Types of Data - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

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GCSE · Statistics

S04 Types of Data

EDEXCEL 1ST0 · Calculator allowed · about 90 minutes
Total Marks
Name: _______________________________    Date: ____ / ____ / ______
Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.
1
Data can be described as either qualitative or quantitative, depending on what is being recorded.
(a)Define what is meant by qualitative data.(1)
(b)Define what is meant by quantitative data.(1)
(c)A vet records information about 4 variables for every animal at a clinic. For each variable, write down whether it is qualitative or quantitative.
VariableType (qualitative or quantitative)
Breed of animal
Mass of animal (kg)
Colour of coat
Number of visits this year
(4)
(Total for Question 1 is 6 marks)
2
Quantitative data can be further described as discrete or continuous.
(a)Define what is meant by discrete data.(1)
(b)Define what is meant by continuous data.(1)
(c)For each variable, write down whether it is discrete or continuous.
VariableDiscrete or continuous
Shoe size
Height of a plant (cm)
Number of siblings
Time taken to run 100 m (seconds)
Mass of a bag of sugar (kg)
(5)
(Total for Question 2 is 7 marks)
3
Data can also be classified by where it comes from: primary data or secondary data.
(a)Define what is meant by primary data.(1)
(b)Define what is meant by secondary data.(1)
(c)For each scenario, write down whether primary or secondary data is being used.
ScenarioPrimary or secondary
A student times her own class doing a memory test.
A researcher uses population figures published by the Office for National Statistics.
A shop owner counts how many customers enter her shop each day.
A student uses last year's weather records from the Met Office website.
(4)
(Total for Question 3 is 6 marks)
4
For each variable, circle the word that correctly describes it.
(a)Number of pets owned by a family:(1)
  • Qualitative
  • Quantitative
(b)Favourite colour of paint:(1)
  • Qualitative
  • Quantitative
(c)Time taken to solve a puzzle, in seconds:(1)
  • Discrete
  • Continuous
(d)Number of goals scored in a match:(1)
  • Discrete
  • Continuous
(e)A student's own measurements taken during a science experiment:(1)
  • Primary
  • Secondary
(f)Rainfall figures taken from a government website:(1)
  • Primary
  • Secondary
(Total for Question 4 is 6 marks)
5
Complete each sentence using one word from the box. Each word may be used once, more than once, or not at all.

qualitative, quantitative, discrete, continuous, primary, secondary
(a)Data that describes a quality and cannot be measured numerically is called ______ data.(1)
(b)Data that is numerical and can be counted or measured is called ______ data.(1)
(c)______ data can only take exact, separate values, such as the number of cars in a car park.(1)
(d)______ data can take any value within a range, such as the exact time taken to complete a race.(1)
(e)Data collected first-hand, for a specific purpose, is called ______ data.(1)
(f)Data that has already been collected by someone else, for a different purpose, is called ______ data.(1)
(Total for Question 5 is 6 marks)
6
For each statement about types of data, write down whether it is True or False.
(i)Continuous data can only take whole-number values.(1)
(ii)The number of pets a family owns is discrete data.(1)
(iii)Secondary data is always less reliable than primary data.(1)
(iv)Nominal data has categories that can be placed in a meaningful order.(1)
(v)Bivariate data involves two variables recorded for each individual or item in a data set.(1)
(Total for Question 6 is 5 marks)
7
Amir wants to find the average monthly rainfall in the UK over the last 20 years, to use in a geography project.
(a)State whether Amir should collect primary data or use secondary data for this investigation.(1)
(b)Give two reasons to justify your answer to part (a).(2)
(c)State one disadvantage of Amir using secondary data for this project.(1)
(Total for Question 7 is 4 marks)
8
Primary and secondary data both have advantages and disadvantages.
(a)Give one advantage of using primary data.(1)
(b)Give one disadvantage of using primary data.(1)
(c)Give one advantage of using secondary data.(1)
(d)Give one disadvantage of using secondary data.(1)
(e)A company wants to compare its own weekly sales figures against sales trends for the whole of the UK retail sector. State whether the company needs primary or secondary data to find out about UK-wide retail trends, and explain your answer.(2)
(Total for Question 8 is 6 marks)
9
Categorical (qualitative) data can be further divided into nominal data and ordinal data.
(a)Define what is meant by nominal data.(1)
(b)Define what is meant by ordinal data.(1)
(c)For each variable, write down whether it is nominal or ordinal.
VariableNominal or ordinal
Eye colour
T-shirt size (S, M, L, XL)
Exam grade achieved (9, 8, 7, ..., 1, U)
Postcode
Favourite type of music
(5)
(d)Explain why exam grade is an example of ordinal data rather than nominal data.(1)
(Total for Question 9 is 8 marks)
10
Bivariate data is data in which two variables are recorded for each individual or item, so that any relationship between them can be investigated. The scatter graph shows the height and arm span of 8 students in a class.
150160170180190200150160170180190200Height (cm)Arm span (cm)
(a)Define what is meant by bivariate data.(1)
(b)State the two variables that have been recorded to create this scatter graph.(2)
(c)Give one other example of a pair of variables that would produce bivariate data if recorded for the same group of people.(1)
(Total for Question 10 is 4 marks)
11
Data can be recorded as raw (ungrouped) data, or it can be organised into grouped data.
(a)Define what is meant by raw (ungrouped) data.(1)
(b)Define what is meant by grouped data.(1)
(c)The raw ages, in years, of 15 people at a gym class are shown below.

