Band 9: The graph below shows the amounts of waste produced by three companies over a period of 15 years. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

The line graph illustrates the proportion of Australian exports to four countries: Japan, the US, China, and India from 1990 to 2012.

Overall, there was an increase in the percentage of exports from Australia to China and India, while the opposite trend occurred for the other two countries. Additionally, Japan was the country with the highest proportion of exports from Australia, in contrast to India.

Regarding China, the percentage started at just 2% but saw significant growth over the period, becoming the leading destination for Australian exports. By 2010, exports to China accounted for one-quarter of Australia’s total exports. This figure reached its peak at 26% in 2012. Similarly, exports to India showed steady growth during the first few years, followed by fluctuations, eventually reaching 5% in 2012.

In contrast, exports to Japan steadily declined from a high of around 18% in 1995, remaining stable toward the end of the period. A similar trend was observed for exports to the US, which started at just over 10%, dropped to 7% by the end of the period, despite a slight increase to roughly 13% in 2000.