Model Answer

The graph shows information about the percentage of people who were employed in three different areas of the economy in the UK, over a ten-year period between 2000 and 2010.Overall, what stands out from the graph is that there was a significant downward trend in the percentage of people employed in the private sector, while the figures for the public sector and self-employed people went up. The private sector took up almost half the economy at the beginning of the period, but in 2010 the public sector had easily the highest employment rates.In details, as regards the private sector, the percentage started at just under 50% in 2000, and then there was a steady fall to 28% in 2008. Having fallen sharply to 21% in the following year, the percentage then levelled off.If we look at the percentage of self-employed people, it began at around 18% in 2000, which was the lowest rate of the three sectors. There was a slight dip between 2002 and 2005, after which the percentage rose steadily year-on-year, finishing at 30%.Finally, regarding the public sector, the figure remained stable at 38% in the first three years of the decade, but then there was a significant rise to 48% in 2004. Despite going down slightly in 2006, there was then a gradual increase in public-sector employment rates, with the figure peaking at over 50% in 2010.(234 words)