UPM-CALC/CEL2103 WRITING ACADEMIC TEXTS/SEM 2/2021-2022
THT WEEK 1
TAKE-HOME TASK WEEK 1
Topics:
Generating topics for a compare and contrast essay
Identifying points of comparison
Answer all questions and share the answers with your classmates in Week 2.
Assalamualaikum and a very good morning to our lecturer, Madam Fauziah and to our fellow
classmates. I am Nashwa and with my group member, Aliahusna, today, we will be presenting
the Take Home Task (THT) Week 1.
The topic for THT Week 1 is generating topics for a compare and contrast essay and
identifying points of comparison.
These are the list of questions that we will be answering and presenting to you. There are a
total of 7 questions.
1. What are the features of a good topic for compare and contrast essay?

has its target audience – to who you want address the essay writing

helps audiences to discover features that are specific to a particular subject
– take example from Russia vs United States compare/contrast essay. From that
we discover new information about those two countries.

you have specialization or it is in your study field – topic that you are good at
to expand and express about it

has some similar characteristics to both subjects – connected to the next
point…

connects two or more subjects in a meaningful way – for example, comparison
between apple and orange. Instead of that, we can compare between two types of
apples like between Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples.
2. Provide 2 examples of good compare and contrast essay. Justify your answers.
Example 1
Type of organisation: point-by-point
As other normal essay writing, we have INTRODUCTION, BODY and CONCLUSION
paragraphs.
UPM-CALC/CEL2103 WRITING ACADEMIC TEXTS/SEM 2/2021-2022
THT WEEK 1
INTRODUCTION: has general statements that states the topic of the essay
BODY: the points of compare and contrast between the subjects
Topic sentence and points of comparison either similarities or differences
Turquoise and gray highlighted words are the comparison and contrast signal words.
Turquoise highlight=difference. Gray highlight=similarity. The words are important, it
shows that the essay is a compare and contrast essay clearly.
CONCLUSION: concluding the essay
3. What is a Venn Diagram? How to use a Venn Diagram when brainstorming for compare
and contrast essay?
A Venn diagram is a brainstorming tool that uses overlapping circles to show the
similarities and differences between two or more ideas.
It could help generate and organise ideas for compare and contrast essay.
The way to use a Venn Diagram to brainstorm ideas is so simple. We draw 2 partly
overlapping circles and write the things that we want to compare in each circle. The
overlapping part is the similarities and the separate areas are the differences between the
two subjects.
This is a simple example of a Venn Diagram. Comparison between tomato and apple.
These are the differences and similarities of tomato and apple.
4. Give an example of possible compare and contrast topic using a Venn Diagram.
This Venn Diagram shows the comparison of university culture between the United States
and Country X.
UPM-CALC/CEL2103 WRITING ACADEMIC TEXTS/SEM 2/2021-2022
THT WEEK 1
5. A compare and contrast essay presents descriptive points of comparison of two or more
subjects. Provide description on what are points of comparison and give examples.
6. What are the do’s and don’ts of an academic style of writing?
7. These are other methods that could be applied to develop an academic style of writing.
Explain and give examples of each method:
a. Use of caution
b. Sentence variation