“The number of visitors was higher than the library” compares a number with a building. The reader can guess your meaning, but the sentence does not express the relationship accurately.
The comparison chapters in IELTS Academic Writing: The Smart Way to Band 9 provide the basis for this original exercise in matching both sides of a comparison.
Name what is being compared
If the subject is a number, compare it with another number. If you describe visitors directly, use a structure that compares visitors at the two locations. “That at” can replace a repeated singular noun phrase when its reference is clear.
Original sentence repairs
Number: “The number of visits to Centre A was higher than that to Centre B.”
Direct comparison: “Centre A recorded more visits than Centre B.”
Both versions compare the same measured quantity.
Use ratios only when the figures support them
For invented totals of 600 and 300 visits, A recorded twice as many visits as B. With 600 and 350, “twice as many” would not be exact. A more general comparison or an explicitly approximate expression may fit better.
Repair the ratio sentence
Draft: “A had twice as higher attendance as B.”
Revision: “Attendance at A was twice as high as at B.”
Use the base adjective between “as” and “as.” Check that the two figures actually have a two-to-one relationship.
Match the quantity word to the noun
“Fewer visits” concerns countable events. “Less time” concerns an uncountable amount. “A lower number of visits” is another valid structure, with “lower” describing the number.
In your next paragraph, underline both sides of each comparison. Check the unit and period as well as the noun. Comparing a monthly total with an annual total without explaining the difference can mislead even when the grammar is correct.
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Source: OET IELTS WR TASK 1 and 2 - 01.epub, Jobins Training. Examples labelled original or illustrative were written for this article. Independent exam preparation; no affiliation with or endorsement by the examining body. Practice does not predict an official score.