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Dealing with Data » Data Tables

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

Cambridge spec: 7.9.1, 7.9.2

Exam: Paper 1 and Paper 2

The parts of a data table: rows, columns, row headings, column headings and units
How to read a table and find a value
How to complete a table from information in a new scenario
How to move information between written form, tables and bar charts

After a study, a researcher has a lot of numbers. If they are scattered in a paragraph, they are hard to find and hard to compare. A data table puts them in a tidy grid. Data tables can appear in Paper 1 and Paper 2 (Sections 7.5 to 7.9 are tested in both), so you need to be able to use them with a scenario you have never seen before.

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The structure of a data table

Key terms:

Data table: a grid that shows results in an organised way.
Row: a line of boxes going across the table, from left to right.
Column: a line of boxes going down the table, from top to bottom.
Row heading: the label at the start of a row. It says what that row shows.
Column heading: the label at the top of a column. It says what that column shows.
Unit: what the numbers are measured in, such as seconds, centimetres or number of words.

Here is a table from a study into whether music affects how many words pupils can recall. Each pupil learned a list of 20 words, once with music playing and once in silence.

Pupil	Words recalled with music (out of 20)	Words recalled in silence (out of 20)
Pupil 1	9	12
Pupil 2	11	14
Pupil 3	8	10

📊 Columns and their headings

There are three columns. The column headings are "Pupil", "Words recalled with music (out of 20)" and "Words recalled in silence (out of 20)". The last two columns show the two conditions.

📝 Rows and their headings

There are three rows of results. The row headings are "Pupil 1", "Pupil 2" and "Pupil 3". Each row shows one pupil's results.

Learn this

To find a value, find the row you need, find the column you need, and read the box where they meet. Pupil 2 in silence is the row "Pupil 2" and the column "silence", which gives 14.

Headings and units

Every row and column needs a clear heading, so that a reader knows what each number means without reading the whole study. Where the numbers are measured in something, the heading should give the unit. This is usually written in brackets, for example "Time taken to finish the puzzle (seconds)". The unit is written once in the heading, not after every number in the column.

Not every table needs a unit. A column that shows a count of pupils, or a score out of 20, may only need a heading such as "Number of words recalled". Extra information such as "(out of 20)" helps the reader, but it is not a unit. The spec says units are used "where appropriate". When you complete or design a table, ask yourself: are these numbers measured in something that I should name?

Reading a table in a new scenario

In the exam the table will be about a study you have not met. Do not panic. The skill is the same each time.

Read the title or the sentence above the table. It says what the study was about.
Read every column heading and row heading, and note the units.
Find the row and column the question asks about.
Give the number with its unit, if there is one.

Here is a new example. A researcher timed how long teenagers took to finish a maze, once with a clock on the wall and once with no clock.

Condition	Boys: time taken (seconds)	Girls: time taken (seconds)
Clock on the wall	40	38
No clock	55	52

How long did the girls take with no clock? Find the row "No clock" and the column "Girls". The answer is 52 seconds. The unit is in the heading, so you must add "seconds" in your answer.

Completing a table

A question may give you a table with some boxes empty, and information in written form that lets you fill them in. The table must end up correct, so check each number against the information.

Worked example

A researcher checked 30 pupils in a form group for two weeks. In week 1, 12 pupils handed in their homework on time. In week 2, after a reminder, 21 pupils handed it in on time. Complete the table. [2 marks]

Week	Number of pupils who handed in on time	Number of pupils who did not hand in on time
Week 1	12
Week 2

Week 2 on time is 21 (1). The number who were not on time is 30 minus the number who were on time, so 30 − 12 = 18 in week 1, and 30 − 21 = 9 in week 2 (1).

The written information gave the numbers, and you worked out the missing boxes. Check by adding across each row: 12 + 18 = 30 and 21 + 9 = 30.

Moving between words, tables and bar charts

The spec says information may be presented in written form, tables and bar charts. The same results can appear in any of the three, and a question may ask you to change one into another. Drawing bar charts is covered in Bar Charts. For now, you only need to read the height of a bar and put the value in a table.

Worked example: words to table

"Pupils who ran with a friend ran 12 laps. Pupils who ran alone ran 5 laps." Show this in a table. [2 marks]

Group	Number of laps run
Ran with a friend	12
Ran alone	5

Each group gets its own row heading (1). Each number goes beside its group under a clear column heading (1).

Worked example: bar chart to table

A bar chart of the minutes pupils spent on homework has three bars. The bar for Year 7 reaches 30 on the side scale, the bar for Year 8 reaches 45, and the bar for Year 9 reaches 60. To show this in a table, use the row headings Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, the column heading "Time spent on homework (minutes)", and the values 30, 45 and 60.

📄 Written form

"Pupils who ran with a friend ran 12 laps. Pupils who ran alone ran 5 laps."

📊 Table

Two rows, one for each group, with a column heading such as "Number of laps run" and the values 12 and 5.

📈 Bar chart

Two bars, one for each group. The "with a friend" bar reaches 12 on the side scale. The "alone" bar reaches 5.

When you move between them, the numbers must not change. Take each number from its source and put it in the right place, with the right heading.

Common mistakes

Mixing up rows and columns. Rows go across and columns go down.
Reading the wrong column because you did not check the headings, especially when two columns look alike.
Leaving out the unit. If the heading says "(minutes)", write "minutes" in your answer.
Putting a number in the wrong box when completing a table. Check each one against the information.
Writing a heading that is too vague, such as "Score". Say what was scored, such as "Words recalled out of 20".

Exam-style question

A researcher tested whether a visible timer changes how many cards pupils sort. Each pupil sorted cards for two minutes, once with a timer on show and once without. The table shows some of the results.

Pupil	Cards sorted with a timer	Cards sorted without a timer
Pupil 1	6	3
Pupil 2	8	4
Pupil 3	7	5
Pupil 4

(a) How many cards did Pupil 2 sort without a timer? [1 mark]

(b) Pupil 4 sorted 9 cards with a timer. Without a timer, Pupil 4 sorted 4 fewer cards than with a timer. Complete the table for Pupil 4. [2 marks]

(c) The researcher wants a more helpful column heading than "Cards sorted with a timer". Suggest a heading that includes the time. [1 mark]

Model answer

(a) 4 (1).

(b) With praise: 9 (1). Without praise: 9 − 4 = 5 (1).

Exam tip

In a completing-the-table question, work out each missing number from the written information, then check it by looking at the row it sits in. Most lost marks come from putting a number in the wrong box.

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