Comparing Two Texts on the Same Topic
How to read two English sources side by side — finding where they agree, where they conflict, and why.
Exams, research and work all ask the same thing: here are two accounts of one event — what do you make of them? This is a distinct reading skill from understanding either text alone.
Separate the three layers
For each text, ask:
- What facts does it state?
- What position does it take?
- What does it leave out?
The third is usually the most revealing and the easiest to miss.
Where texts can differ
Same facts, different emphasis.
Text A: Unemployment fell to 6%, though 400,000 remain out of work. Text B: 400,000 remain out of work, though unemployment fell to 6%.
Identical facts. The clause after though is the one that gets downgraded — so A is optimistic and B is not.
Same facts, different framing words.
A: The government invested £2bn in the scheme. B: The government spent £2bn on the scheme.
Invested implies a return. Spent does not.
Different facts. One says 300 attended, the other 1,000. Now ask who counted, and when — organisers and police routinely produce different crowd figures.
Different scope. One covers a month, the other five years. A trend can reverse depending on where you start the line.
Useful language for writing the comparison
- Agreement: Both texts…, Like Text A, Text B…, Similarly…
- Disagreement: Whereas A argues…, B maintains…, In contrast…, A goes further, claiming…
- Partial: While both accept X, they differ on Y.
A worked example
A: The trial reduced waiting times by a third. Staff described the new system as a clear improvement. B: Waiting times fell during the trial, though the period coincided with a seasonal drop in demand. Staff were not surveyed independently.
They agree on the fact (times fell). They differ on the cause (the system, or the season) and on the quality of the evidence (who asked the staff). Neither states a false thing.
Test yourself
The quiz below gives you paired extracts. Look for what the second one adds or withholds.