Functional Skills: Tables
Tables
Tables are similar to Lists, though they allow us to see various pieces of data at once. Think of a Table as multiple Lists stacked together, allowing us to make comparative statements about each entry (i.e. each person, product in a shop, etc.).
How to Read a Table
We want to set two different variables on our table. One of these is our entry, and the other is our group of topics (or, our set of individual Lists).
We’ll set our entries as the rows, and the group of topics as the columns.
In the overlapping section, we want to input our data.
So, for example, let’s say we want to know what Chloe’s favourite drink is:
Following the correct row and column to find their overlap, we can see that Chloe’s favourite drink is Orange Juice.
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Example
The table below considers all Premier League players, their footedness and their usual position.
Find the totals for each column and each row, and use these to deduce the total number of players.
[3 marks]
Goalkeepers: 12 + 1 + 45 = 58
Defenders: 56 + 25 + 74 = 155
Midfielders: 22 + 67 + 49 = 138
Forwards: 25 + 50 + 34 = 109
Left footed: 12 + 56 + 22 + 25 = 115
Both: 1 + 25 + 67 + 50 = 143
Right footed: 45 + 74 + 49 + 34 = 202
Total: 58 + 155 + 138 + 109 = 460
alternatively,
Total: 115 + 143 + 202 = 460
Functional Skills: Tables Example Questions
Question 1: Here’s the table of four friends’ favourite sports and drinks.
a) Which two friends’ favourite sport is football?
b) Which two friends’ favourite drink is not cola?
[2 marks]
a) Favourite Sport – Football: Alexander and David
b) Favourite Drink – Not Cola: Chloe and David
Question 2: A board in a café shows the following prices.
a) How much would it cost a group of friends to order a medium hot chocolate, a medium and a small cup of tea, and a large coffee?
b) How much change would they receive if they pay with a 10 pound note?
[4 marks]
a) Medium hot chocolate: £2.50
Medium cup of tea: £1.50
Small cup of tea: £1.00
Large coffee: £3.00
Total: £2.50 + £1.50 + £1.00 + £3.00 = £8.00 paid
b) £10 - £8 = £2 change
Question 3: A couple are comparing European holiday destinations and their various costs. They are looking to go on the cheapest holiday possible.
a) Which one would they enjoy most?
b) Which destination should they choose?
[4 marks]
a) Their enjoyment is highest (10/10) if they go to Monaco.
b) Amsterdam: £300 + £700 + £500 = £1500
Barcelona: £350 + £750 + £400 = £1500
Monaco: £450 + £1200 + £800 = £2450
Prague: £600 + £800 + £200 = £1600
Rome: £550 + £750 + £450 = £1750
Amsterdam and Barcelona are the cheapest options. They should go to Amsterdam, as this has the higher enjoyment of the two.
Specification Points Covered
EL3.21 – Extract information from lists, tables, diagrams and charts and create frequency tables
EL3.22 – Interpret information, to make comparisons and record changes, from different formats including bar charts and simple line graphs
EL3.23 – Organise and represent information in appropriate ways including tables, diagrams, simple line graphs and bar charts
Functional Skills: Tables Worksheet and Example Questions
