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As you surely know, Statistics is not necessarily a standalone subject at the GCSE level. For most students, it is a component of your mandatory Maths qualifications. It's mixed in with algebra, geometry and arithmetic. That poses a bit of a problem, doesn't it? Maths is a mandatory GCSE. Doing poorly on a single subject can bring down your entire grade.
Many students are not keen on Statistics. Some pupils worry that this lone component will skew their overall maths score. Perhaps these fears are overblown. After all, the Statistics portion of your exam covers only three fields:
- collecting data
- representing data
- analysing data
Probably the most difficult of these three is representation. Or maybe it's just that statistics sounds so ominous. After all, there is a whole standalone Statistics qualification to consider. Whatever the reason(s) GSCSE statistics sets your teeth on edge, we hope to put an end to your qualms. We aim to show you that, with a bit of logic and reasoning, you'll do as well in Statistics as you do in the rest of your Maths qualifications. Better, even!
GCSE Statistics Online Resources
Statistics is just one of seven topics covered in your GCSE Maths curriculum. Indeed, after the probability section, Statistics is the shortest component of your qualification (tied with ratios and proportions). And it's not even tested as a standalone criterion, meaning you won't see a Statistics paper when you finally sit your exam.
Unless, of course, you choose to sit GCSE Statistics as a standalone subject. In that case, you may choose the Foundation level or Higher. We'll talk more about those later in this article. For now, let's concern ourselves with all the resources to revise for GCSE Statistics.
The GCSE Statistics syllabus contains plenty of terms and concepts that you need to understand to do well in the exams. If you are studying this subject, you might find it useful to visit some of these online resources. They will help you understand and remember all of the statistical information you will learn about in class.
BBC Bitesize
The BBC’s Bitesize website has a section on statistics in its maths revision guide. It has some useful notes, activities and tests that you can use to review the ideas you have covered in class and prepare for your exams.
The BBC also produces a radio programme, More or Less, about current events revolving around statistics. It explores the truth of the figures that we hear on the news. It highlights the reasons some of the numbers might not mean exactly what the newspapers tell us they do.
This programme is an interesting way to learn how the techniques you are studying in class are applied in the real world. It will also help you to think numerically. The programme is broadcast on Radio 4 but you can also listen to episodes online or download them to listen to later. The website also has links to articles covering some of the stories and to the presenter’s Twitter account.
Past Papers and Marking Schemes
If you're only concerned about Statistics as a part of your required Maths GCSE, Bitesize offers you plenty. However, if you've chosen to sit the standalone Statistics qualification, you're going to need more information. Thus, as with any GCSE from Chemistry to Construction, past papers and marking schemes should be your go-to resource.
First, be careful to download the right papers for the level you're learning. AQA makes the distinction much clearer; they write out 'Foundation' and 'Higher' for each hyperlink. Edexcel only marks the difference between the two with either H or F.
As long as you're downloading, grab your copy of the examiner's report. It contains valuable information about the exam and how well past students did on it. Question by question, it details what past exam takers got right and where they stumbled. In many cases, it makes recommendations on how future students could do better. As you go through this document, you should highlight those suggestions.
Many GCSE candidates use past papers as mock exams. They set their mobile's timer apps to the exams' time limit and test their knowledge (and time management skills) against the papers' requirements. When they're finished, they grade their exams according to the marking scheme.
The most valuable aspect of that exercise is time management, a skill you need to master whether your sitting GCSE Statistics or Construction . You won't get to spend as much time as you'd like answering each question. So it's best to develop a test-taking strategy that will permit answering as many questions as possible before you have to set your pencil down.
You should do a mock exam when you start revising for your actual ordeal, and then again, a couple of weeks beforehand. That way, you'll be able to measure your subject material improvements over time. Also, you'll be able to calculate how much time you need for each question. Don't forget to allow a few minutes to go over your answers before handing your papers in!
Quizlet
This study platform may well be revisions' best-kept secret. Luckily, Bitesize now features a Quizlet link at the bottom of every GCSE Statistics revision page. That's because some thoughtful soul built Quizlet study sets specifically for GCSE Statistics.
This platform presents you with different ways to process Statistics information. First, you may engage their 'Learn' function, where you'll find a list of statistics-related keywords and concepts. Once you've studied them, turn to their flashcard option. You may opt to show keywords and 'guess' their definition. Conversely, you can choose to show the definition and shout out its keyword.
After sufficient review, you should take their test - the feature this platform gets its name from. You'll answer a range of questions, after which you'll see which ones you got right. You can then go back to the flashcard utility and review those specific topics before taking the test again.
Like the Quizlet resources for GCSE Chemistry, Statistics' Quizlet presents several different pages. Each is laden with information and exercises to prepare you for each of your GCSE exams' components. So be sure to access them all!
Statistics Revision Materials
This batch of resources is not specifically meant for GCSE Statistics revision. Rather, they're general resources that cover the same principles featured on your Statistics exams. Like many other science subjects, Statistics is widely studied. Thus, learning resources abound. Here are a few of the best on the web.
Maths Revision
Maths Revision has posted summaries of the main concepts that you need to know for your Statistics course. It has sections covering key topics such as sampling, averages and probability. This site can be a useful starting point for revision, as it will help you to review the key ideas.
