Candy bars: analysing data

This task assesses analysing data using graphs or charts.

A group of friends are planning on selling candy bars at a school tuck shop. They conduct a survey of 30 people, asking the question, ‘how many bars of candy do you eat in a week?’

The results are presented as raw data, stating male or female, together with how many bars eaten in a week. The task is to draw graphs or charts to compare males or females.

The next task is to look at a statement about the total number of bars eaten. An incorrect conclusion is given that males eat more bars of candy than females. What has been overlooked is that there were more male respondents to the survey than females. 

This task is from the Mathematics Assessment Resource Service, a collaboration between UC Berkeley and the Shell Centre team at the University of Nottingham. A full rubric is given for the task, together with examples of student work and suggestions for helping students overcome misconceptions. Further information on the collection is given here.