Grade 10 · CAPS

Grade 10 Data handling

Mathematical Literacy practice questions and a worked example

Grade 10 Mathematical Literacy data handling questions give you survey results, test marks, heart-rate readings, a tally table and several graphs. You say whether data is categorical or numerical and discrete or continuous, read bar graphs and pie charts, and calculate the mean, median, mode and range, then use them to judge a claim. They come from Grade 10 November papers set by the Eastern Cape (2019, and the 2020 exemplar) and North West (2024) education departments, each with the answer from the marking guideline.

Worked example

A group of Grade 10 learners were asked what amount of airtime they use in a month. The results are given in the table below. Refer to the information and answer the questions that follow. TABLE 3: RESULTS OF GRADE 10 AIRTIME USAGE SURVEY 5.1.1 Define the term median.

Answer & explanation

The median is the middle value of a data set, after arranging it in ascending/descending order.

The median is a measure of central tendency. To find the median, you first arrange the data set in either ascending or descending order. Once the data is ordered, the median is the middle value. If there is an odd number of data points, the median is the exact middle number. If there is an even number of data points, the median is the average of the two middle numbers. This definition helps to understand where the median fits in a data set.

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Data handling

Question 1 of 3

The fundraising committee of your school is planning their annual Spring Dance. They decided on a venue that charges R7 500,00 for a function of five hours, with an additional charge of R900,00 per hour, or part thereof. The venue accommodates 120 guests for a three-course meal and dancing. NOTE: The dance starts at 18:30 and ends at 23:55. 1.2 Is the number of guests attending the dance, discrete or continuous data?

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Common mistakes

Finding the median before sorting. The marking guideline first puts the 12 car lengths in order, then averages the two middle values: (4,2 + 4,3) ÷ 2 = 4,25.
Giving only one mode when two values tie. In the water-usage graph, 17 and 19 each appear three times, so the mode is 17 and 19.
Calling counted data continuous. The number of guests at a dance is discrete data, because it is counted, not measured.