Comparatives and superlatives for describing charts

Task 1 is largely about comparison: which figure is highest, which is lowest, and how the categories differ. To score well for both Task Achievement and grammar, you need accurate comparative and superlative forms plus a few phrases that show the size of the difference. Errors such as "more higher", "the most popular than" or "two times higher of" are common.

Rule 1: Forming comparatives and superlatives

• ✘ Chattogram port was more busier than Mongla.
• ✔ Chattogram port was busier than Mongla.
• ✘ Rice was the most cheapest food.
• ✔ Rice was the cheapest food.

Never use more and -er together.

Rule 2: Comparatives take "than"; superlatives take "the"

• ✘ Malaysia received more tourists compare to Thailand.
• ✔ Malaysia received more tourists than Thailand.
• ✘ Bus was most popular transport.
• ✔ The bus was the most popular form of transport.

After a superlative, use in for places or groups and of for time periods or sets: the highest in Asia, the lowest of the five years.

Rule 3: "fewer" vs "less", "more" vs "higher"

• fewer + countable plurals: fewer students, fewer cars

• less + uncountables: less electricity, less money

• more/fewer for quantities of things; higher/lower for figures, rates, percentages, prices.

• ✘ The percentage of women was more than men.

• ✔ The percentage of women was higher than that of men.

• ✔ More women than men used mobile banking.

Notice that of (singular) and those of (plural). They stop you comparing a percentage with people: Sales in 2020 were double those in 2010.

Rule 4: Show how big the difference is

Modifiers make your comparisons precise, and precision is what Task 1 rewards.

• Large difference: far, much, considerably, significantly, substantially + comparative ✔ Car ownership was far higher in Kuala Lumpur than in Dhaka.

• Small difference: slightly, marginally, a little + comparative ✔ Spending on food was slightly lower in 2020.

• Superlatives: by far the + superlative ✔ Garments were by far the largest export category.

• ✘ very higher → ✔ much higher (very cannot modify a comparative)

Rule 5: "as … as" and multiples

• Equality: as + adjective + as ✔ Tea consumption in 2015 was as high as in 2010.

• Negative: not as / not so … as ✔ Rail travel was not as popular as bus travel.

• Multiples: twice / three times / half + as … as ✔ Bangladesh exported twice as much fish as Nepal. ✔ The number of cyclists was three times as high as in 2000.

• Multiple + noun: double / triple / twice the number of ✔ Malaysia had twice the number of hotels that Sri Lanka had.

• ✘ two times more higher than

• ✔ twice as high as / two times higher than (the second is common but the first is safer and clearer)

Rule 6: Vary your structures

Using only X was higher than Y in every sentence limits your range. Mix in:

• while / whereas: Rice production rose steadily, whereas wheat output fluctuated.
• compared with: Compared with 2010, the figure in 2020 was 40% higher.
• the + comparative, the + comparative: The higher the income, the more households spent on travel.
• ranking: Fish was the second most important export, followed by leather.
• noun phrase: There was a considerable difference between urban and rural figures.

A model paragraph

In 2022, Malaysia attracted by far the highest number of international students among the four countries, at roughly 170,000, which was almost twice as many as Thailand. Indonesia's figure was slightly lower than Thailand's, while Bangladesh received the fewest students, far fewer than any of the other three.

Mini exercise

Correct the errors.

1. The price of rice in 2023 was more higher than in 2022.
2. Sylhet received the most rainfall than the other cities.
3. There were less buses on the road in 2020 because of the lockdown.
4. The number of female engineers was two times as more as in 2005.
5. Spending on education was very lower than spending on defence.

Quick tip: Before writing Task 1, find the biggest and smallest figures and one "double" or "half" relationship. Those three comparisons usually give you the key features for your overview and a natural chance to use by far the, twice as … as and slightly.

Answers

1. The price of rice in 2023 was higher than in 2022.
2. Sylhet received more rainfall than the other cities. (or: Sylhet received the most rainfall of all the cities.)
3. There were fewer buses on the road in 2020 because of the lockdown.
4. The number of female engineers was twice as high as in 2005.
5. Spending on education was much lower than spending on defence.