Band 6+: The graph below shows the number of applicants from four different countries in a UK university between 1999 and 2003. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

The given bar chart illustrates how many applicants from four different nations in a UK university from 1999 to 2003.

Overall, it is clear from the graph that apart from the number of applications from European Nations, which experienced a downward trend, an opposite transformation can be seen in that of Middle East, Far East and Africa. Notably, while European Nations and Far East accounted for the highest number, applicants from Africa was the lowest.

Staring at 30,000 applicants, European nations was the greatest figure in the beginning of the period. However, this number dropped significantly and was surpassed by Far East until 2001 onwards. In 1999, there were over 15,000 students from Middle East who applied for this university. Although there was a slight decrease to around 13,000 in 2002, the number of Middle East increased considerably to over 20,000 of applicants, becoming the second highest figure in the end of the period.

With approximately 17,000 of applicants, Far East ranked second in 1999. This figure then witnessed a remarkable growth and reached a peak of over 30,000 in 2003, overtaking that of European Nations. Africa saw the slightest changes over the period. The quantity of pplicants from Africa remained unchanged at 5,000 from 1999 until it underwent a minimal rise to about 7,000 in 2003.