GCSE English Language revision · Evaluate and compare

Comparing two sources

The idea

When you compare, put the two texts side by side on the same point. Each paragraph should cover both sources and use a linking word to show similarity or difference.

Pick one shared focus.
Say what Source A suggests about it, then Source B.
Link them with a comparison word and explain why they differ or match.

Watch out Two separate mini-essays, one per source, are not a comparison.

See it worked

Worked example

Both sources describe a first day at work. A feels proud; B feels lost. Write a comparison sentence.

Identify each attitude.
Choose a contrast connective.
A's writer is proud to belong, whereas B's feels lost and out of place.

Answer A's writer feels proud to belong, whereas B's feels lost and out of place.

Your turn

Question 11 mark

Which connective shows a similarity?

Question 21 mark

What makes a comparison paragraph strong?

Question 32 marks

Source A calls the city "alive with possibility"; Source B calls it "a machine that grinds people down". Write one comparison sentence.

Write your answer, then see a model answer

Infer each writer's attitude.
Join them with a contrast word.

Answer A presents the city as exciting and full of opportunity, whereas B sees it as cruel and dehumanising, crushing the people in it.

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