IGCSE Geography / Fieldwork - the enquiry process
Presenting fieldwork data revision notes
Edexcel International GCSE Geography (4GE1), chapter 10: Fieldwork - the enquiry process, specification point E5, G6. Free lesson.
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Process fieldwork results before presenting them. The right graph, map or picture makes patterns clearer, while understanding its limits helps you interpret the data.
How to process totals into percentages
A tally uses counting marks to record responses. Convert the totals to percentages to show each share of the whole. For a pie chart, convert a percentage to an angle because a full circle is 360°. The percentages should add to 100%, which checks your calculations. Each 1% of a pie chart is 3.6°, because 360 ÷ 100 = 3.6.
How to choose a graph
Match the graph to the kind of data. Each graph shows some things well but has limits. A mean is the total of the readings divided by how many readings there are. Bar chart: compares separate categories, such as mean pebble size at five sites. It shows amounts, but not where the sites are. Line graph: shows continuous change, such as temperature through a day. For separate categories, it suggests values in between that do not exist. Pie chart: shows shares of one whole, such as how visitors travelled. It hides actual numbers, and many small slices are hard to read. **Compound…
How to read a compound bar chart
Each bar represents a site, and its segments show shares of the whole. The bottom segment starts at zero, so read it directly from the scale. For a middle segment, subtract its lower boundary from its upper boundary. At Beach A, car is 45%. Bus runs from 45% to 75%, so it is 75 − 45 = 30%. The top segment is the remaining share. At Beach C, 55% walked or cycled.
How to show a relationship with a scatter graph
Use a scatter graph for two sets of numbers. Put one variable on each axis and plot one dot for each site. A straight line of best fit shows the overall pattern; do not join the dots. A downward-sloping line shows a negative relationship: as distance from the centre increases, pedestrian numbers fall. An anomaly is a result that does not fit the main pattern. The line of best fit can ignore it. The line need not touch any dot or pass through zero.
How maps and pictures present fieldwork
Some data is tied to locations; other data is qualitative, meaning descriptive rather than numerical. Maps show where, while annotations explain visual evidence. Located graphs are small bars or pies on a base map. They show amounts and locations, but close sites can crowd the map. Proportional symbols use circles sized to match values. They show the pattern at a glance, but exact values are hard to read. A GIS map is a digital map with layers, such as sites over an aerial photograph. It needs a computer and accurate locations. An annotated photograph uses notes to explain…
How to explain why a technique fits
For marks, name the data type and explain why the technique suits it. “Easy to read” is not enough, because that could be said about any graph. A bar chart suits mean pebble sizes at five sites because the sites are separate categories. A line graph is unsuitable for five answers to one closed question. There is nothing between the categories, so the line suggests changes that do not exist. A pie chart or compound bar is better because the answers are shares of one whole. Process data before presenting it: turn tallies into totals, repeats into means, and totals into percentages. Presentation…