GCSE Maths – Statistics

Grouped Discrete Data and Continuous Data

(Higher Only)
Worksheet

This worksheet will show you how to work out different types of questions
related to grouped data. Each section contains a worked example, a question
with hints and then questions for you to work through on your own.

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 Section A

Worked Example

100 people were timed while completing a puzzle. Their results are shown in the
table. Create a histogram displaying their times.

Time (minutes) Frequency

0 < t ≤ 10 10
10 < t ≤ 15 15
15 < t ≤ 20 30
20 < t ≤ 30 20
30 < t ≤ 45 25

Step 1: Calculate class width and frequency density.

Time (minutes) Frequency Class Width Frequency Density

0 < t ≤ 10 10 10 10 ÷ 10 = 1
10 < t ≤ 15 15 5 15 ÷ 5 = 3
15 < t ≤ 20 30 5 30 ÷ 5 = 6
20 < t ≤ 30 20 10 20 ÷ 10 = 2
30 < t ≤ 45 25 15 25 ÷ 15 = 1.67

Step 2: Plot the histogram.

Draw the x and y axis. Label the x-axis

with the time variable and the y-axis
with frequency density.

Draw each bar by plotting the length

of time against the frequency density.

For example, the first group is 10

minutes long, and has a frequency
density of 1. The bar that represents it
should be 10 units wide and 1 unit tall.

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 Guided Example

Below is a grouped frequency table showing the heights of flowers growing in a

garden. Create a histogram displaying the heights of the flowers.

Height, h (cm) Frequency

0 < h ≤ 10 5
10 < h ≤ 15 10
15 < h ≤ 20 8
20 < h ≤ 30 15
30 < h ≤ 50 12

Step 1: Calculate the frequency densities for each height grouping.

Step 2: Draw the histogram by plotting height (cm) on the x-axis against frequency density on the y-
axis.

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 Now it’s your turn!
If you get stuck, look back at the worked and guided examples.

1. Below is a grouped frequency table showing the results of an English test.

a) Draw a histogram showing the results of the test.

b) Calculate an estimate for the median score using the histogram.

Score, p (%) Frequency

40 < p ≤ 50 5
50 < p ≤ 60 12
60 < p ≤ 70 8
70 < p ≤ 90 15
90 < p ≤ 100 10

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2. The table below shows information about how long it takes a group of children to get
to school.

a) Draw a histogram to show this data.

b) Using the histogram, calculate an estimate for the lower quartile.

Time, t (minutes) Frequency

0<t ≤5 4

5 < t ≤ 15 18

15 < t ≤ 20 10

20 < t ≤ 30 6

30 < t ≤ 40 2

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 Section B

Worked Example

The hop length of 100 footballers was collected and recorded in a table. Draw a
cumulative frequency graph to display this data.

Length (metres) Frequency

0<m ≤1 10
1<m ≤2 20
2 < m ≤ 2.5 30
2.5 < m ≤ 3 30
3<m ≤4 10

Step 1: Add a column to the table for cumulative frequency

Cumulative frequency is a running total of the frequencies. It is calculated by adding up all

the frequency totals that have been recorded so far.

Length (metres) Frequency Cumulative frequency Upper boundary

0<m ≤1 10 10 1

1<m ≤2 20 20 + 10 = 30 2

2 < m ≤ 2.5 30 30 + 30 = 60 2.5

2.5 < m ≤ 3 30 60 + 30 = 90 3

3<m ≤4 10 90 + 10 = 100 4

Step 2: Plot cumulative frequency graph.

Plot a point showing the

cumulative frequency on the
upper bound of each group.

For example, the first point would

be at 10 (the cumulative
frequency) and 1 (the upper
bound of the first group). Draw
this point on the graph at (10,1).

Join all the points with a smooth

curve, making sure your line
passes through the origin (0,0).

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 Guided Example

Andrew collected data on the time it took a group of people to complete a short
race. The times have been summarised in the grouped frequency table below.
Draw a cumulative frequency graph to display this data.

Time taken, s (seconds) Frequency

10 < s ≤ 15 6
15 < s ≤ 20 13
20 < s ≤ 25 11
25 < s ≤ 30 8
30 < s ≤ 40 2

Step 1: Add a column to the table for cumulative frequency and calculate the running total for each
row.

Step 2: Plot a cumulative frequency graph.

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 Now it’s your turn!
If you get stuck, look back at the worked and guided examples.

3. Below is a frequency table showing the amount of time people spent on social media
per day. Plot a cumulative frequency graph to show this data.

Time, t (minutes) Frequency

0<t ≤5 10
5 < t ≤ 15 25
15 < t ≤ 30 20
30 < t ≤ 50 15
50 < t ≤ 60 20

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4. Below is a frequency table showing the price brackets that some laptops on sale fall
into.
a) Plot a cumulative frequency graph to show this data.
b) Using the cumulative frequency graph, calculate the interquartile range.

Price, p (£) Frequency

50 < p ≤ 100 2
100 < p ≤ 150 15
150 < p ≤ 200 9
200 < p ≤ 300 19
300 < p ≤ 450 5

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5. Ella gathered data on the ages of people living on her street. Her results are
summarised in the frequency table below.
a) Plot a cumulative frequency graph to show this data.
b) Use the cumulative frequency graph to calculate the median.

Age, n Frequency
0 < n ≤ 15 5
15 < n ≤ 30 20
30 < n ≤ 45 10
45 < n ≤ 60 3
60 < n ≤ 95 12

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