You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
Two charts below show the percentage of qualified graduates in a particular country. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model Answer
The given pie charts depict the proportion of graduates who held various degrees in a given country in 1980 and 2008. It is clear from the charts that the First degrees in Arts and Sciences lost popularity whereas the Masters and Doctoral courses gained popularity after a period of nearly three decades.
In 1980, a quarter of the graduates held a first degree in Arts, whereas only 12% went for Masters in Arts and a very small minority (2%) went for PhD in Arts. First degree Science graduates were a little under a fifth where as the Masters in Science graduates were nearly a third of the total. Only 13% held PhD degrees.
In 2008, Graduates holding Masters in Arts and Sciences were 11% and 10% respectively. This percentage was considerably less as compared to that of 1958. The proportion of Masters in Arts and Science graduates was almost similar to that of 1958. PhD degree holders in Arts grew significantly from 2% to 7% and the PhD in Science was held by 30% which was also much higher than the figures of 1958.
Overall, it is interesting to see that undergraduate or the first degree courses became less popular over time but the graduate courses were pursued by more people.