What we are training, in plain English
A comparative shows difference between two items (taller, more efficient). A superlative singles out the top or bottom item in a set (tallest, most efficient). Parallel structure means the items you compare have the same grammatical shape. Scope is how wide the claim is. Register is the level of formality that fits IELTS writing.

Core formation rules that cover 90 percent

1. Short adjectives (one syllable): add -er and -est
   fast → faster → fastest; cheap → cheaper → cheapest.
2. Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y: -ier, -iest
   busy → busier → busiest; easy → easier → easiest.
3. Most two-or-more-syllable adjectives: more, most
   reliable → more reliable → most reliable; efficient → more efficient → most efficient.
4. Irregulars worth memorising
   good → better → best
   bad → worse → worst
   far → farther or further → farthest or furthest
   little → less → least
   much/many → more → most
   late → later → latest; latter is not a time comparative.
5. Spelling checkpoints

• Double the final consonant if CVC: big → bigger → biggest.
• Drop silent e: large → larger → largest.
• Change y to i after consonant: happy → happier → happiest.

Ten accuracy principles for higher bands

1. One comparative at a time: not more better or most fastest.
2. Use than with comparatives: higher than, not higher to.
3. Use the with superlatives before a noun: the highest peak, the most efficient system.
4. “One of the + superlative + plural noun”: one of the most effective policies.
5. Parallel structure: more affordable for students than for retirees; not students than retirees without a preposition.
6. Avoid overclaiming: if the data do not cover all cities, write among the cities surveyed, the highest rate was…
7. Adverbs too: work faster, respond more quickly.
8. Than vs over: in formal writing prefer higher than rather than higher over.
9. Fewer vs less with comparatives: fewer cars, less traffic.
10. Comparative of equality: as + adjective + as for equal strength; not equally as.

Example 1 — Task 1 data to clean comparisons

Raw note: A 68 percent, B 52 percent in 2020.
Weak: Country A was very higher than B.
Strong: In 2020, Country A was 16 percentage points higher than Country B.
Why it works: comparative plus than, correct unit (points), no vague very.

Raw note: Q3 visits 90k, Q4 70k.
Strong: Visits were highest in Q3, then fell to the lowest level in Q4.
Why it works: superlative for the peak, plain verb for the change, no redundant most lowest.

Example 2 — Task 2 comparison with tone control

Prompt: Some people prefer local markets, others prefer supermarkets.
Weak: Supermarkets are the most better choice for everyone.
Strong: For busy families, supermarkets are more convenient than local markets, while fresh-produce quality is often higher at neighbourhood stalls.
Why it works: targeted scope (busy families), one comparative per lens, balanced contrast.

Edge cases you will actually face

• Farther vs further
  Farther for physical distance, further for degree or time; many modern sources accept further for both. Stay consistent.
• Elder, eldest vs older, oldest
  Eld- forms usually for people in the family. Use older/oldest for general comparisons.
• More fun vs funner
  In academic writing prefer more fun.
• Most with a non-superlative meaning
  A most interesting book = very interesting. Do not use the here.
• Comparatives in negatives
  No other city is as large as Dhaka is safer than saying Dhaka is the largest when the set is unclear.

Mini case — Tahsin in Dhaka

Problem: double comparatives and missing than caused coherence issues in Task 1.
Intervention: a 14-day drill log with three rules on a sticky note: one comparative only; use than; “one of the + superlative + plural noun”. He checked each chart sentence against these rules and tracked errors per 150 words.
Result: errors fell from 7 to 2 per 150 words, and his Task 1 moved from 6.0 to 7.0 in mocks.

Measurable drills

• 15-line repair: Rewrite 15 flawed lines with one of these errors: double comparative, missing than, wrong unit. Target 100 percent fixed in 10 minutes.
• Data swap: Convert five raw pairs into clean comparisons with the correct unit: percentage points, dollars, kilometres.
• Parallel pass: Underline items on both sides of than. Make the grammar mirror: cost for students than for commuters.
• Superlative gate: Use a superlative only if the set is explicit. Add among X if needed. Aim for zero overclaims.

Common mistakes

• Writing more higher, most cheapest.
• Using more with -er forms: more safer.
• Dropping than after a comparative.
• Using less with count nouns: less people instead of fewer people.
• Superlative with a set of two where comparative is clearer: between two options, prefer better to best unless context demands ranking within a larger set.

Tips and tricks

• Build a mini bank of safe verbs for Task 1: was higher than, remained the lowest, narrowed from X to Y.
• When in doubt, switch to as…as for careful claims: almost as high as.
• Read the noun after your superlative. If it is singular but logically plural, fix it: one of the biggest challenges.
• Replace very with a precise comparative: considerably higher than if the gap is large.

To avoid

• Emotive boosters in Task 1: much more far better.
• Over-precision with decimals in comparisons when rounding is clearer.
• Dangling comparisons: higher, with no than phrase or baseline.
• Mixing structures: more efficient than before than last year.

Glossary

Comparative: form used to compare two things.
Superlative: form used to identify the top or bottom item in a set.
Parallel structure: using the same grammatical pattern on both sides of than.
Scope: the set your claim covers.
Register: degree of formality that suits IELTS tasks.
Percentage point: absolute difference between two percentages.

Next steps
Take one chart and one opinion prompt. For each, write two comparative sentences and one superlative sentence. Run a parallel pass, a unit check, and the superlative gate. Track errors per 150 words for one week and aim to halve them.

1. Actionable closing — Case study then lessons

Case study: Sumaiya’s Task 1 rewrite
Sumaiya wrote “A is more higher than B and the most lowest in 2018.” After applying the drills, she produced: “In 2018, A was higher than B by 12 percentage points, while C recorded the lowest value.” Her reviewer found zero comparative errors and clearer units.

Lessons you can apply now

1. Write one comparative per clause and include than.
2. Add units that make sense: points for percentages, times for frequency.
3. Use superlatives only when the set is explicit, or add among to define it.
4. Make both sides of than parallel in grammar and meaning.
5. Prefer rounded numbers and precise adverbs like slightly or considerably over very.

CTA: Choose five raw data pairs or claims and convert them into three clean comparative sentences and two superlative sentences. Run the parallel pass, unit check, and superlative gate. Record how many fixes you needed and beat that number tomorrow.