Printable · GCSE Foundation · ages 14-16

Statistics worksheet — GCSE Foundation

Fifteen questions across the statistics statements at Foundation tier. Choose the non-calculator filter to rehearse Paper 1, which counts for a third of the marks.

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Statistics worksheet — GCSE Foundation

Maths · GCSE Foundation · Statistics · Calculator · 15 questions

MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk

1.Two classes at a school in Coventry sit the same maths test, out of 20 marks. Class A has a mean mark of 14 and a range of 6. Class B has a mean mark of 14 and a range of 14. Write a sentence comparing the two classes, using the mean and the range.
(a)Equal means; Class A is more consistent, smaller range.
(b)Class B did better on average — its range is bigger.
(c)Class A did better on average — its range is smaller.
(d)The classes can't be compared, since the means are equal.
2.Priya wants to find out the favourite sport of the 900 pupils at her school. She asks 5 pupils, chosen at random. Give a reason why her sample may not give a reliable result.
(a)5 pupils are far too few to represent 900 pupils
(b)A sample must hold at least half of the population
(c)5 pupils were not chosen at random from the 900
(d)The 5 pupils may each name a different sport
3.Isla wants to find out the favourite television programme of the pupils at her school. She asks only her own close group of friends. Write down what is wrong with her sample.
(a)It is fine, as everyone she asked goes to her school
(b)It is too small, though it was picked at random
(c)It is not representative, as she picked her own friends
(d)It is too large, so she gets more replies than she needs
4.A scatter graph shows the number of years of experience, x, of 18 sales assistants and their monthly sales, y hundred pounds. The plotted points run from x = 1 to x = 12 years, and the line of best fit is y = 4x + 20. A new assistant has 25 years of experience. Use the line of best fit to estimate a value of y for this assistant, and decide whether the estimate would be reliable.
y = 4x + 20
(a)120, reliable — correctly calculated
(b)120, unreliable — x = 25 is outside 1 to 12
(c)68, reliable — uses x = 12, inside range
(d)100, unreliable — x = 25 is outside 1 to 12
5.A recruitment agency in Manchester compares the weekly pay, in pounds, of seven employees at two branches. Branch A: £480, £495, £500, £505, £510, £515, £1,200. Branch B: £480, £490, £500, £510, £520, £530, £540. An advert for the agency claims 'Branch A pays more on average.' Decide whether this claim is fairly supported, using an appropriate average, and choose the correct conclusion.
(a)Yes — highest wage £1,200 at A vs £540 at B.
(b)Yes — mean £600.71 at A vs £510 at B.
(c)No — median £505 at A vs £510 at B.
(d)Yes — median £515 at A vs £510 at B.
6.The midday temperature in Leeds was recorded on each day of one week: 22 °C, 24 °C, 23 °C, 25 °C, 26 °C, 21 °C, 24 °C. Work out the mean midday temperature, giving your answer to 2 decimal places.
(a)24 °C
(b)5 °C
(c)27.5 °C
(d)23.57 °C
7.A scatter graph shows the mass, x kg, of a parcel and the cost, y pounds, of posting it. The line of best fit is y = 1.5x + 2. Work out the estimated cost of posting a parcel with a mass of 6 kg, using the line of best fit.
y = 1.5x + 2
(a)£13.50
(b)£11.00
(c)£12.00
(d)£9.00
8.A company makes 50,000 light bulbs a day and wants to check how long they last before they fail. Testing a bulb to find out how long it lasts destroys it. Give a reason why the company should test a sample of bulbs rather than every bulb it makes.
(a)A sample is always more accurate than a census.
(b)It is against the law to test every bulb made.
(c)Testing every bulb uses too much electricity.
(d)Testing destroys bulbs, so testing all leaves none to sell.
9.The numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 have a mean of 7 and a median of 7. The value 100 is now added to the list. Which measure is changed more by adding 100, and why?
(a)The median, because the median always jumps when the count of values changes from even to odd.
(b)The mean, because adding 100 to the list raises the mean by 100, from 7 up to 107.
(c)The mean, because every value counts towards it, so 100 pulls it from 7 up to about 20.3.
(d)The median, because 100 becomes the largest value, so the middle value moves from 7 to 12.
10.A quality inspector weighs a random sample of 50 packets of crisps from one day's production and finds their mean mass is 32.4 g. The factory makes 20,000 packets that day. Work out an estimate for the total mass, in kg, of all the packets made that day.
(a)648,000 kg
(b)32.4 kg
(c)1.62 kg
(d)648 kg
11.A survey of 25 pupils in Derby records how many siblings each has: 0 siblings — 6 pupils, 1 sibling — 10 pupils, 2 siblings — 6 pupils, 3 siblings — 3 pupils. Calculate the mean number of siblings.
(a)1.24
(b)31
(c)1
(d)6.25
12.The times taken, in minutes, by 30 runners in a Portsmouth fun run are grouped in this table: 0 < t ≤ 20 — 5 runners, 20 < t ≤ 40 — 10 runners, 40 < t ≤ 60 — 10 runners, 60 < t ≤ 80 — 5 runners. Work out an estimate for the mean time, in minutes.
(a)7.5 minutes
(b)50 minutes
(c)40 minutes
(d)1200 minutes
13.A school posts a questionnaire about school dinners to the families of all 200 pupils. Only 30 families send theirs back, and 27 of those 30 say they are unhappy with school dinners. Give a reason why this result may not represent all 200 families.
(a)Postal surveys always have low response rates.
(b)The 27 unhappy replies show most families are unhappy.
(c)The families who replied were picked at random by the school.
(d)Only families with strong feelings bothered to reply.
14.Write down the statement that correctly describes the difference between correlation and causation.
(a)Causation is a link; correlation is one causing the other
(b)They mean the same, so a correlation proves causation
(c)A scatter graph can show causation but not correlation
(d)Correlation is a link; causation is one causing the other
15.A school has 1200 pupils. A teacher wants to take a random sample of 60 of them. Write down which of these methods gives a random sample.
(a)Drawing 60 names at random from a list of all 1200 pupils
(b)Asking the 60 pupils nearest the door at the first break
(c)Asking every pupil in two of the Year 10 classes
(d)Asking the 60 pupils who volunteer to take part

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