Writing bank
Comparative Essay
Layout
Introduction
(paragraph 1)
Write a few sentences to introduce the objects of comparison in general.
… are one of the most impressive(glorious, attractive, wonderful, unusual,…) features of the natural
world. Everybody can recognize a …, but are they all the same? This essay looks at two …..
Main Body
(paragraphs 2 and 3)
Choose 2 or 3 more interesting facts about objects mentioned above to describe them in detail. First write
a short description of the first object, then do the same considering the second object in the next
paragraph. Highlight the differences using linkers such as unlike, in contrast
Summary and conclusion
(paragraph 4)
Write some more sentences to compare and contrast the objects according to the facts or data mentioned
in the descriptions. Then draw a conclusion about both of them.
Linking
To introduce the aim of an essay ( in paragraph 1 ):
This essay looks at two …..
This essay compares two …..
This essay deals with two …..
To add some facts in descriptions (in paragraphs 2 and 3):
also, another thing, besides, as well as
To compare and contrast (in paragraphs 2,3 and 4):
In contrast, but, whereas, unlike
similar in…but…
The biggest difference concerns….
To conclude (in paragraph 4):
To sum up; to summarise; summing all the facts up; taking everything into account; in conclusion;
…also means that…
We can see that … have more differences than similarities, but they both catch our imagination
(attention), (are worth of speaking of/visiting/watching/studying)
Checking :
Layout: Have you followed the layout above? Has your essay got clear paragraphs?
Linking: Have you used linking words as listed above?
Grammar: Have you checked for grammar mistakes?
Lexics: Is your vocabulary appropriate to the task?
Spelling: Have you checked your work for spelling?
Two small countries
I. The Vatican City
1.1 Choose the best alternative in the following sentences:
a. The smallest multicultural/independent country in the world, the Vatican City, covers an area the
size of a golf course in Rome, the capital of Italy.
b. The Vatican has no official/international language.
c. It is ruled by just one man, the Pope, who is also the head of the Anglican/Catholic church.
d. It has about 100 soldiers, all unmarried/unprepared, and all from Switzerland.
e. The Vatican has its own bank, army, air/police force, fire brigade, post office, satellite TV
channel, radio station and internet domain(.va).
f. – are home to some of the world’s most spectacular/famous art, …
1.2 Put these sentences a – f in the correct places 1 – 6 in the description:
.1. It was founded in 1929. .2. Its buildings – such as St Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel - .3. including works by Botticelli, Raphael and Michelangelo. .4. The Vatican army, called the Swiss
Guard, is the smallest in the world. .5. The Vatican postal service has an excellent reputation: an
international letter posted in the Vatican will arrive faster than one dropped just a few hundred metres
away in Italy. Millions of people visit the Vatican every year, but the Vatican has a population of only
about 800 people. .6. The Swiss Guard use German, but most people use Italian and Latin. In fact, the
Vatican’s bank machines are the only ones in the world that give instructions in Latin. The country’s
economy is unique. It receives most of its money from Catholics around the world and from tourism.
It also makes money from a petrol station where Italians can buy fuel 30 percent more cheaply than in
Italy – because the Vatican has no taxes!
1.3 Read the description again. Divide it into paragraphs. How many paragraphs have you got?
1.4 Answer the questions on the text:
1. Where is it?
2. How many people live there?
3. What jobs do people do?
4. Does it get many visitors?
5. What languages do people use?
6. How does it make money?
1.5 Choose two more interesting facts to tell your partner. Listen to your partner’s description of
some other country.
1.6 Compare your country and your partner’s country:
1. The capital of … is…
2. The population of … is …, whereas the population of … is…
3. The official languages in… are …, whereas in … there is (no) official language.
4. … is a member of… . In contrast, …
5. … has elections every … but in….
6. … makes its money from … . In contrast, ….
7. … is famous for its… , whereas…
8. … became independent in … . In contrast ….
II. Tuvalu
2.1 Complete the text with the words in the box:
when, between, although, which, few, above, for, also, a few, traditionally,
because
Tuvalu is a group of nine small islands in the South Pacific, _______ Australia and Hawaii.
Polynesian people first came to the islands about 3000 years ago and, ______ they only lived on
eight of the nine islands, they called them ‘Tuvalu’, which means ‘eight standing together’.
Tuvalu was governed by Britain from the late nineteenth century until 1 October 1978, when it
became independent country.
Nowadays Tuvalu is a member of the United Nations and its official languages are Tuvaluan and
English. Most of its 12,000 people live in Funafuti, the capital. It has a prime minister and a
parliament (Fale I Fono) of just 15 members. ______ Tuvalu has elections every four years, there
are no political parties. People generally vote ______ friends, family members and well-known
people.
The government’s largest source of income is renting out its internet domain name, ______ is
‘.tv’. It ______rents out its international phone code (900) and makes money by selling stamps
and coins to collectors. ______, each family on Tuvalu has its own work to do (salanga), for
example fishing, farming, defence, or house-building. There are very ______ tourists in Tuvalu
simply because it’s so difficult to get to. There is one small airport with flights to and from Fiji,
no railway, and just eight kilometres of roads.
The highest point in the islands is only five metres ______ the sea, so climate change is a big
worry for the people of Tuvalu. If the water rises by _______ centimetres, it will be impossible to
live there.
2.2 Answer the questions on the text:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Where is it?
How many people live there?
What jobs do people do?
Does it get many visitors?
What languages do people use?
How does it make money?
2.3 Choose two more interesting facts to tell your partner. Listen to your partner’s description of
some other country.
2.4 Compare your country and your partner’s country:
1. The capital of … is…
2. The population of … is …, whereas the population of … is…
3. The official languages in… are …, whereas in … there is (no) official language.
4. … is a member of… . In contrast, …
5. … has elections every … but in….
6. … makes its money from … . In contrast, ….
7. … is famous for its… , whereas…
8. … became independent in … . In contrast ….
III. Write an essay comparing and contrasting two small countries using the information given
below. You may also use the information from one of the texts.
The Maldives
Geography
Population
Language(s)
Capital
Government
Economy
History
More than 1000 small islands (though only 250 populated) in the
Indian Ocean. Smallest country in Asia. Smallest Muslim country.
380,000
Dhivehi (official), English
Male
Elections every five years. Parliament (Majlis) elects a president.
Tourism (about 0.5 million visitors a year), fishing
Buddhist for over 2,000 years. Islam introduced 1153. Independence
1965
Saint Kitts and
Nevis
Geography
Population
Language(s)
Capital
Government
Economy
History
Two islands in the Caribbean Sea: St Kitts (bigger) and Nevis
(smaller, 3 km to the south-east of St Kitts). Smallest country in the
Americas.
45,000. High emigration: population is 25% less than in 1960
English
Basseterre
Elections every four years. Parliament of 14 members.
Banking, tourism, sugar
Governed by Britain/France from 17th century. Independence1983.
Newest independent country in the Americas.
San Marino
Geography
Population
Language(s)
Capital
Government
Economy
History
In the Apennine Mountains in Italy. 61 km2. 33% the size of
Washington DC.
30,000
Italian(official), Emiliano-Romagnolo
City of San Marino
Elections every five years. Parliament (Conglisio) with 60 members
chooses two ‘captains’ from different parties every 6 months.
More than 2 million tourists a year. Also banking , electronics, wine,
stamps. Now one of the world’s richest countries.
Founded over 2,300 years ago by Marinus of Rab (Croatia). The
world’s oldest republic.