Presenting and Analysing Data: Tables, Charts and Graphs
How to present sport data in tables, bar charts and line graphs with labelled axes, and how to read and interpret those and pie charts, including why pie charts are only used at the interpretation stage.
Justify the choices, the way you are assessed
Free interactive practice on the decisions the assessment actually asks you to justify.
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Turning numbers into a picture
A coach who gathers data still has to make sense of it. The right chart turns a column of numbers into a clear picture, and reading a chart well lets you spot a trend at a glance. This module shows how to choose and label the right chart for sport data, and how to read tables, graphs and pie charts.
Chart words to know
Learn these before you sort the charts.
Bar chart against line graph
Different data suits different charts.
Choose it, label it, read it
In the exam, first choose the chart that fits the data: a bar chart to compare groups, a line graph for change over time. Always label both axes and give the chart a title. To interpret, read the trend or the highest and lowest points, and remember a pie chart is only for showing shares, so it is used to read data, not to plot it.
Match the chart to the data
- bar chart
- line graph
- pie chart
- table
- compare the scores of four teams
- show heart rate through a game
- show the share of members by age
- list the raw numbers neatly
Match the part of a chart
- the horizontal axis
- the vertical axis
- the title
- the trend
- usually shows the categories or time
- usually shows the measured value
- says what the chart is about
- the overall direction the data takes
Which chart for change over time?
A coach wants to show how a runner heart rate rises minute by minute during a race. Which chart is best?
- A line graph.
- A bar chart.
- A pie chart.
- A table only.
Good chart habits
Select the TWO things you should always do when drawing a chart.
- Label both axes clearly
- Give the chart a title
- Leave off the numbers to keep it tidy
- Use as many colours as possible
Read the bar chart
On a bar chart, team A scored 8 goals and team B scored 5 goals. Subtract to find how many more goals team A scored than team B. What is the answer?
Order the plotting steps
Put the steps of drawing a chart in order, earliest first.
- Choose the right chart type
- Draw and label the axes
- Plot the data
- Add a clear title
Complete the guide
To compare the scores of several teams, a _____ chart is best. To show a value changing over time, use a _____ graph. A _____ chart is only used to read the share each part takes, not to plot new data. On any chart you must label both _____.
Spot the interpret-only chart
Tap the ONE chart type that is used to interpret shares but is not asked for at the plotting stage.
- pie chart
- bar chart
- line graph
- table
Pick the chart
Read each task and choose the best chart.
- You want to compare how many medals four countries won. Which chart is best?
- You want to show how a swimmer time improved across a whole season. Which chart is best?
- You are given a finished pie chart of members by sport. What is it good for?
Explain how to show data
Explain how you would choose and draw a chart for a set of sport data, and how you would read it.
- Say which chart suits comparing groups and which suits change over time
- Explain what must always be labelled on a chart
- Explain what a pie chart is used for