Year 9

Term 3 Key Homework

Statistical Enquiry Project

The aim of this key homework is for students to ask questions which can be
answered by using statistical enquiry methods.

For this keyhomework you will produce a final statistical survey report
covering the all aspects of the statistical enquiry cycle:

Specify the
problem
Interpret Collect
findings data
Analyse
data

It will also include these key elements:

- method
- analysis
- conclusion

Method:
A. Specifying the problem
In class, you will discuss with your teacher the exact topic of your project.

In your final statistical report you will need to

ƒ explain what question you asked (or hypothesis you tested)
ƒ why you asked or decided to test it;
ƒ what your initial expectation (or conjecture) was.

B. Collecting data
During lessons, you will be allowed a certain time to collect your data.

In your final statistical report you will need to

ƒ explain what data you collected and why
ƒ how you collected or sourced it
ƒ how you made sure it was accurate and fair

Analysing and Representing the data:

C. Analyse data
You will need to calculate appropriate averages and measures of spread for
your data. You will also need to present your data in appropriate charts and
graphs.

In your final statistical report you will need to

ƒ show your calculations for all measures of average and spread;
ƒ ensure that graphs and charts are correctly plotted and labelled
ƒ explain why the graphs you have chosen are most appropriate for
representing the data;

Conclusion
D. Interpret findings
You will need to explain what your analysis has shown about the data and what
conclusions you can draw from it. You will need to explain what features of
your charts and graphs support your conclusions. You will need to put all your
comments into context by relating them back to the original problem you set
out to answer.

In your final statistical report you will need to

ƒ Describe or explain your data using an appropriate measure of
average and spread (or correlation) to interpret or compare
distributions.
ƒ Draw a conclusion based on your findings which answers your
original question or hypothesis

E. Statistical Enquiry Cycle (Level 7+)

You will understand that the statistical enquiry cycle is continuous. You will
use your findings and experience from this cycle to identify additional
questions to be investigated.

In your final statistical report you will need to

ƒ Critically evaluate your enquiry process identifying areas of
inaccuracy and proposing more accurate alternatives;
ƒ Form secondary questions or hypothesis which will then
investigated repeating the statistical enquiry cycle. (Level 8)

Students will be supported in achieving a level appropriate to their target

grade through class work.

Attached for guidance purposes is

- writing frame (level 3/4)
- levelled criteria
Level 3 /4 Framework

Hypothesis: Make a statement about what you expect your results to be and why

Example:
More students are born in ____________ .I think this because….
The favourite subject of students in Year 9 of Trafalgar School is
_________ because….

Method: Explain what data you need to collect and what you are going to do to
understand and analyse it.

Example
I am going to collect data from ……
I am going to record my results in a table because…
I am going to illustrate my results in a ___________ to show the number of
students who…..
I am going to find the modal class to help explain if my hypothesis is correct.

Results: Collect and display data in suitable frequency tables

Construct a bar graph to represent the data

Example:
Favourite subject Tally Frequency (total)

Conclusion: State theresults of your analysis

Explain whether the data supports your hypothesis or not

Example:
From my bar chart I see that the modal class is….
My hypothesis is true/false because….
Level Criteria Peer Teacher
assessment assessment
Level 3/4 ƒ I have collected and recorded discrete data
ƒ Where appropriate I have grouped data in equal class intervals
ƒ I have constructed a frequency table to summarise my data
ƒ I have constructed a bar chart to represent the data
ƒ I have calculated the mode and range
ƒ I have interpreted and explained the data using features of the
graph, the mode and the range
Level 5 ƒ I have asked a question which can be answered through
collection, analysis and comparison of two sets of discrete data
ƒ I have collected the appropriate data
ƒ Where appropriate I have grouped data in equal class intervals
ƒ I have constructed a frequency table to summarise my data
ƒ I have calculated the mode, median and mean averages and the
range of data of two sets of data
ƒ I have compared two simple distributions using the range and an
average
ƒ I have interpreted my graphs and used my calculations to draw a
conclusion that answers my initial question.
Level 6 ƒ I have asked a question which can be answered through
collection, analysis and comparison of two sets of continuous
data
ƒ I designed a survey to capture the necessary data and if necessary
trialled and refined data collection sheets
ƒ I have constructed a frequency table for large continuous sets of
raw data choosing suitable class intervals
ƒ I have calculated the mode, median and mean averages and the
range of data of two sets of data
ƒ I have compared two simple distributions using the range and an
average
ƒ I have identified two variables which may be correlated and
constructed a scatter graphs
ƒ I have communicated my interpretations and results of a
statistical survey using selected tables, graphs and diagrams in
support.
Level 7 ƒ I have suggested a problem to explore using statistical methods
ƒ I have framed questions and raised conjectures
ƒ I have identified possible sources of bias and planned how to
minimise it.
ƒ I have constructed a frequency table for large continuous sets of
raw data choosing suitable class intervals
ƒ I have estimated the mean, median and range of a set of grouped
data and determined the modal class selecting the statistic most
appropriate to the line of enquiry
ƒ I have selected and constructed suitable graphical representations
to progress an enquiry including frequency polygons and lines of
best fit on scatter graphs
ƒ I have compared two or more distributions and made inferences,
using the shape of the distribution and measures of average and
range
ƒ I have examined critically the results of a statistical enquiry and
justified the choice of statistical representation in written
presentations
Level 8 ƒ As Level 7
ƒ I have estimated the median, inter-quartile range for large data
sets, including using a cumulative frequency diagram and box
plots
ƒ I have compared two or more distributions and make inferences,
using the shape of the distribution and measures of average and
spread including median and quartiles
ƒ I have interpreted scatter diagrams using the language of
correlation