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Key Stage 2 computing · Information technology

KS2 computing: collecting and presenting data

In Key Stage 2, children learn to use software to gather information, organise it, turn it into tables and charts, and then say what it shows. Just as important, they learn to ask whether the data can be trusted. It links computing to maths and science, and it builds the habit of looking at evidence before drawing a conclusion.

Collecting and presenting data, explained

The curriculum asks pupils to use software to collect, analyse, evaluate and present data and information. That is a four-part cycle. First the child asks a question and gathers the data, perhaps with a class survey or a measurement taken in a science lesson. Then they enter it into a table or spreadsheet, work out what it says (analysis), decide how reliable and complete it is (evaluation), and finally present it so that someone else can understand it.

A spreadsheet is the main tool many schools use. Data goes into cells arranged in rows and columns, and the program can add numbers, find the largest value or count items automatically using formulas. Some schools also use a simple database, where each record has the same fields, so that children can sort and search, for instance finding every animal in a table that lives in water. Which program your child uses is the school’s choice; the ideas are the same.

Choosing the chart is a real skill. A bar chart suits comparing separate categories, such as how pupils travel to school. A line graph suits something that changes over time, like the temperature through a day. A pictogram uses symbols and is common with younger juniors, and a table is sometimes the clearest option of all. Children are taught to give every chart a title, label the axes, choose a sensible scale and keep it clear enough to read at a glance.

Evaluation is where children go beyond tidy graphs. They ask whether they asked enough people, whether the question was clear, whether the method was fair and whether they might have mistyped something. They are also taught that a result is a finding about this group of people on this day, not a fact about everyone. Collecting data online in a supervised way is possible too, but pupils learn not to ask for or share personal information.

Words your child will hear

Data
Facts or measurements, such as numbers, words or tallies, that have been collected.
Spreadsheet
A program that stores data in cells in rows and columns and can calculate with it.
Cell
One box in a spreadsheet, where a row and a column meet.
Formula
An instruction in a cell that tells the spreadsheet to calculate something, such as adding a column.
Database
An organised collection of records that can be sorted and searched.
Axis
One of the two lines on a graph that carry the labels and scale.
Reliable
Data that was collected fairly and carefully, so you can trust it.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 2 says:

  • Pupils should be taught to select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information
  • Aim: pupils can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A worked example

A class of 24 asks “How do we get to school?” The tally gives: walk 9, car 7, scooter or bike 5, bus 3. Present and explain it.

  1. Check the data before using it. The tally should match the class size: 9 + 7 + 5 + 3 = 24. All 24 pupils are counted, so nothing is missing or double counted.
    9 + 7 + 5 + 3 = 24
  2. Enter it into a spreadsheet with a heading for each column: “Way of travelling” in the first column and “Number of pupils” in the second. Type each way of travelling on its own row.
    Walk          9
Car           7
Scooter/bike  5
Bus           3
  3. Choose the chart. These are separate categories, so a bar chart is a better choice than a line graph, which is for change over time. Give it a title such as “How Class 5 travels to school”, label the bottom axis with the types of travel and the side axis “Number of pupils”, and use a scale that goes up in twos.
  4. Analyse. The most common way is walking (9 pupils). Walking and car together make 9 + 7 = 16, which is 16 out of 24, or two thirds of the class. Only 3 pupils take the bus.
    16 ÷ 24 = 2/3
  5. Evaluate. We only asked one class, on one day, so the result may not match the whole school. Rain could change how some people travelled. A better test would ask more classes on several days.

Most pupils in this class walk (9 of 24), and two thirds either walk or come by car. This is a finding for one class on one day, not for the whole school.

Common mistakes and how to help

Picking the chart that looks best rather than the one that fits

3D effects and unusual chart styles look impressive, and programs offer lots of them, so children choose by appearance.

What helps: Ask what question the chart answers. Categories to compare suggest bars, change over time suggests a line. Plain and clear beats fancy.

Not checking the scale on a graph

Default settings can be misleading, and children copy whatever the program produces without looking at the axis, so the steps may be uneven or the bars may not start at zero.

What helps: Look at the numbers on the axis together. Are they equally spaced? Does the scale start at zero? Changing it and seeing how the picture changes is a quick lesson.

Thinking a computer’s answer must be right

A tidy graph looks authoritative. But one mistyped number, such as 70 instead of 7, produces a perfectly neat wrong chart.

What helps: Make checking a habit: do the totals match, and does the answer seem sensible? Ask “What would we expect it to look like?” before the chart appears.

Drawing a big conclusion from a small sample

A survey of five friends feels like evidence, and children assume that what is true for their group is true for everyone.

What helps: Ask who was left out and how many were asked. Phrases such as “in our class” or “of the people we asked” show the result’s true limits.

How to help at home

  • Run a family survey. Pick a question, such as favourite pizza topping or how everyone gets to work or school, and tally the answers. Then ask your child how to show the results and what they tell you.
  • Measure something over time. Record a number at the same time every day for a week, such as the temperature indoors at breakfast time or the height of a bean seedling growing on a windowsill. A week’s table makes an ideal first line graph.
  • Read charts in everyday life. When you see a chart on a cereal box, a leaflet or in the news, ask what it shows and whether the axis is fair. Spotting a poorly drawn chart is excellent evaluation practice.
  • Predict before you look. Before the results come in, ask your child to guess which answer will win and why. Comparing the prediction with the data shows why we test ideas instead of assuming.
  • Keep a real table. Help your child keep a table of something they care about, like books read or football scores, using a spreadsheet if you have one or a paper table if not. Sorting and totalling it shows why a computer helps.

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