Mayfield High School

Introduction

In the last few lessons, you have learnt all the skills you need for analysing: 

1. Bivariate data - finding correlation, plotting a scatter graph, fitting a line of best fit 

2. Continuous univariate data - using frequency table, calculating and estimating averages, drawing histogram, frequency polygon and cumulative frequency graph

In today's lesson you are going to write a statistical report on the Mayfield High School data (MAKE A COPY OF ME).  In your report you need to include the following sections/paragraphs:

1. Introduction (1st paragraph)

   • You need to explain what the piece is about: so someone who doesn't know what you are doing and reads it for the first time will have an understanding of what you are going to do.

   • The following are suggestions of sentence starters that you may wish to use:

     • The focus of my coursework is…

     • I am going to investigate whether…

2. Hypothesis/Hypotheses (2nd paragraph)

   • Think of this as an assertion or suggestion you make about the information in the excel sheet (database). 

     • For example you might suggest that students who watch "The Simpsons" on TV score higher marks in their exams. This would be your hypothesis.

   • The following are suggestions of sentence starters that you may wish to use:

     • The hypotheses I will be testing are… (or) I think that… 

     • I think they are true because…

3. Plan Of Action (3rd paragraph)

   • In other words, this is how you intend to go about your doing your project.

   • The following are suggestions of sentence starters that you may wish to use:

     • I will/will not need to put my data into groups because…

     • I will group it by…

     • The statistical calculations I am planning to do are…

     • I plan to do most of the calculations… (by hand or on the computer?)

     • I hope the results of my calculations will show…

     • The statistical diagrams and graphs am I planning to draw are…

     • I hope each diagram and graph will show…

4. Analysis of data (no paragraph here, just clear calculations and diagrams)

   • This includes the statistical techniques you have learnt: 

     • Calculations can include mean, median, mode, range interquartile range, variance, correlation coefficient and regression line IF APPROPRIATE. 

     • Diagrams can include bar charts, pie charts, scatter diagrams, histogram, frequency polygon and cumulative frequency graph IF APPROPRIATE. 

   • WARNING: using Google Sheet opens the possibility of easily including many of these calculations and diagrams: DON'T put something in your task just because it's easy to do so.  

     • You must however include at least 1 scatter diagram and the corresponding "r" value. (reason: see interpretation)

5. Interpretation (4th paragraph)

   • Write your interpretation of what your diagram(s)/ Statistic(s) have shown in relation to proving or disproving your hypothesis. 

     • For example your scatter graph and value for "r" will enable you to make a statement that proves or disproves your hypothesis. 

   • Any diagram or statistic you use must be referred to in your interpretation.

   • The following are suggestions of sentence starters that you may wish to use:

     • The results of my calculations show…

     • The diagram and/or graph show…

   • Remember to say whether this supports your hypotheses or not! – use your calculations or diagrams to give a reason.  These will be mini conclusions of what each graph shows you.

6. Conclusion 

   • What your conclusion is. Include here any ways in which you could improve the task.

   • The following are suggestions of sentence starters that you may wish to use: 

     • Overall, my project proves / disproves my original hypotheses

     • I am saying this because…

     • I believe my sample was/wasn’t large enough to represent the population fairly.

     • As a result of my findings, I changed / didn’t change my original hypotheses.

     • If I were going to do the investigation again the things I would have done differently are…

     • I could develop my investigation by…

Note: it is quality NOT quantity that matters! A shorter piece that addresses the task is better than a large amount of work that contains many irrelevant calculations or diagrams.

If you have forgotten how to do any of the calculations or diagram, take a look at: https://gcseguide.co.uk/maths/statistics/