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In this article you can find out:

• How statistics can enhance your essay writing
• How to interpret and present statistics to strengthen your argument

This resource is suitable for broadly discursive essay writing for S1, S2 and S3 (Third and Fourth Level Curriculum for Excellence).

If a writer wants to present a convincing argument, they must do more than state their personal opinions. One way that an argument can be made more informative (and, as a result, more convincing) is by using statistics.

Statistics is the science of collecting, analysing, organising and presenting data. For example:

• '50% of my friends prefer dogs to cats.'
• '22 out of my 30 classmates like pizza.'
• 'Between 2015 and 2020, my local shop's sales decreased by 33%.'

Data can come in a variety of forms such as graphs, charts and diagrams.

A skilful writer will:

• use statistics intelligently to strengthen their point – not to make the point
• have a range of statistical evidence to draw upon
• interpret the evidence to enhance the point that they are making

The information below relates to the performance of a national rugby team in the Women’s Six Nations:

(These statistics have been imagined for the purpose of this exercise.)

How would you use these statistics to argue that the team performed poorly?

If you want to argue that the team performed poorly, you could say:

The team’s performance was below par throughout this Six Nations competition. This is evidenced by the fact the team played 3 games and lost 3 games.

But that doesn’t feel all that convincing an argument.

If you change the way you present data by turning it into a percentage, you can add strength to your argument. For example:

The team’s performance was below par throughout this Six Nations competition. This is evidenced by the fact that the team lost 100% of the matches played.

Interpreting statistics like this is a simple but very effective way to add strength to your arguments in an essay. It also demonstrates that you have understood the data or information from your research and presented it in an accurate way.

The information below relates to a national football team’s performance over the course of one season:

(These statistics have been imagined for the purpose of this exercise.)

Imagine that you are writing a persuasive essay on the impact of remote learning on young people’s mental health.

You decide to use the results of a Newsround survey called ‘Coronavirus and UK kids’.

Take a look at the statistics below:

"A third of children said the schooling they received at home was better than usual, while 16% said it was the same. But half (50%) said it was worse than being in school. Girls (52%) and younger children were most disappointed (53%).

Experiences may also have been different depending on where children went to school. In London, 38% of pupils said remote learning was better than going to school in person, compared to 27% in Scotland. In fact, almost six out of 10 pupils (58%) in Scotland said remote learning was worse than going to school in person."

(Source: Survation survey for ���˿��� Newsround of 2,000 UK 6-16 years olds, February 2021)

Which statistics could you use to support the points below?

1. A significant number of children responded that they enjoyed home schooling more that in person.
2. Scottish learners seem to really value in-person learning.
3. Some learners were not greatly affected by the switch to online learning.