Reasons for Studying: Then and Now

The two pie charts below show the main reasons adults gave for enrolling in further education courses in one country in 1990 and in 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

In 1990, the largest share of learners cited ‘to improve job prospects’ at 40 per cent, followed by ‘personal interest’ at 30 per cent, ‘to gain a qualification’ at 20 per cent, and ‘to meet people’ at 10 per cent. In 2020, ‘to improve job prospects’ had fallen to 30 per cent, while ‘to gain a qualification’ had risen to 35 per cent and had become the most common reason. ‘Personal interest’ remained at 30 per cent, and ‘to meet people’ dropped to 5 per cent.