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Question 7 of Section A of the exam requires you to compare Text One and Text Two. It is essential for the exam that you learn the techniques on how to compare texts.
This question is worth 15 marks and you will be solely assessed on AO3:
AO3 – Explore links and connections between writers’ ideas and perspectives, as well as how they are conveyed (makes up 15% of the overall exam).
Hopefully, your texts will already be annotated from the previous questions so it should not be too difficult for you to begin planning and then answering this question.
Again, it is vital that you plan out your essay in bullet points or by using a P E E table before you begin writing; this way you will not miss any important information and your essay will appear structured and focused, gaining you extra marks. However, the P E E table is slightly different with comparison questions:
| Point | Example from Text One | Example from Text Two | Explanation |
| Use of humour | Exaggeration of how bad the party was through repeated repetition of hyperboles throughout | The inclusion of a pun in the title | Shows that the texts have the same purpose to entertain their audience |
Instead of having one example section you must include two. It is important in comparison questions that you complete an equal analysis of both texts and, because of this, it is not advised for you to use spider diagrams when planning a comparison essay.
Make sure you compare both the differences and the similarities of the two texts. You do not have to comment on every similarity and difference in the exam. However, it is important that you do not just comment on the content of the two texts. In the exam, you should comment on at least three of the following:
- Comparing the audience and form: do both texts have the same target audience? How do you know? Are both texts the same form? For example, are they both a magazine article? Or are they both a letter?
- The purpose of each text and how the writers achieve this.
- Comparing perspective: do the writers of both texts have the same or different perspectives? For example, both writers may be writing about the city of Paris. One of the writers enjoyed their experience of the city but the other did not. Here, you can compare their different perspectives or their similar perspectives.
- Comparing the use of structural techniques: paragraph lengths, sentence structures, sentence lengths, the overall shape of the text, repetition of words or phrases, rhyme schemes.
- Comparing characterisation and narrative voice: are the texts written in the same first/second/third person? Are the writers part of both texts? If so, are both narrators part of the text or are they characters in the story? Do the texts tell us anything about the personality of the writer?
- Comparing the use of language and literary devices: are similar language features or literary devices used to reinforce the writer’s ideas? For example, the use of alliteration, rhetorical questions, figures of speech (metaphors, personification, similes) etc.
- Comparing the subject, themes and ideas of the two texts: do they contain different themes or the same themes? Do they use different techniques to express their themes?
- Which text is more effective and why?
Make sure you spend no longer than five minutes planning your answer to this question. Try and use words, phrases or short bullet points when planning you essays, not whole sentences. Make sure you include a topic sentence for every paragraph you write in an essay.
You should develop a structure that works for you when writing out your responses to the comparison question. You may find the following example useful.
How to Structure a Comparison Question:
- Introduction: introduce both texts and state your point, giving a brief answer to the question. The rest of your essay should expand on what is written in your introduction.
- Similarities: bullet point the similarities of the two texts (is the purpose, audience, form, tone, language etc. similar?). You are advised to mention at least two similarities between the two texts.
- Differences: bullet point the differences of the two texts (is the purpose, audience, form, tone and language etc. different? And if so, are they aimed at different audiences?). You are advised to mention at least two differences between the two texts.
- Conclusion: which text do you believe is more effective and why? Make sure you relate back to the question in the conclusion.
The two texts may not have two similarities and so mention one similarity and three differences instead and vice versa.
Use connectives to connect the paragraphs of your essay. Connectives refer to using conjunctions at the beginning of every new paragraph or point, or to explain a point in more detail. We will split them up into ‘for’ and ‘against’ connectives:
| For | Against |
| Accompanying this, | Alternatively, |
| Additionally, | Be that as it may, |
| As well as, | By contrast, |
| Consequently, | However, |
| Furthermore, | In contrast, |
| In addition, | In other respects, |
| Likewise, | Nevertheless, |
| Moreover, | On the contrary, |
| Similarly, | On the other hand, |
| Therefore, | Whereas, |
It is vital that your comparison flows fluently and has a concise structure. Using the connectives mentioned above can help you achieve this. For example, your first paragraph in the main body of your essay may involve talking about a similarity that the two texts have; if the second paragraph talks about a difference then you can begin it using: ‘However, the two texts present a difference through their use of …’. Take note that a comma is always placed after a connective. If you apply this technique appropriately in any of your essays in Section A, B, or especially if you decide to do the argumentative/discursive task in Section C of the exam, then this will impress the examiner and gain you extra marks.
