Singapore is one of the leading business hubs in Asia and the world, making it a world filled with numbers and statistics.
As a result of the importance of numbers and statistics in Singapore’s development and growth, students are taught early on the importance of math and science and how they can be proficient in the subject. In A-Levels, statistics is one of the vital classes taught to students for their math proficiency.
However, not all students are able to master statistics, especially when trying to interpret data for their General Papers.
If you are taking your A-levels and having troubles with applying statistics for your A-level General Paper, you can seek the assistance of A-level tuition or General Paper tuition for students. There are also tutors who offer General Paper tuition to assist any student having problems with the subject.
Why use stats?
Statistics has many benefits, but two clearly highlight why it should be used:
• It is a way to support your argument with the help of data.
• It provides credibility to your argument with the assistance of credible sources and institutions.
When you do add statistics to your paper, it also gives a good impression to your reader that you are well-versed about the topic and you can support your claims easily.
However, if you do use statistics for your papers, you should be wary of these common pitfalls:
1. Stating the statistic without citing its source
When we use statistics in papers, it enables us to provide credibility to our arguments by drawing upon the data from credible sources or groups. If you do not cite the source and just state a statistic, you are reducing your work’s credibility.
2. Quoting a questionable statistic from an unverified source
Not all sources are credible and even if you cited numbers that would support your argument, it will not make your paper credible because the data is not from a valid source.
3. Making up your own statistics
While citing numbers in your paper is good at first glance, it will work against you if your examiner finds out it is not a valid figure.
4. Stating a statistic without proper explanation
If you just put numbers on your paper, your reader does not have an idea of how it relates to your paper. As the writer, you must explain how the figures relate to the claims you made in the paper.
How to use stats effectively?
Now that you know the pitfalls, it is now time to look into the ways you can apply statistics effectively in your General Papers or in any paper you may right.
Here are the steps you can follow when you write your paper with statistics included.
First of all, have a clear topic sentence in mind for your paper aside from the statistics you will use. Although you can skip this step, having a topic sentence ready can help remind you that your statistics are there to support your topic sentence and it should not just be cited without supporting something.
The next step you need to do is to ensure your argument is well-developed before you provide an example. This part will give your readers an idea how your statistic or example will come into the argument.
Once you have the argument ready, it is time to ensure you write where you got your statistics or your source, and provide other details that would make your example clearer to understand. Your source should be credible and indicates who did the original study and who published it. It is also advisable that you write when the survey or study was done to give an idea of how the data you may cite change through the years.
Finally, interpret the statistics you cited in your paper. Explain your interpretation of the statistics and connect it to your topic sentence’s argument.
To give you an example of how you can revise your write-up to make the statistics more effective.
Sample:
Donald Trump became President of the United States, but 42% of Americans did not take part in the vote. If this is how democracy works, then it is something that we shouldn’t be proud of.
Here we see that the statistic is likely to see how democracy tends to have its own flaw. The argument here is not fully explained and reasoning is also a bit off. You also do not see a context or source that would make this argument credible.
1. Topic Sentence
Looking back at the argument, we can say that the student wants to argue that a true democracy requires everyone’s inclusion. With this in mind, we can now write the topic sentence for the argument:
Active participation from its citizens is required to achieve a well-functioning democracy.
2. Elaborate on your argument
Now that we cited the topic sentence, it is time we explain our claim on the issue.
Active participation from its citizens is required to achieve a well-functioning democracy. Democracy exists because it makes its decisions based on what the people want. If a part of the community abstains or becomes passive, then the decision reached by the democratic process does not represent the people’s will as a whole.
3. Source
Active participation from its citizens is required to achieve a well-functioning democracy. Democracy exists because it makes its decisions based on what the people want.
If a part of the community abstains or becomes passive, then the decision reached by the democratic process does not represent the people’s will as a whole.
According to the United States Census, at least 42% of Americans did not take part in the 2016 US Presidential Elections.
4. Interpret the data
Active participation from its citizens is required to achieve a well-functioning democracy. Democracy exists because it makes its decisions based on what the people want. If a part of the community abstains or becomes passive, then the decision reached by the democratic process does not represent the people’s will as a whole.
According to the United States Census, at least 42% of Americans did not take part in the 2016 US Presidential Elections. Many were surprised that Donald Trump became the president and some believe that if the 42% had taken part in the elections, the results might have been in favor to Trump’s rival, Hillary Clinton.
Given the various street protests that were held during Trump’s inauguration and his consistent low approval ratings on Gallup, it does beg the question if this is an example of a democracy failing.
Conclusion
Statistics provides a clear insight into how certain data can alter how an event can be interpreted and identify all the possible outcomes that may be reached if the data was altered. Considering its importance, it is ideal that you take the time to hone your writing and analytical skills with the help of a tutor or an A-level tuition school.
With their help and your drive to get that desired A, you will be able to apply statistics effectively for your A-level General paper!
Scoring an A in your A-levels is not impossible, you may like to refer to our tips here:
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