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Grade 10 Statistics — How to Identify the Question Type

Grade 10 statistics questions ask you to calculate measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) or represent data visually (bar chart, histogram, pie chart, stem-and-leaf, ogive). Read the instruction word carefully — drawing a graph is a different task from calculating a value.

Type 1: Calculating mean, median, and mode

Trigger words: "Calculate the mean", "Determine the median", "Write down the mode"

Trigger structure: A data set is given (list, table, or stem-and-leaf). The question names a specific measure.

Do not confuse with: Range — range = maximum − minimum, which is a measure of spread, not central tendency.

Method (no numbers — just the steps)

  1. Mean: add all values, divide by the count
  2. Median: arrange values in order, find the middle value — if even count, average the two middle values
  3. Mode: the value that appears most often — there can be more than one
Grade 10Paper 2Level 1 — Knowledge
1.1 The data set is: 4 ; 7 ; 2 ; 9 ; 7 ; 3 ; 6 Calculate the mean and write down the mode.

Source: DBE Mathematics Paper 2, November 2022, Question 1.1

Common mistake

Forgetting to sort the data before finding the median — the middle value of an unsorted list is not the median.

See the progression — same type, increasing difficulty

Easy
Find the median of: 3 ; 8 ; 1 ; 6 ; 4

Practice question — not sourced from a past paper.

Medium
The ages of 6 people are: 14 ; 17 ; 12 ; 19 ; 14 ; 16 Calculate the mean and median.

Practice question — not sourced from a past paper.

Hard
The mean of 5 values is 12. Four of the values are 8, 15, 10, and 14. Calculate the fifth value.

Practice question — not sourced from a past paper.

Type 2: Drawing or interpreting a stem-and-leaf plot

Trigger words: "Draw a stem-and-leaf plot", "Use the stem-and-leaf diagram"

Trigger structure: A list of two-digit (or three-digit) numbers needs to be displayed, or a stem-and-leaf diagram is given for interpretation.

Do not confuse with: A bar chart — a stem-and-leaf plot shows individual data values; a bar chart shows grouped frequency.

Method (no numbers — just the steps)

  1. Split each value into a stem (tens) and a leaf (units)
  2. List the stems in order in a column
  3. Write each leaf next to the correct stem in ascending order
  4. Include a key (e.g. 3 | 4 means 34)
Grade 10Paper 2Level 2 — Routine Procedures
Draw a stem-and-leaf plot for the following data: 24 ; 31 ; 47 ; 38 ; 52 ; 33 ; 44 ; 29 ; 51 ; 37

Practice question — not sourced from a past paper.

See the progression — same type, increasing difficulty

Easy
Use the stem-and-leaf plot below to write down the median. 2 | 3 6 3 | 1 4 8 4 | 2 5 9

Practice question — not sourced from a past paper.

Medium
Draw a back-to-back stem-and-leaf plot for the test marks of Class A (45, 52, 67, 71, 58, 63) and Class B (48, 55, 61, 73, 57, 69).

Practice question — not sourced from a past paper.

Hard
The stem-and-leaf plot shows marks out of 100 for 15 learners. Determine the percentage of learners who scored above 65.

Practice question — not sourced from a past paper.

Words like determine and hence appear throughout this topic — see the instruction word glossary for full definitions.