the direction of change over time. Rising, falling or level.

What should you do first with a table of data?

read the title, labels and units. You need to know what is being measured.

A figure rises from 200 to 250. What is the percentage change?

25%. The change is 50, and 50 ÷ 200 × 100 = 25%.

A poll of 30 people on a website finds that 90% dislike school. Why should this be treated with caution?

the sample is tiny and made up of people who chose to answer. A small sample of volunteers is not representative.

Reading tables, charts and graphs · Cambridge IGCSE Sociology

In plain words

The first question on Paper 1 gives you data and asks what it shows. The marks go to people who read the title, quote the figures and say what kind of evidence they are looking at.

8 things to know

Start with the title, the labels and the units. Check what is being measured, who was asked, where, and when.
Check the source. Who collected the data, and why? A large government survey and a small online poll deserve different amounts of trust.
A pattern is a regular feature in the data. A trend is the direction of change over time: rising, falling or staying level.
Describe what the data show, and quote figures to prove it. "It rose" is weak. "It rose from 20% in 2000 to 35% in 2020" is strong.
Compare groups. Find the highest and the lowest, and say how big the difference is.
A percentage is found by dividing the part by the whole and multiplying by 100. A percentage change is the change divided by the original figure, multiplied by 100.
When given a summary of a study, pick out the method, the sample and the findings. Then judge them: was the sample large and representative, and was the method valid and reliable?
Data do not explain themselves. Be careful not to claim that one thing caused another when the data show only that they happened together.

Worked example

A table shows 40 000 marriages in a country in 2000 and 30 000 in 2020. Describe the trend and calculate the percentage change.

The trend is downward: the number of marriages fell.
Change = 30 000 − 40 000 = −10 000.
Percentage change = 10 000 ÷ 40 000 × 100 = 25%.
Answer: marriages fell by 10 000, a decrease of 25% between 2000 and 2020.

Tips and tricks

Always quote at least one figure from the source, with its units and date.
"Identify" needs only the answer. "Describe" needs the figures. "Explain" needs a reason from your own sociology.

5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Reading tables, charts and graphs: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

What is a trend?
- the highest value in a table
- the direction of change over time (the answer)
- the title of a graph
- the size of the sample
Rising, falling or level.
50 out of 250 people agree with a statement. What percentage is this?
- 5%
- 50%
- 20% (the answer)
- 25%
50 ÷ 250 × 100 = 20%.
What should you do first with a table of data?
- calculate every percentage
- write a conclusion
- criticise the sample
- read the title, labels and units (the answer)
You need to know what is being measured.
A figure rises from 200 to 250. What is the percentage change?
- 25% (the answer)
- 20%
- 50%
- 125%
The change is 50, and 50 ÷ 200 × 100 = 25%.
A poll of 30 people on a website finds that 90% dislike school. Why should this be treated with caution?Stretch
- the percentage is too high to be possible
- polls are always illegal
- school is compulsory
- the sample is tiny and made up of people who chose to answer (the answer)
A small sample of volunteers is not representative.

5 questions

Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.

Worksheet

3 questions, 8 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.

Reading tables, charts and graphs

Cambridge IGCSE Sociology 0495 · 8 marks · papermunch.org

Name ______________________________ Date ______________

In a survey of 200 students, 120 said they use social media every day. Calculate the percentage.[2]
Show answerHide answer
120 ÷ 200 × 100 = 60%.
I got this one
State two things you should check about the source of a set of data.[2]
Show answerHide answer
Any two: who collected it; when it was collected; how large the sample was; how the sample was chosen; why it was collected.
I got this one
A chart shows that boys are excluded from school three times as often as girls. Explain why this does not prove that boys behave worse.[4]
Show answerHide answer
The data show only that more boys are excluded, not the reason. Teachers may label boys as troublemakers and punish them more readily. Girls' misbehaviour may be less visible or dealt with in other ways. So the figures may reflect how schools respond as well as how pupils behave.
I got this one

Answers: Reading tables, charts and graphs

1. 120 ÷ 200 × 100 = 60%.
2. Any two: who collected it; when it was collected; how large the sample was; how the sample was chosen; why it was collected.
3. The data show only that more boys are excluded, not the reason. Teachers may label boys as troublemakers and punish them more readily. Girls' misbehaviour may be less visible or dealt with in other ways. So the figures may reflect how schools respond as well as how pupils behave.