IELTS Task 1 Comparing Data · B2 · Lesson 3 of 3 (Set 2)
Twelve cards. Start the timer, click each one, say the answer aloud before it flips. If you get 10+, move on. If not, revisit Lesson 5 Tab 1 (Cold Recall) first.
Three chart facts. For each, write THREE versions: (A) comparative, (B) superlative, (C) multiple/proportion. Then reveal the models.
A. More students chose Engineering than Business.
B. Engineering was the most popular subject of the four.
C. Engineering accounted for two-fifths of all students, twice as many as Arts.
A. Rent in London was far higher than in any other city.
B. London had the highest rent, while Liverpool had the lowest.
C. Rent in London was exactly twice as high as in Manchester, and roughly two and a half times higher than in Liverpool.
A. TV was slightly more popular than family time.
B. Watching TV was the single most common activity, while shopping was the least.
C. TV and family time together accounted for roughly two-thirds of Saturdays, while sport and shopping made up the remaining third.
Read the chart, plan for 2 minutes, write for 18. Aim for 150+ words. Use a mix of comparative, superlative, and proportion shapes. Then check yourself with the scorecard in Tab 4.
Housing 35% · Food 18% · Transport 15% · Leisure 12% · Savings 8% · Other 12%
Words: 0
Model (172 words)
The bar chart shows the breakdown of an average UK family's monthly spending across six categories in 2024.
Overall, housing was by far the largest expense, taking up more than a third of total income, while savings accounted for the smallest share. The remaining four categories — food, transport, leisure, and other — fell into a fairly tight middle range of 12% to 18%.
Housing dominated the budget at 35%, almost twice as much as the next biggest category, food (18%). Transport followed closely at 15%, only marginally lower than food. Leisure and "other" spending were identical, at 12% each.
At the bottom of the chart, savings made up just 8% — far less than any other category and less than a quarter of what households spent on housing. Taken together, the three largest categories (housing, food, and transport) accounted for almost 70% of all spending, leaving roughly a third for the remaining items.
Target language: by far the largest (superlative + intensifier), almost twice as much as (multiple), marginally lower than (size modifier + comparative), far less than (intensifier + comparative), accounted for (proportion verb), a third / a quarter (proportion phrases). All four shapes used.
Tick each box that your response achieves. Be honest — this is for you, not me.
11+ out of 13 ticks → Compare Master. Move to Mastery tab.
7–10 → nearly — redo The Write with the missed ticks in mind.
Below 7 → repeat Lesson 5 (especially Sentence Surgery) before you try The Write again.
If you scored 11+ on the scorecard, you've now got the comparison toolkit on top of the trend toolkit. That's two of the four big language sets for Task 1.
IELTS Writing Task 1 · Set 2 of the toolkit
This certificate confirms that
can compare two or more items in a chart using comparative, superlative, multiple, and proportion forms, with accurate size modifiers and no double-comparison errors.
Higher than. The highest. Twice as high as. Three-quarters of.
Issued by Malcolm the Teacher · preply-lessons
Most real Task 1 questions need BOTH skills together — describe a trend (Set 1) AND compare across categories (Set 2). Take a multi-line chart and write a 150-word answer that uses the full toolkit. Try the Task 1 Master Lesson.
Spaced repetition: redo Lesson 6's Speed Drill and The Write in a week. If it's still fluent, the comparison patterns are yours for the exam.
The next set will cover the architectural skill — writing the introduction and overview. That's the part the examiner reads first, and it's where most Band-5 candidates lose marks. (Ask Malcolm to build it when you're ready.)
If you want to practise on a process diagram or a map next, see the Process & Maps lesson.