The pie charts illustrate the proportions of methods used by international students to book online English courses in three different countries, namely Australia, the USA and Canada, in 2009 and 2010.
Overall, Australia and Canada experienced noticeable changes in the methods used to book courses, while the figures for the USA remained relatively stable. In Australia, internet bookings became the most popular method in 2010, whereas pre-bookings with agents became the leading method in the USA and Canada.
In Australia, there were some significant changes between 2009 and 2010. The percentage of students who booked their courses on arrival increased slightly, from 26% to 30%. At the same time, pre-bookings with agents decreased considerably, from 27% to 11%. Internet bookings became the most popular method in 2010, rising from 24% to 39%. However, other methods decreased slightly, from 23% to 20%.
In the USA, the figures were quite similar in both years. The proportion of students who booked on arrival remained unchanged at 24%, while internet bookings decreased slightly from 26% to 25%. In contrast, pre-bookings with agents increased from 24% to 28%, becoming the most common method in 2010. Other methods also fell slightly, from 26% to 23%.
In Canada, booking on arrival was the dominant method in 2009, accounting for 45% of students, while internet bookings represented 27%. However, in 2010, pre-bookings with agents became the most popular method, increasing significantly from 22% to 35%. In contrast, booking on arrival decreased sharply to 22%. Internet bookings also fell slightly to 25%, whereas other methods increased from only 6% to 18%.