Band 6+: The graphs below show changes in the steel industry in the UK between 1970 and 2000. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The two line graphs depict the changes in the demand for steel and the number of employees in the UK steel industry from 1970 to 2000.

Overall, both total the UK demand and numbers employed in the UK steel industry witnessed decreases throughout the period.

From 1970 to 1982, the number of employees in the UK steel industry gradually decreased from 200 thousand to a two-third, while the total figure of the UK demand reached a high of 20 million tonnes in 1974 before significantly declining to around 13 million tonnes in 1982. Moreover, the samiliar trend was seen in the UK production, which also dropped from 17 million tonnes to half. However, that of imports marginally climbed nearly 5 million tonnes in a decade before modest decreasing back to around 2 million tonnes at the end of 1982.

From 1982 to 2000, the number of employees who left the UK steel industry consistently declined to 20 thousand people toward the end of the period, whereas the total number of the UK demand slightly increased one million tonnes. In 2000, 7 million tonnes was the number that both the UK production and imports reached.