Revision World
Revision World also has a section covering the most important statistical ideas. It is another good resource for revision,. It includes videos alongside written notes. This resource would be a good choice if you are a visual or auditory learner.
Stat Trek
Stat Trek, a play on the 60s science fiction show Star Trek, is primarily designed to address Statistics education along US schools' curriculum standards. Still, there's plenty to help you to study important statistical methods and ideas. As well as learning about topics such as probability, you can test yourself using their quizzes. The site is designed for advanced high school students in the US, so some of this page's topics won’t be covered on your syllabus. But the material that is available for GCSE-level concepts is very useful.
Statistics Help
The Statistics Help website is full of great resources for statistics students. Some of the topics covered go beyond what you need to know at the GCSE level though. This site's best features include a free written guide and videos explaining many important statistical concepts.
Equation Sheet
Equation Sheet is a useful resource that can help you to remember all of the equations that will feature on your maths and statistics exams. You can select the equation you need from the given lists and then, post them to your own My Equations list. That way, you will have a handy reference resource when you want to check your work.
The Khan Academy
The Khan Academy is another site geared towards US schools' curricula. But statistics learning is universal, right? So this site, too, has some good videos explaining topics. You can explore concepts like the Normal Distribution and others that you will encounter during your course. The videos give very clear explanations.
That makes Khan Academy a particularly useful resource if you are struggling with an idea that you have covered in class and your teacher is not available to help. You can also use the Khan Academy during revision if you want to review the topics you have studied. Just beware of the accent; if you're not tuned into the American accent, the videos may be hard to understand.
Maths Is Fun
Maths is Fun gives some very clear explanations of some key statistical ideas in the Data section of the website. It is a useful resource if you want to focus on a particular topic, but you can also work through the different sections to revise the ideas that you need to know for your course.
Games to Master Statistics
If you want to try out some of the ideas that you have learned, there are some good statistical games available online. These can help you to review ideas like randomness, probability and data representation in a more relaxed way. You can find some interesting examples listed on Online Math Learning. The graphing games are particularly useful as they give you a chance to see what happens when you manipulate data in different ways.
The Statistics New Zealand website also has a few games on probability that you might find engaging and educational. Naturally, these activities are geared towards that country's curriculum structures. You only need to know that Level 6-7 in New Zealand is equivalent to our GCSE-level studies.
GCSE Statistics: Foundation or Higher?
If indeed, you downloaded your exam board's past papers and marking schemes, you might have suffered a bit of confusion over the two different sets of papers. Not because of the terms used to describe them, obviously. Foundation means basic, general knowledge. Higher is more elaborate. But what do those designations represent?
Much like the distinction between the ordinary Maths qualification and Further Maths GCSE, the most significant difference between them is their maximum grade. Foundation papers can only net up to grade 5. Higher papers offer the possibility of full marks, up to grade 9. Of course, this paper is more challenging, not the least because you have more questions to answer.
Based on this information alone, you might be tempted to choose the foundation papers. Not so fast. What does your future hold?
That's not exactly a fair question; nobody can know what's in store for them a few years down the road. However, it points to the level of consideration you need to give when selecting which level exam to sit. If you plan on enroling in college, sitting A-Levels and, ultimately, attending university, you should select the Higher course.
What if you intend to leave academic learning in favour of taking on an apprenticeship after GCSEs? And what if your chosen apprenticeship field isn't particularly maths-intensive? you could get by with all that the Foundation level has to offer.
How do the Levels Compare?
Describing one course as harder and the other as easier doesn't quite hit the mark. That's mainly because even the 'easier' foundation questions can stymie anyone who doesn't understand statistical concepts. So how can the Foundation paper merit a top grade of only five, then?
For one, the levels' papers have about the same number of questions; 14 on Paper 1 and 15 on Paper 2 for Foundation. Compare that to 13 and 12 on Higher's two papers. Both exams' questions are multi-part; you'll have to answer sometimes four different aspects of one question. But the Foundation papers' questions are much simpler; they require less knowledge of Statistics principles.
On the plus side, Foundation papers cover less content and are easier to revise. But you place yourself at a disadvantage by going this route, especially if you intend to advance to Sixth Form. Most higher education schools require at least a 5 on GCSEs. That means you'll have to get every single question right, lest you ruin your shot at enrolment in a good college.
By contrast, you need fewer marks to earn your pass on the Higher paper. You also have a greater range of possibilities for your future because this exam scores up to the top GCSE marks. Especially if you're thinking about college and, later, enroling in undergraduate studies.
With that said, we need to point out that the University and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) has largely done away with its GCSE requirements. Until recently, this body required top A-Level marks and passable GCSEs to earn a spot in the university degree program of your choice. Now, UCAS seldom lists GCSEs as a criterion for university access.
So consider carefully which level exam you'll sit. Unlike GCSE Information and Communications Technology, a subject that paves a direct path to a distinctive course of study, GCSE Statistics will impact any future direction you might take. Make sure you're enroled in the Statistics course you want. If you've been assigned to the wrong tier, talk with your teacher. They will happily move you up - but they'll likely be reluctant to move you down.
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