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BEST IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, 17th April
ACADEMIC WRITING TASK 1
ACADEMIC WRITING TASK 1
The graph below shows the quantities of goods transported in the UK between 1974 and 2002 by four different modes of transport. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
SAMPLE ANSWER
The line graph gives an analysis of the amount of freight transported via the four different modes of transport over a period of 28 years from 1974 to 2002. From the line graph, it can be seen that all with the exception of one mode (rail) registered an increase in the amount of goods ferried during the period under review.
It is clear from the figures given that the performance of the railways was the least impressive in terms of the amount of freight transported when compared to the other three ways of moving – goods, road, water and pipeline. At the start of the survey, in 1974, railways carried about 40 million tonnes (mt) of goods; however, by 1994, this amount had declined to 25 mt. Towards the end of the surveyed period, this figure rose to approximately 40 mt.
On the other hand, all the other three transport means registered a rise in the quantity of freight transported. Pipeline showed a steady increase in the freight amount, from 5 mt in 1974 to four times the value in 2002. Transport via water was 40 mt in 1974 and this increased to about 58 mt in 1978 and maintained a steady level till 1998, and thereafter this showed a steady rise to over 60 mt by 2002. In the same way, goods transported via road showed a fluctuating but steady rise from about 75 mt in 1974 to nearly 100 mt by 2002.
