Statistics

Why is Statistics important?

Every day we are faced with oceans of facts and figures.  It is impossible to consider each fact individually, so we use "statistics" to deal with complex data.  Statistics are numbers that describe, or summarise, groups of other numbers.

We live in the information age where we understand a great deal about the world around us.  Much of this information was determined mathematically by using statistics.  When used correctly, statistics help us to identify trends in the past and can be useful in predicting what may happen in the future.

Course outline

Planning a strategy

• Hypothesis, planning an investigation, experiments/surveys, appreciation of constraints.

Data Collection

• Types of data, obtaining data, census data

Sampling

• Conducting a survey/experiment

Representation

• Diagrammatic representation.

Data Analysis

• Measures of location, measures of spread.

Other summary Statistics includes Time Series, Quality Assurance, Correlation and Regression, Estimation, Probability.

How is it assessed?

The course is designed to meet the requirements of AQA GCSE Statistics syllabus 4312.  Assessment comprises one written paper of 1hour 30 minutes for foundation tier and two hours for the higher tier. There is also a controlled assessment of 40 marks.

Mostly we prepare our students for the higher tier curriculum, which will give you the best chance of gaining grades A* - C.  We also offer the course at foundation level for those who feel more comfortable with that.  The highest grade achievable at foundation level is grade C.  The exam is offered in June only.

Related Careers/University courses

A good grounding in Mathematics and Statistics reflects that you have the ability to deal with numbers, data, reading graphs, looking at patterns and making decisions, which is vital and helps you for any university course.  

Reading list

AQA Statistics for GCSE: Shaun Procter-Green and Paul Winters

GCSE Statistics for Edexcel: Gillian Dyer and Jane Dyer ISBN: 978 1846904 547