IELTS WRITING TASK 1 The number of university students stood at over 4 million and gradually increased to nearly 5 million in 1985. In the following year, the figure reached the highest point of 6.5 million while there was a dramatic decrease to 3.5 million. The number of students studying at university witnessed a fluctuation between 3.5 million and 4 million and followed by a decline to just under 3 million in 1991. A steady growth back to 4 million was seen in the number of college students, but then the figure steadily drop by the end of the period.