New
New
Year 8
Calculating the mode
I can calculate the mode from data presented in a frequency table and different graphs.
New
New
Year 8
Calculating the mode
I can calculate the mode from data presented in a frequency table and different graphs.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- The mode can be calculated from an ungrouped frequency table.
- The mode can be calculated from a bar chart.
- The mode can be calculated from a line graph.
Keywords
Frequency - The frequency is the number of times an event occurs; or the number of individuals (people, animals etc.) with some specific property.
Mode - The mode is the most frequent value. It is a measure of central tendency representing the average of the values.
Common misconception
Pupils may mistakenly choose the bars which have the same heights to be the mode.
By reminding the pupils of the definition of the mode and asking the question in the context of the data, this should support students.
To highlight that the mode is more meaningful for larger data sets, ask a small sample of students to write down a number between 1 and 20. Then increase the sample size by a little and keep repeating this.
Teacher tip
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Sets of data which have modes are known as bimodal data.
Q2.
Select the frequency table that shows the data represented in this bar chart.
Q3.
Select the data set that matches the line graph.
30, 29, 27, 28, 25
32, 30, 27, 28, 25
32, 29, 27, 29, 25
Q4.
This list of data: 4, 6, 3, 6, 2, 8, 2, 9, 2 6, 3, 6, 5 has a mode of .
Q5.
The data represented on this dot plot has __________ mode(s).
no
two
three
Q6.
Which of these are trimodal data sets?
0, 0, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6
3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
The is the most frequent value. It is a measure of central tendency representing the average of the values.
Q2.
Which of these frequency tables has no mode?
Q3.
This line graph shows data about the time taken for the journey to school in one week. Which of the following statements is correct?
The mode time is 32 minutes as this is the journey which took the most time.
Q4.
The modal pet type is .
Q5.
This bar chart shows data about the goals scored in matches over a season. The modal number of goals scored in a match is goals.
Q6.
Select all the data sets that show bimodal data.
