To compare settlement functions, put the evidence for both places in the same form, then write sentences that name both. This appears whenever a question gives you a table or map of two or more towns, as in population and settlement evidence.
How do you compare step by step?
- List the evidence for each place: population, services, jobs, transport.
- Turn counts into ratios where places differ in size, for example shops per 1,000 people.
- Identify the functions each place seems to have, such as service centre or industrial town.
- Write a comparison sentence with both figures.
- State a limit: a table shows only the items it includes.
Worked example
Invented data for two towns.
| Feature | Town A | Town B |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,000 | 18,000 |
| Shops | 12 | 85 |
| Secondary schools | 1 | 4 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Share of jobs in factories | 10% | 55% |
Ratios: Town A: 12 ÷ 4 = 3 shops per 1,000 people. Town B: 85 ÷ 18 = 4.72, so 4.7 shops per 1,000 people.
Functions: Town A mainly provides local services, with few shops and one school. Town B has more services, a hospital and a majority of jobs in factories, so it combines a service function with an industrial one.
Comparison sentence: “Town B has 4.7 shops per 1,000 people compared with 3 in Town A. Also, 55% of its jobs are in factories compared with 10%. So Town B has a stronger industrial function and a wider range of services.”
Limit: the table does not show how far people travel to use the services, so we cannot measure each town’s sphere of influence.
The mistake to watch for
Mistaken answer: “Town B is bigger so it has more shops, so it is the better service centre.”
Size explains the larger count of shops, not the density. The comparison needs the ratio.
Correction: compare shops per 1,000 people, then comment on the other functions. The count of 85 only looks bigger because the town has more people.
Self-check
1. Town C has 6,000 people and 30 shops. Town D has 25,000 people and 100 shops. Which has more shops per 1,000 people?
Show answer
Town C: 30 ÷ 6 = 5 per 1,000. Town D: 100 ÷ 25 = 4 per 1,000. Town C has more per 1,000 people.2. A town has 70% of jobs in a port and 5% in shops. Suggest its main function.
Show answer
A port function, because the highest share of jobs is in the port.3. Write one limit of using only a table of shops and jobs.
Show answer
It does not show how far people travel from surrounding villages, so it cannot show the town's sphere of influence.Where does this lead next?
Functions change as a settlement grows. Continue with interpreting an urban-growth pattern. For another view of how places differ, see development and inequality.
Turning a table into a comparison sentence is easier with someone checking each one, as in IGCSE Geography one-to-one tuition.