The bar chart illustrates four different categories of dissertations written by students in a British university every ten years from 1990 to 2010.
Overall, there were remarkable increases in the figure for students completing their dissertations on time and late while a substantial decline was seen in the category of failing to write. Notably, the number of dissertations rewritten experienced the most dramatic change over the surveyed period, whereas on-time completion on time consistently stood out as by far the most prominent trend and recorded the most significant growth over the 30-year period.
Regarding on-time and late completion, both categories showed upward trends throughout the examined years. Around 150 students finished their dissertations in 1990, before rising to reach a peak of about 350 students in 2010. Owing to this more than double increase, this figure remained its highest ranking in the final year. A similar change can be seen in late completion which climbed considerably from approximately 20 students in 1990 to above 50 students in 2010.
By contrast, the remaining categories showed different trends in the same period. The number of students failing to write dissertations commenced at over 50 students in 1990, making it the second-ranking figure, after which it witnessed a significant decrease to around 5 students, and was surpassed by late completion in 2010. The figure for students who had rewritten began at about 1 student in 1990 and then it increased to 30 students which changed its position ranking from the least to the third in the final year.