Year 10 - English
Using credible statistics in a piece of non-fiction writing
Non-fiction: crime and punishment
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils develop their non-fiction reading and writing skills by reading and responding to a selection of nineteenth century and modern non-fiction texts on the theme of crime and punishment. They practise summarising and comparing texts before writing an article and information text.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to understand what makes a credible statistic, and use this understanding to create your own credible statistics.
Key Notes
- A statistic is a piece of factual data gathered from a large quantity of numerical data.
- Statistics can make a writer's arguments seem credible because their opinion is backed up with factual data.
- Writers show that their statistics are credible by including things like the source and date of the data they refer to.
- You can invent your own credible statistics in pieces of writing where you are not expected to conduct research.
Vocabulary To Learn
- credible: convincing, trustworthy, reliable
- reconvictions: being found guilty of a crime after already being found guilty for another, different crime
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Writing down any number in a piece of non-fiction writing is enough to show you know how to use statistics.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
A statistic is a piece of factual data gathered from a large quantity of numerical data. Statistics can make a writer's arguments seem credible because their opinion is backed up with factual data.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'credible'
convincing, trustworthy, reliable.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Writing down any number in a piece of non-fiction writing is enough to show you know how to use statistics. Correction: Statistics need to be credible. When creating your own statistics, you need to think carefully about how to make them sound believable by giving details like their source, date and data sample size.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Comparing texts about drug misuse: 'Confessions' (1821) and 'A letter to' (2014) Study Guide
- Developing a summary of a non-fiction text by including inferences Study Guide
- Planning an open letter using single paragraph outlines Study Guide
- Planning and writing website content Study Guide
- Reading an opinion article and creating rhetorical questions Study Guide
- Reading and comparing two texts about prisons: London (1862) and Norway (2013) Study Guide
- Revising and editing non-fiction writing Study Guide
- Summarising a non-fiction text: 'a letter to my son' (the Guardian, 2014) Study Guide
- Using figurative language in non-fiction writing Study Guide
- Using structural features effectively in non-fiction texts Study Guide
- Using the conventions of website content creatively Study Guide
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