4 Tips for Writing a Compare and Contrast Essay

Essay writing is such a broad term. There are different types of essays, from argumentative to persuasive ones. Naturally, some may fit your writing skills better while others may give you a bit of a headache.

In essence, you just need to learn the basics of writing a particular type of an essay and you’ll have nothing to worry about.

The same goes with comparison essays. These essays are supposed to identify and present the similarities and differences between two notions. In order to help you nail a compare and contrast essay, we’ve prepared a quick guide on how to write them properly.

Take a look at these 4 essentials tips for writing spectacular comparison essays.


A compare and contrast essay implies that you analyze two different things and give a detailed analysis of how they differ and what makes them similar.

In order for you to do that, you first need to do some research and learn everything there is to know about each of the notions separately.

Therefore, the first step is conducting research.

Essays need to be based on facts and valid information, you need to be careful about where you get your information from. Use trustful sources such as:







Simply stating that things are the same or different will not do the trick for a comparison essay. It needs to be based on facts which need to be clearly presented.
Therefore, your next decision is about the comparison points.




For example, if the topic is «traveling by train vs. traveling by bus”, the comparison points could be:






By defining the main comparison points at the beginning, you’re actually making an outline which is to help you further on.


Now that you know what you’ll be writing about and what the comparison points are, you need to decide about the way you’re going to structure your essay.

The structure is crucial for any type of essay, but it plays a special role in comparison essays. This is because the structure helps the reader understand your comparison points better as well as the point of the entire essay.

There are two ways for you to choose between:


Cross comparison is a rather effective way of pointing out to similarities and differences between two things. When you’re doing a cross comparison, you’re structuring your essay according to the comparison point.

You start by taking the first comparison point and talk about each of the notions in regard to that point. For example, you talk about the prices of train tickets and the prices of bus tickets.

Then you move to the next comparison point and analyze both notions again. You repeat this until you’ve covered all comparison points.


Separate comparison structures the article into two separate wholes. The first one deals with the first notion and covers all the comparison points. The second one deals with the second notion, going over all the comparison points once again.

This way, you learn everything about each of the notions separately.

Choose the form you find more suitable for your essay and go for it. Stick to a clear structure and you’ll have nothing to worry about.

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Even though revising what you’ve written may be a bit of a bore, you still definitely have to do it. Once you finish with the creative and perhaps more enjoyable part, it’s time to focus on the technicalities.

Here’s what you need to do during proofreading:




The best way to do this is to leave your essay rest for a day. Come back tomorrow, once your brain has rested from all the writing and it’s able to see things clearly. Then, go over your entire essay and remove each of the mistakes you identify.

If you feel like proofreading is too much for you to handle, try out writing tools such as Grammarly or visit Get Academic Help to find help there.


A compare and contrast essay is a specific type of essay that needs a specific approach. Make sure you have a clear idea about what you want to write and do as much research prior to actually writing. Then, just follow a coherent structure and your essay will be a success.

Everything is simple once you learn how to do it. Use the advice we’ve given you above and just go for it.