Analysis (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

Analysing & Interpreting Data

Analysis

• Once data has been collected and presented it needs to be analysed

• Analysis is the process which makes sense of the data collected

  • It identifies patterns, trends, significance, connections and/or meaning in the data 

• The analysis involves a number of stages

  • Describe the data shown in the graphs/photographs/maps

  • Identification of the highest and lowest results

  • Identification of any patterns and trends

  • Identification of any relationships between data

• Methods of analysis depend upon the data collected

• Quantitative data is analysed using numerical and statistical methods

Numerical and Statistical Skills

• Statistical methods can be used to help explore and explain the results gathered during data collection

Mean, Median and Mode

• These are measures of central tendency

• The mean is calculated by adding up all of the values in the data set and then dividing by the total number of values in the data set

• The median is the middle value of a set of data. The numbers are arranged in rank order and then the middle value selected

• The mode is the value which occurs most frequently in a set of data

Range 

• A measure of dispersion - the spread of data around the average

• The range is the distance between the highest and lowest value

• Interquartile range is the part of the range that covers the middle 50% of the data

Anomalies

• These are results which do not fit the pattern or trend

• They need to be described and explained

Analysing Photographs and Field Sketches

• Annotation of photographs and field sketches is part of the analysis 

• The use of photographs and field sketches is a qualitative analysis

• Analysis in annotation gives meaning to the features shown in the photograph/field sketch