Band 8+: You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The line graph shows how much money overseas visitors spent in the UK from 1980 - 2010 and the pie charts show the reasons for their visits in 1980 and 2010. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

The line graph illustrates how much money overseas visitors spent in the UK between 1980 and 2010, while the pie charts compare the main purposes of their visits in 1980 and 2010.

Overall, there was a significant increase in the amount of money spent by overseas visitors over the 30-year period, despite some fluctuations. Additionally, while holidays remained the most common reason for visiting the UK, the proportion of people travelling for business rose, whereas visits to friends or relatives declined slightly.

In 1980, overseas visitors spent around £8,000 million in the UK. Spending dropped to below £7,000 million in the mid-1980s, before rising steadily to approximately £10,000 million by 1990. After some fluctuations in the 1990s, the figure peaked at just under £12,000 million around 2000, followed by a small decline before reaching roughly £11,000 million in 2010.

Regarding the reasons for visits, holidays accounted for the largest share in both years, although the proportion fell slightly from 44.1% in 1980 to 39.1% in 2010. Business trips increased noticeably from 20.7% to 22.8%, and the percentage of those visiting friends or relatives rose modestly from 18.7% to 28.3%. Conversely, the category of “Other reasons” declined from 16.6% to just 9.8%.