Hjlk
Dominic Cole’s IELTS Blog www.dcielts.com The bar chart below shows the quarterly profit forecast for three major US companies in 2012. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the chart. You should write at least 150 words. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
Quarterly profit forecasts for three major US companies in 2012
1500 1350 1200 Profit in millions of dollars 1050 900 750 600 450 300 150 0 Jan-March Apr-June July-Sept Oct-Dec
Microsoft
Ford
IBM
Dominic Cole’s IELTS Blog www.dcielts.com This bar graph shows the quarterly change in profits for Microsoft, Ford and IBM in 2012. The first point to note is that while both Microsoft and IBM are predicted to show a substantial growth in profits in this period, there is going to be little movement in the figures for Ford. It should also be remarked that although IBM will start the year with the lowest margin, it is predicted to be the most profitable company by the end of the year. If we look at the numbers in detail we see that Ford is expected to make a first-quarter profit of around $825 million and this should rise marginally to $900 million by the end of September, only to fall back to its starting point by December. In stark contrast, IBM is predicted to show a steady growth in profits throughout the year, shooting up from just over $180 million to exactly $1,200 million by the yearʼs end. After a difficult first quarter where its profits drop by around half to around $200, Microsoft is forecast to follow a similar pattern of steady growth from April to December, finishing at $600 million.
notes 1. This report relates to future predictions. See the variety of language that refers to the future 2. The report starts by noting the two main points: general growth apart from Ford and that IBM moves from the least profitable to the most profitable 3. The second paragraph deals with each company in turn. It is linked by the comparisons comparing Ford to IBM and then IBM to Microsoft
Quarterly profit forecasts for three major US companies in 2012
1500 1350 1200 Profit in millions of dollars 1050 900 750 600 450 300 150 0 Jan-March Apr-June July-Sept Oct-Dec
Microsoft
Ford
IBM
Dominic Cole’s IELTS Blog www.dcielts.com This bar graph shows the quarterly change in profits for Microsoft, Ford and IBM in 2012. The first point to note is that while both Microsoft and IBM are predicted to show a substantial growth in profits in this period, there is going to be little movement in the figures for Ford. It should also be remarked that although IBM will start the year with the lowest margin, it is predicted to be the most profitable company by the end of the year. If we look at the numbers in detail we see that Ford is expected to make a first-quarter profit of around $825 million and this should rise marginally to $900 million by the end of September, only to fall back to its starting point by December. In stark contrast, IBM is predicted to show a steady growth in profits throughout the year, shooting up from just over $180 million to exactly $1,200 million by the yearʼs end. After a difficult first quarter where its profits drop by around half to around $200, Microsoft is forecast to follow a similar pattern of steady growth from April to December, finishing at $600 million.
notes 1. This report relates to future predictions. See the variety of language that refers to the future 2. The report starts by noting the two main points: general growth apart from Ford and that IBM moves from the least profitable to the most profitable 3. The second paragraph deals with each company in turn. It is linked by the comparisons comparing Ford to IBM and then IBM to Microsoft