23, 45, 31, 29, 52, 38, 41, 27, 33, 49, 36, 44, 28, 55, 32

Complete the grouped frequency table.
Age (years)Frequency
20 - 29
30 - 39
40 - 49
50 - 59
(3)
(d)Give one advantage and one disadvantage of grouping this data.(2)
(Total for Question 11 is 7 marks)
12
A courier company grouped the weights of 30 parcels delivered in one day. The bar chart shows the results.
0246810120 - <22 - <44 - <66 - <88 - <10Weight (kg)Frequency
(a)Use the bar chart to write down the number of parcels with weight in the interval 4 - <6 kg.(1)
(b)Explain why the horizontal axis is labelled using class intervals (such as 2 - <4 kg) rather than the exact weight of each parcel.(2)
(Total for Question 12 is 3 marks)
13
A student is carrying out a statistical investigation into the question: 'Do students who spend more time revising get higher test scores?' She plans to follow the statistical enquiry cycle: plan, collect, process, interpret.
(a)At the plan stage, state two variables the student should record for each student in her sample.(2)
(b)Classify the data type of each variable named in part (a).(2)
(c)At the collect stage, state whether the student should use primary or secondary data, and give a reason for your answer.(2)
(d)At the interpret stage, the student's sample only includes students from one class in her year group. Explain one way this could limit the conclusions she can draw.(1)
(Total for Question 13 is 7 marks)
14
The table shows 8 variables collected in a school survey about travel to school and lifestyle. For each variable, write down whether it is qualitative, discrete quantitative, or continuous quantitative.
VariableData type
Mode of transport to school
Distance travelled to school (km)
Number of school bags carried
Time taken to travel to school (minutes)
T-shirt size worn (S, M, L, XL)
Favourite school subject
Height of each pupil (cm)
Number of days absent this term
(Total for Question 14 is 8 marks)
15
A supermarket manager wants to decide whether to start stocking a new brand of oat milk. She is considering two options: (1) survey her own customers in-store, or (2) look at national sales reports for oat milk published by a market research company.
(a)Which option, (1) or (2), would produce primary data? Give a reason.(2)
(b)Give one advantage of the manager using option (2) instead of option (1).(1)
(c)Give one disadvantage of the manager using option (2) instead of option (1).(1)
(d)State which option you would recommend, with a reason.(1)
(Total for Question 15 is 5 marks)
16
In a survey, students are asked which of three school clubs they attend. Their answers are recorded using codes: 1 = Drama club, 2 = Sports club, 3 = Art club.
(a)Explain why this data is qualitative, even though it has been recorded using numbers.(2)
(b)Is this an example of nominal or ordinal data? Give a reason.(1)
(Total for Question 16 is 3 marks)
17
Ffion wants to find out whether taller students tend to have bigger shoe sizes. She asks 5 of her friends their height and records their shoe size using the categories 'small', 'medium' or 'large' rather than an exact shoe size.
(a)State the two variables involved in Ffion's investigation, and say whether the data she is collecting is bivariate.(2)
(b)Explain why recording shoe size as 'small', 'medium' or 'large' loses information compared with recording the exact shoe size.(2)
(c)Give one further limitation of Ffion's data collection method.(1)
(d)Suggest one improvement Ffion could make to her data collection.(1)
(Total for Question 17 is 6 marks)
18
A gardener grouped the heights of 50 sunflowers into class intervals, as shown.
Height (cm)Frequency
100 - 1198
120 - 13919
140 - 15917
160 - 1796
(a)Explain why the gardener can only estimate the mean height of the sunflowers from this table, rather than calculate it exactly.(2)
(b)State one way the gardener could have collected the data so that the exact mean height could be found.(1)
(Total for Question 18 is 3 marks)
19
Complete the table below, classifying each variable in two ways.
(a)
VariableQualitative or quantitativeDiscrete or continuous (or N/A)
Number of pets owned
Time to complete a marathon (hours)
Breed of dog
(5)
(b)Explain why 'discrete or continuous' does not apply to the variable 'breed of dog'.(1)
(Total for Question 19 is 6 marks)
20
A student is planning an investigation and is comparing primary and secondary data collection using the table below. Complete the missing cells.
FactorPrimary dataSecondary data
Typical costusually higher
Typical time to obtainusually quicker
How well it matches the exact research questionmay not match exactly
(a)Complete the missing cells in the table above.(3)
(b)A student is short on time before a coursework deadline. State, with a reason, which type of data she should prioritise using.(2)
(Total for Question 20 is 5 marks)
21
A national charity is investigating the question: 'Has the average distance people commute to work changed over the last 10 years?' The charity obtains commuting-distance figures from a government transport survey published every year since 2005, rather than surveying commuters itself.
(a)State whether the government transport survey data used by the charity is primary or secondary data. Give a reason.(2)
(b)The variable 'commuting distance (km)' is quantitative. State, with a reason, whether it is discrete or continuous.(2)
(c)The charity also records the year of each survey alongside the average commuting distance for that year, so that a trend can be studied. Explain why this makes the data set bivariate.(2)
(d)Evaluate one limitation of using this secondary data set to answer the charity's question, and suggest how the charity could address it.(2)
(Total for Question 21 is 8 marks)
Mark scheme · S04 Types of Data

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Question 9

Question 10

Question 11

Question 12

Question 13

Question 14

Question 15

Question 16

Question 17

Question 18

Question 19

Question 20

Question 21