Statistics
Core Subjects
Additional Subjects
Key Stage 4 - Years 10 & 11
1. Statistics is about collecting evidence to find out whether something we think might be true.
People often say:
‘you can prove anything with statistics’
That is not true.
Instead, this is true:
‘you can prove anything with statistics as long as people don’t ask the right questions’
As statisticians, we are trying to do the best we can to collect and present data that genuinely helps us find out if something is true.
We also learn to ask the right questions of people who try and use statistics to lie to us.
2. Statistics is also about collecting loads of data and looking for patterns in it:
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The Basics
Assessment:
- 100% Exam
Teaching style:
- The course is often taught through a series of projects devised either with or by the class teacher
- Some of the course is taught directly by the teacher
Skills required:
- Resilience
- Independence
- Organisation
- Ingenuity
The Skills in More Detail...
Resilience
Some of the work requires you to overcome problems, particularly when you have to use excel to manipulate data
Collaboration
You will work with other students a lot, you need to be good at playing your part
Independence
The controlled assessment is tough and you will have to complete a lot of it on your own.
Organisation
You will need to meet deadline as others will be depending on you.
Ingenuity
To be good at statistics, you will need to have ideas and find ways around problems.
You will have the freedom to investigate things, so you need to be able to manage your time!
The Bottom Line
Statistics is enjoyed by people who are interested in finding things out. It is enjoyed by people who are meticulous and methodical or creative and impulsive.
It is about using mathematical methods to gather evidence to back up ideas.