Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 10
Higher

The Statistical Enquiry Cycle

I can understand the stages of the Statistical Enquiry Cycle.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 10
Higher

The Statistical Enquiry Cycle

I can understand the stages of the Statistical Enquiry Cycle.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
View new resources
arrow-right

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Planning involves defining a question to investigate and what data to collect.
  2. Collecting involves designing collection methods.
  3. Processing and presenting involves calculating statistical measures and graphical representations.
  4. Interpreting involves reaching conclusions and making inferences.
  5. Communicating and evaluating involves identifying weaknesses and improvements.

Keywords

  • Statistical Enquiry Cycle - The Statistical Enquiry Cycle is a cycle used to carry out a statistical investigation. There are five stages. This is an ongoing process as evaluation may lead to new/refined questioning.

Common misconception

Pupils may reach false conclusions by not following the Statistical Enquiry Cycle and skipping stages.

Ask pupils to consider trying to draw conclusions from a large data set of raw values, where no processing or representation has taken place, to highlight the need for that stage in particular.


To help you plan your year 10 maths lesson on: The Statistical Enquiry Cycle, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

In groups, pupils could plan and design their own investigation, making sure to follow the stages of the Statistical Enquiry Cycle.
speech-bubble
Teacher tip
copyright

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

Skip lesson video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Select all the measures of spread.
frequency
mean
median
mode
Correct answer: range
Q2.
Data has been collected and processed about the number of sweets per packet in 3 different multipacks. The company claims ‘an average of 15 sweets per pack’. Which multipack best supports the claim?
An image in a quiz
Multipack A
Multipack B
Correct answer: Multipack C
None of the multipacks
All of the multipacks
Q3.
Izzy and Jun compare their scores in their last 10 maths tests. The tables show the summary statistics. Select the statements that are correct about the mode of their scores.
An image in a quiz
Izzy’s variety of scores is lower than Jun’s.
Izzy’s middle score was lower than Jun’s.
Correct answer: Izzy’s average, typical score is lower than Jun’s.
Correct answer: Izzy's most common maths score is lower than Jun's
Q4.
Izzy and Jun compare their scores in their last 10 maths tests. The tables show the summary statistics. Select the statements that are correct about the range of their scores.
An image in a quiz
Izzy’s variety of scores is greater than Jun’s.
Correct answer: Izzy’s variety of scores is lower than Jun’s.
Correct answer: Izzy's test results are more consistent than Jun's.
Izzy's test results are less consistent than Jun's.
Q5.
Jacob went to the gym and surveyed 10 adults in the gym to find out how much exercise they do a week. The mean was 5 hours. Jacob says, "All adults exercise for 5 hours a week." Is he correct?
Yes, the sample is representative of all adults.
Yes, 5 hours is a reasonable average.
Correct answer: No, Jacob's sample is biased as people in the gym are more likely to exercise.
No, Jacob needs to survey more people from the gym to be sure.
No, Jacob needs to survey people from the gym on different days to be sure.
Q6.
The table of summary statistics shows the number of days of air frost each day in December over the last 10 years. Select the correct statements.
An image in a quiz
There is less variability in the number of frosty days in Bristol.
Correct answer: Bristol is likely to be warmer in December than York as the mean is lower.
York has fewer frosty days than Bristol as the range is lower.
Bristol is likely to be colder in December than York as the range is higher.
Correct answer: There is less variability in the number of frosty days in York.

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Put the stages of the Statistical Enquiry Cycle in order. Start with the stage that should come first when you first begin a statistical enquiry.
1 - Planning
2 - Collecting
3 - Processing and presenting
4 - Interpreting
5 - Communicating and evaluating
Q2.
Sofia is conducting a survey to find out how often people visit the gym. Which stage of the Statistical Enquiry Cycle does this event fit in?
Planning
Correct answer: Collecting
Processing and presenting
Interpreting
Communicating and evaluating
Q3.
Match each stage of the Statistical Enquiry Cycle to an event.
Correct Answer:Planning,Deciding to research the safety of driverless cars
tick

Deciding to research the safety of driverless cars

Correct Answer:Collecting,Testing a driverless car on a track
tick

Testing a driverless car on a track

Correct Answer:Processing and presenting,Using a spreadsheet to analyse the data
tick

Using a spreadsheet to analyse the data

Correct Answer:Interpreting,Looking at results and deciding what they show
tick

Looking at results and deciding what they show

Correct Answer:Communicating and evaluating,Concluding a new driverless car is safe
tick

Concluding a new driverless car is safe

Q4.
Which stage is missing from this Statistical Enquiry Cycle?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: interpreting, Interpreting, interpret, Interpret
Q5.
Jun wants to know what options the year 9 pupils in his school might choose for GCSE. He plans to ask 'What subject is your favourite?'. What statistics can he find with the data from this question?
Mean
Median
Correct answer: Mode
Range
Q6.
Laura wants to find out whether pupils who are good at throwing the javelin are also good at shotput. She collects data for 20 pupils on best javelin and shotput throws. What chart should Laura use?
Bar chart
Line graph
Pie chart
Correct answer: Scatter graph