draw a comparison

IELTS use

Useful for making academic comparisons in Task 1 data descriptions, Task 2 arguments, and Speaking Part 3.

Examples

1. The report draws a comparison between the education systems in Finland and Japan.
2. It is important to draw a comparison between the two periods to understand the trend.
3. One can draw a comparison between modern social media and traditional newspapers in terms of speed.

Collocations

draw a comparison between

The study draws a comparison between urban and rural healthcare outcomes.

draw a direct comparison

It is difficult to draw a direct comparison because the methodologies differ.

draw a comparison with

Drawing a comparison with previous research, the findings are consistent.

draw a comparison to highlight

The author draws a comparison to highlight the impact of technology on jobs.

Paraphrases

• make a comparison: More common in everyday speech; interchangeable in most contexts.
• compare and contrast: More thorough; implies examining both similarities and differences.
• draw an analogy: Focuses on similarities, especially in a figurative way.

Common mistakes

• We can draw a comparison of these two graphs. to We can draw a comparison between these two graphs.. Use 'between' when comparing two items.
• Draw a comparison about the data. to Draw a comparison of the data.. Use 'of' after 'comparison' when referring to the data itself, or 'between' for two sets.
• The article draws comparison between two theories. to The article draws a comparison between two theories.. Always include the article 'a' before 'comparison' in this phrase.