btec tech award in dit - component 2

Collecting, Presenting and Interpreting Data

Organisations collect vast amounts of data from a range of different sources in order to make decisions. In this component, you'll discover how raw data is turned into useful information that helps organisations make those decisions. You'll get hands-on with data, learning how to use data manipulation methods to create a dashboard to present and draw conclusions from information.

Learning Outcome A: Understand How Data is Collected and Used

First, you'll learn the crucial difference between data (which is unprocessed and has no meaning or context) and information (which is processed and has meaning). You will explore the different ways organisations collect data, such as through primary methods like interviews and surveys, or secondary sources like websites and company documents. You'll also investigate methods used to ensure data is suitable for processing, such as validation and verification checks. Finally, you'll look at the threats this has for individuals, including fraud and invasion of privacy.

Task 1 The Sixth Form Cafe Survey

Your first task is to imagine the school is opening a new café exclusively for sixth form students. To make it successful, we need to find out what students actually want. You will create a short questionnaire to collect this data.

Brainstorm Data Points

In pairs, brainstorm the key information you need to find out. Think about:

What food and drinks should be sold?

What are the most important factors (e.g., price, quality, speed of service)?

When are the peak times students would use it?

What kind of atmosphere should it have?

Draft Your Questions

Using the "Questionnaire Design Worksheet", draft a minimum of five questions for your survey. You must include a veriety of question types. Part of the task is to research into different question types.

For each question, you should specify five things...

Question type: The type of question, e.g. multiple choice, true/false etc.

Question/answers: The actual question and, if appropriate, the possible answers.

Help text: Brief instructions to help the respondent complete the question

Validation: What format are you expecting the data to be in?

Verification: How will you make sure the data is actually correct?

Consider Data Quality

For each question, think about the data it will produce (there is a space to record this on the sheet). Is it easy to analyse? Is the question clear and unambiguous? Will it give you quality information to help the school make a good decision?

Peer Review

Print out and swap your draft questionnaire with another pair. Give them feedback on their questions. Are they clear? Are there any leading questions? Suggest at least one improvement and handwrite this on the worksheet.

Outcome: A printed draft question containing feedback from another pair.

Learning Outcome B: Create a Dashboard Using Data Tools

This is where you get to apply your skills. Working with a large dataset, you'll learn powerful data manipulation methods using spreadsheet software. You’ll use everything from basic formulas (add, subtract) to advanced functions like IF statements and VLOOKUPs to process the data. Your main goal is to create an interactive dashboard that presents clear summaries of the data. This dashboard will use a range of professional presentation features like charts, pivot tables, and graphics to make the information easy to understand at a glance.

Task 2 'Oakwood Animal Rescue' Adoption Analysis

In this task, you will be given a small, pre-made dataset of animal adoption statistics. You will use spreadsheet software to perform basic data manipulation (sorting, simple formulas) and create two simple charts to visualise the data, forming a mini-dashboard.

Access the Data

Download and open the "Adoption Data" spreadsheet. This file contains a small sample of adoption data for a local animal shelter.

Explore the Data

Look at the different columns. Can you see the information that has been collected for each adoption? (e.g., Animal Type, Adoption Fee, Days in Shelter). Does it make sense to you?

Sort the Data

Your first task is to sort the data to make it easier to read. Sort the entire table by "Animal_Type" in alphabetical order (A-Z).

Perform a Calculation

The shelter manager wants to know the total income from these adoption fees. In a cell below the 'Adoption_Fee' column, use a simple function (like

SUM

) to calculate the total value of all the fees.

Create Your First Chart

The manager wants to see which type of animal is adopted most frequently.

Create a summary table for 'Animal_type' to show the number of each animal adopted. You will need to use the

UNIQUE

and the

COUNTIF

functions to help you to do this.

Using this summary, create a simple Pie Chart to show the proportion of adoptions for each animal type.

Edit your chart to give it a clear title (e.g., "Adoptions by Animal Type").

Now, the manager wants to compare the total income generated from adopting each animal.
You will need to first add a column to the summary table to calculate the total fees for each animal separately (Hint: a

SUMIF

function is great for this).

Use this summary data to create a Bar Chart.

Give your chart a clear title (e.g., "Adoption Income: Dogs vs. Cats").

Arrange Your Mini-Dashboard

Create a new worksheet called "Dashboard".

Move your two charts onto this worksheet to create a simple, easy-to-read dashboard.

Outcome: A spreadsheet containing the original data and a mini-dashboard which summarises the data to make it easier to see trends and patterns.

Learning Outcome C: Draw Conclusions from the Data

A dashboard is only useful if you can understand what it's telling you. In this final part, you'll use the dashboard you created to draw conclusions based on your findings. This includes looking for trends, patterns, and any possible errors in the data. You'll learn to think critically about how the way you present information can affect people's understanding, ensuring it isn't biased or easily misinterpreted.

Task 3 The Misleading Media Report

A local newspaper is reporting on the exam results of two local schools, "North School" and "South School". Your task is to look carefully at the data used in the reports.

Analyse the evidence

The newspaper published two charts based on the same data:

Chart A

Chart B

First impressions

Look at both charts quickly. What is your immediate conclusion from Chart A? What is your immediate conclusion from Chart B? Does one school look like it is performing much better than the other?

Dig deeper

Now, look closely at the data and the way the charts have been created.

What is the scale on the Y-axis (the vertical axis) for Chart A? Does it start at 0?

What is the scale on the Y-axis for Chart B?

Read the actual data points for each year for both schools. What do you notice about the real difference in performance?

Draw your conclusions

Think about the following questions. You will be asked by your teacher to give your answers in a feedback session.

What is the immediate story that Chart A tells you? What conclusion would you draw if you only glanced at it?

What is the immediate story that Chart B tells you? How is this different from the story in Chart A?

Explain the main technique that has been used in Chart A to make the difference between the schools look much bigger than it really is. Do you think this is fair?

In your own words, explain why it is important for organisations to present data in a way that does not lead to inaccurate conclusions.

So, that's a brief introduction to Component 2. Let's move onto the final step...

Last modified: September 8th, 2025