Band 9: question: WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The two line graphs below show New Zealand import figures from Australia and Japan in the years 1994 - 2004. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. You should write at least 150 words.

The line graphs illustrate the value of imports into New Zealand from Australia and Japan between 1994 and 2004.

Overall, imports from Australia showed a generally increasing trend over the 11-year period, while imports from Japan declined gradually. In the early years, Japan was a more significant trade partner, but this changed by the end of the period.

In 1994, New Zealand imported goods worth around NZ$3.3 billion from Japan and approximately NZ$2.5 billion from Australia. Over the next few years, Japanese imports saw a steady decrease, falling to about NZ$2.5 billion by 2000 and reaching just above NZ$2 billion in 2004.

In contrast, imports from Australia rose consistently, surpassing Japanese imports around the year 1998. By 2004, the value had climbed to roughly NZ$4.5 billion, making Australia the dominant source of imports.

In summary, while Japan was New Zealand’s major import partner in 1994, by 2004 Australia had taken the lead due to a continuous rise in imports, in contrast to Japan’s gradual decline.