Band 7+: QUESTION: 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.

The given line graph compares the quantities of goods transported in the United Kingdom from 1974 to 2002 via road, water, rail and pipeline.

Overall, the quantity of goods transported by road, water, and pipeline saw a substantial increase, whereas that by rail saw a fluctuation. There was the largest amount of goods transported by road, while pipeline transportation consistently handles the smallest.

The quantity of goods transported by road saw a steady but significant increase over the 28-year period, raising from approximately 70 million tonnes in 1974 to 100 million tonnes in 2002. The quantity of goods transported by water remained almost the same at about 40 million tons between 1974 and 1978 and then it increased considerably, reaching approximately 60 million tons in 1982, after which this figure remained stable until 1998 before starting to raise again until 2002. A sustained increase could be seen in the pipeline transport of goods from about 5million tonnes in 1974 to approximately 22 million tonnes in 2002.

The quantity of goods transported by rail remained a relatively stable at 40 million tons from 1974 to 1978, and then steadily decreased to about 30 million tons by 1984, remained relatively stable until 1995, and finally gradually increased to around 40 million tons by 2002.