Focuses on understanding what exam questions are really asking by decoding command words (describe, explain, compare, evaluate, justify), reading data from tables and graphs accurately, and identifying the mathematical operation required.
Focuses on understanding what exam questions are really asking by decoding command words (describe, explain, compare, evaluate, justify), reading data from tables and graphs accurately, and identifying the mathematical operation required.
For Interpreting Exam Questions, you must know:
Q: A question asks: ‘Describe the distribution of the data shown in the box plot.’ What should you include in your answer?
Q: A question asks: ‘Compare the heights of the two groups.’ You write: ‘Group A has mean 162 cm and Group B has mean 158 cm.’ Why would this not get full marks?
Q: A question asks you to ‘Evaluate the use of a questionnaire to collect data about diet.’ What two things should your answer include?
Q: A cumulative frequency graph has the x-axis labelled 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 with gridlines. The median is read as 52. The actual median is 56. What went wrong?
Q: A question asks: ‘Justify your answer.’ You have calculated that the correlation coefficient r = −0.82. What should you write?
✗ Explaining when the question asks you to describe ✓ Describe = state what; explain = state why. Match your response to the command word
✗ Listing values separately instead of making a direct comparison ✓ Write comparative sentences: ‘Group A has a higher median (45) than Group B (32)’
✗ Reading data from the wrong row or column in a table ✓ Double-check headings, use a finger or ruler to trace the correct row and column
✗ Forgetting units when quoting values from a graph or table ✓ Always include units: ‘The median is 45 cm’ not just ‘The median is 45’
A question shows a grouped frequency table of marks for two classes and asks: ‘Compare the performance of Class 1 and Class 2.’ The median for Class 1 is 54 and for Class 2 is 47. The IQR for Class 1 is 18 and for Class 2 is 22. Write a full answer.
Class 1 performed better on average, with a median mark of 54 compared to Class 2’s median of 47, a difference of 7 marks. Class 1’s marks were also more consistent, with an IQR of 18 compared to Class 2’s IQR of 22. This means Class 2’s marks are more spread out around the median. Both classes had their middle 50% of students scoring within roughly 18–22 marks of each other, but Class 1’s smaller IQR indicates more consistent performance.
AO1 (Knowledge & Understanding): Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of interpreting exam questions, including data collection, presentation and calculation techniques relevant to Edexcel 1ST0 & AQA 8382.
AO2 (Application): Apply knowledge and understanding of interpreting exam questions to interpret data, reason statistically and draw conclusions in context.
AO3 (Evaluation): Evaluate statistical methods and conclusions, assessing appropriateness, reliability, validity and bias through the statistical enquiry cycle.
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