TASK 1:
Question: The pie charts below show the methods used by international students when booking online English courses in three different countries in 2009 and 2010.
ANSWER:
The pie charts compare the proportions of four methods used by international students to book online English courses in Australia, the USA and Canada in 2009 and 2010.
Overall, booking patterns changed noticeably in Australia and Canada, while preferences in the USA showed little variation. Internet booking became the most popular method in Australia, whereas Canada experienced a shift away from booking on arrival towards pre-booking through agents.
In Australia, booking methods in 2009 were relatively evenly distributed, with agent bookings at 27% and arrival bookings close behind at 26%. Internet and other methods accounted for 24% and 23% respectively. By 2010, this pattern had changed substantially, as internet bookings rose sharply to 39%. In contrast, pre-booking through agents fell dramatically to 11%, while arrival bookings increased to 30% and other methods declined slightly to 20%.
In the USA, booking preferences were balanced in 2009, with each method representing roughly a quarter of total bookings. This structure remained largely unchanged in 2010. Although the proportion of students booking through agents rose modestly to 28%, arrival bookings stayed at 24%, while internet and other methods accounted for similar shares at 25% and 23%.
A stronger shift was observed in Canada. In 2009, arrival bookings dominated at 45%, far exceeding the other methods. However, this figure fell considerably to 26% in 2010. Over the same period, pre-booking with agents increased markedly from 22% to 35%, becoming the most common approach. Internet bookings remained stable at around a quarter, while other methods rose from 6% to 18%. (254 words)
