Centre
Students learn how typical values can be summarised using the mean, median and mode.
Module 2
Descriptive Statistics
This module teaches students how to summarise data using measures of centre, spread, position, shape and group comparison. The focus is not only on calculating summaries, but on interpreting what they reveal about a dataset.
Module aim
Learn how to describe data clearly before probability and inference.
Descriptive statistics gives students the language needed to explain what a dataset looks like before moving into probability, uncertainty, statistical inference and regression.
5
Lessons
Zero
Coding
Foundation
Level
Summary
Focus
Spread
The module explains why variability matters and how range, IQR, variance and standard deviation describe it.
Shape
Students connect numerical summaries to distribution shape, skewness, outliers and group comparison.
Module lessons
Study descriptive summaries in order.
Each lesson builds a different descriptive skill: identifying the centre of data, measuring variability, using ordered positions, recognising shape and comparing groups responsibly.
2.1
Lesson 2.1
Measures of centre
Learn how the mean, median and mode describe a typical value, and when each measure is appropriate.
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2.2
Lesson 2.2
Measures of spread
Understand range, interquartile range, variance and standard deviation as ways of describing variability.
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2.3
Lesson 2.3
Quartiles, percentiles and five-number summaries
Study how ordered data can be divided into positions, quartiles, percentiles and boxplot summaries.
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2.4
Lesson 2.4
Shape, skewness and outliers
Learn how distributions can be symmetric, skewed, heavy-tailed or affected by unusual observations.
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2.5
Lesson 2.5
Comparing groups descriptively
Bring centre, spread, shape and graphical summaries together to compare groups carefully.
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Learning route
Complete descriptive statistics before studying probability.
Module 3 assumes that students can describe data clearly using centre, spread, position, shape and comparisons before moving into chance, events and probability rules.
Continue to Module 3 →Course pathway
Return to the full Statistics Foundation course.
Use the course homepage to move between all five modules, review the full structure and continue through the 26-lesson foundation pathway.
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