Question –
WRITING TASK 1
You should spend 20 minutes on this task.
The graph below shows the average monthly change in the prices of three metals during 2014.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
Answer –
The line chart displays how the prices of copper, nickel and zinc changed every month compared to the previous month in 2014
Overall, it can be seen that the prices of zinc and nickel increased in all months, except for the months from June to October, while the cost of copper only dipped in May and June throughout the year, with nickel showing the greatest price changes. Moreover, the values of all three metals were stable in the third quarter of the year, and nickel and zinc’s figures’ positions switched by December.
In 2014, the price of nickel jumped the most by 6% in January compared to the previous month. Although its price kept on increasing constantly each month until May, the increment got less pronounced, and in May, it only rose by around 0.5%. Then, the price started to fall for the first time in the calendar year when the cost dipped by 3% in June, and this trend continued till October, as the value went down by 2%, hitting the lowest price of the year. However, the figure finished the year at a high, with an increase of 1% in November and December.
Similarly, the cost of copper was 2% more in January 2014 than in December 2013, and its value rose consistently until April, hovering around 1% or just less than it. From this, the price dipped for the next two months, by around 1.5% each, before ending the year with a rise of around 1.5% in the final month. As for zinc, it also started the year with an increase of 1% and, like nickel, the value kept on growing till May, when the value went up by 1%, followed by a dip over the next five months by between 0.5% and 1%. Thereafter, the value rose by around 1.5% and 2% in the last two months of the year, respectively.