GCSE Maths – Statistics

Grouped Discrete Data and Continuous Data

(Higher Only)
Worksheet

NOTES SOLUTIONS

This worksheet will show you how to work out different types of questions
related to grouped data. Each section contains a worked example, a question
with hints and then questions for you to work through on your own.

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 Section A

Worked Example

100 people were timed while completing a puzzle. Their results are shown in the
table. Create a histogram displaying their times.

Time (minutes) Frequency

0 < t ≤ 10 10
10 < t ≤ 15 15
15 < t ≤ 20 30
20 < t ≤ 30 20
30 < t ≤ 45 25

Step 1: Calculate class width and frequency density.

Time (minutes) Frequency Class Width Frequency Density

0 < t ≤ 10 10 10 10 ÷ 10 = 1
10 < t ≤ 15 15 5 15 ÷ 5 = 3
15 < t ≤ 20 30 5 30 ÷ 5 = 6
20 < t ≤ 30 20 10 20 ÷ 10 = 2
30 < t ≤ 45 25 15 25 ÷ 15 = 1.67

Step 2: Plot the histogram.

Draw the x and y axis. Label the x-axis

with the time variable and the y-axis
with frequency density.

Draw each bar by plotting the length

of time against the frequency density.

For example, the first group is 10

minutes long, and has a frequency
density of 1. The bar that represents it
should be 10 units wide and 1 unit tall.

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 Guided Example

Below is a grouped frequency table showing the heights of flowers growing in a

garden. Create a histogram displaying the heights of the flowers.

Height, h (cm) Frequency

0 < h ≤ 10 5
10 < h ≤ 15 10
15 < h ≤ 20 8
20 < h ≤ 30 15
30 < h ≤ 50 12

Step 1: Calculate the frequency densities for each height grouping.

Step 2: Draw the histogram by plotting height (cm) on the x-axis against frequency density on the y-
axis.

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 Now it’s your turn!
If you get stuck, look back at the worked and guided examples.

1. Below is a grouped frequency table showing the results of an English test.

a) Draw a histogram showing the results of the test.

b) Calculate an estimate for the median score using the histogram.

Score, p (%) Frequency

40 < p ≤ 50 5
50 < p ≤ 60 12
60 < p ≤ 70 8
70 < p ≤ 90 15
90 < p ≤ 100 10

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2. The table below shows information about how long it takes a group of children to get
to school.

a) Draw a histogram to show this data.

b) Using the histogram, calculate an estimate for the lower quartile.

Time, t (minutes) Frequency

0<t ≤5 4

5 < t ≤ 15 18

15 < t ≤ 20 10

20 < t ≤ 30 6

30 < t ≤ 40 2

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 Section B

Worked Example

The hop length of 100 footballers was collected and recorded in a table. Draw a
cumulative frequency graph to display this data.

Length (metres) Frequency

0<m ≤1 10
1<m ≤2 20
2 < m ≤ 2.5 30
2.5 < m ≤ 3 30
3<m ≤4 10

Step 1: Add a column to the table for cumulative frequency

Cumulative frequency is a running total of the frequencies. It is calculated by adding up all

the frequency totals that have been recorded so far.

Length (metres) Frequency Cumulative frequency Upper boundary

0<m ≤1 10 10 1

1<m ≤2 20 20 + 10 = 30 2

2 < m ≤ 2.5 30 30 + 30 = 60 2.5

2.5 < m ≤ 3 30 60 + 30 = 90 3

3<m ≤4 10 90 + 10 = 100 4

Step 2: Plot cumulative frequency graph.

Plot a point showing the

cumulative frequency on the
upper bound of each group.

For example, the first point would

be at 10 (the cumulative
frequency) and 1 (the upper
bound of the first group). Draw
this point on the graph at (10,1).

Join all the points with a smooth

curve, making sure your line
passes through the origin (0,0).

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 Guided Example

Andrew collected data on the time it took a group of people to complete a short
race. The times have been summarised in the grouped frequency table below.
Draw a cumulative frequency graph to display this data.

Time taken, s (seconds) Frequency

10 < s ≤ 15 6
15 < s ≤ 20 13
20 < s ≤ 25 11
25 < s ≤ 30 8
30 < s ≤ 40 2

Step 1: Add a column to the table for cumulative frequency and calculate the running total for each
row.

Step 2: Plot a cumulative frequency graph.

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 Now it’s your turn!
If you get stuck, look back at the worked and guided examples.

3. Below is a frequency table showing the amount of time people spent on social media
per day. Plot a cumulative frequency graph to show this data.

Time, t (minutes) Frequency

0<t ≤5 10
5 < t ≤ 15 25
15 < t ≤ 30 20
30 < t ≤ 50 15
50 < t ≤ 60 20

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4. Below is a frequency table showing the price brackets that some laptops on sale fall
into.
a) Plot a cumulative frequency graph to show this data.
b) Using the cumulative frequency graph, calculate the interquartile range.

Price, p (£) Frequency

50 < p ≤ 100 2
100 < p ≤ 150 15
150 < p ≤ 200 9
200 < p ≤ 300 19
300 < p ≤ 450 5

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5. Ella gathered data on the ages of people living on her street. Her results are
summarised in the frequency table below.
a) Plot a cumulative frequency graph to show this data.
b) Use the cumulative frequency graph to calculate the median.

Age, n Frequency
0 < n ≤ 15 5
15 < n ≤ 30 20
30 < n ≤ 45 10
45 < n ≤ 60 3
60 < n ≤ 95 12

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