Comparatives and superlatives: how to compare precisely.
Anyone can say one figure is “higher”. Saying it is considerably higher, twice as high, or the highest of the four is the difference between Band 6 and Band 7, and it is most visible in Writing Task 1, where comparison is half the task.
Why this matters. Comparison is graded directly in Task 1 and turns up constantly in Speaking and Task 2. The forms are easy; the marks are in the precision. A Band 6 answer says “sales were higher”; a Band 7 answer says “sales were considerably higher” or “roughly twice as high”. The few recurring errors (more better, as high than, the most highest) are basic and avoidable, and fixing them plus reaching for a degree modifier lifts every comparison you make.
Short words add an ending; long words take more and most.
One-syllable adjectives add -er / -est (tall, taller, tallest). Most two-syllable and all longer adjectives use more / most (careful, more careful, most careful). A handful are irregular: good, better, best; bad, worse, worst; far, further, furthest.
Comparative
-er / more … than
Compares two things. Short adjective + -er, long adjective + more, then than.
The new design is clearer, and it is more reliable than the old one.
Superlative
the -est / the most … (in / of)
Picks one out of three or more. Always with the, often with in or of.
China recorded the highest figure of the four countries.
as … as (equality)
as + adjective + as
Says two things are equal; not as … as makes one smaller. The join is always as … as, never as … than.
Output was roughly as high as the previous year.
Degree modifiers
much / far / slightly + comparative
Say how big the gap is. This is the precision Task 1 rewards, and the easiest upgrade on this page.
Prices were considerably higher in 2020, then fell slightly.
The errors that mark you down
Three recur, and each is a clear accuracy slip. Double comparatives: “more better”, “more easier”, use one or the other, never both. as … than: equality takes as high as, not as high than. Double superlatives: “the most highest”, it is either the highest or (for long adjectives) the most difficult, never both. Get these right and the comparison reads as controlled.
What comparison reads like at each band.
At Band 5
Comparison is basic and error-prone: more bigger, more easier, gooder, and than is sometimes dropped. Superlatives are unstable (the most tallest). Comparisons are vague, with no sense of how large a difference is, and Task 1 data is described loosely (it is more).
At Band 6
Basic comparatives and superlatives, with the odd double-comparative error (“more higher”) and more over-used with short adjectives (“more tall”). Comparisons are vague: things are simply “higher” or “lower”, with no sense of how much.
At Band 7
Comparatives and superlatives are accurate, than and as … as are correct, and the gap is starting to be quantified, “far higher”, “slightly lower”, “twice as many”. The comparison carries real information, not just direction.
At Band 8+
Precise, varied comparison, used accurately throughout: multiples (“three times higher”), degree modifiers (“considerably”, “marginally”), and the linked form (“the cheaper the product, the higher the demand”). Every comparison is exact and effortless.
Match the language to the size of the difference.
In Task 1 especially, the examiner wants to know the scale of a difference, not just its direction. Pick the phrase from the size of the gap.
| The gap is… | Use… | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Large | far / much / considerably / significantly + comparative | Sales were considerably higher in 2020. |
| Small | slightly / marginally / a little + comparative | Prices rose slightly over the decade. |
| A multiple | twice / three times + as … as | Imports were twice as high as exports. |
| Equal | (roughly) as … as | Output was roughly as high as the year before. |
| Top or bottom of a set | the + superlative (+ in / of) | France had the lowest figure of the five. |
| A linked change | the + comparative, the + comparative | The cheaper the product, the higher the demand. |
One spelling note. Add -er/-est to short adjectives, doubling or changing the last letter where needed: big → bigger, happy → happier, easy → easiest. Long adjectives never change their ending, they take more/most. Put these to work in a Task 1 →
Ten to drill.
Choose the correct or most precise option for each gap. Press Check answers for your score and the rule behind each one. Nothing is sent anywhere.
You can form a comparative in your sleep. Saying exactly how big the gap is, on demand, is the work.
Vague comparison (“higher”, “a lot more”) is a Band 6 habit; precise comparison (“considerably higher”, “twice as many”) is a Band 7 one, and it shows most in Task 1.
In a lesson I mark your Task 1 against the data and show you, figure by figure, where a precise comparison would lift the description. Lessons are £20 for fifty minutes, one to one, in proper British English; the first step is a free 25-minute introduction. This page is adapted from the grammar chapter of the forthcoming Ultimate Guide to IELTS Speaking.