full chart description, and a Band-7 self-scorecard.