Topic: Some people think that it is important to use leisure time for activities that improve the mind, such as reading and doing word puzzles. Other people feel that it is important to rest the mind during leisure time. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

The bar chart gives information about the proportion of residents either renting or possessing dwellings in England and Wales from 1981 to 2011. Overall, it is apparent from the data that the number of tenants decreased significantly, while the figures for homeowners showed

the

Correct article usage

apply

show examples

opposing trends over the period in question. One of the most salient features is that the percentages of the two were the same in 1971. The rental market decreased substantially over

this

period. In the

first

year of the time frame, a vast majority of households (80%) lived in rented accommodation, which is contrasts sharply with the figure of 23% for people owning homes. The number of tenants declined by roughly 10 per cent in 1939 and

also

remained stable in 1953. From

then

on, there had been a steady decrease by the turn of the twenty-

first

century;

conversely

, the figures experienced an upward trend after 2001, with about a

third

of dwellers living in rented housing in 2011. There was a significant rise in homeownership, with the number almost trebling by the end of the period shown. In 1981, 20% owned their own homes, whereas in the year 2001 the proportion reached a peek at just a little under 70%. In the

first

decade of the twenty-

first

first

century, the figures saw a gradual decline to approximately 65%.