Data Commentary

Laptops Wireless internet enabled 2 electronic (editable) sources

Strength of Claim You position yourself relative to the data – highlighting specific items, interpreting them, explaining their significance Task 1 p. 113

Referring to a Table/Figure Consistently use present tense (even if the data refers to the past – the table shows that in the 1960s people were more prone to…) May use active or passive forms – details are provided…the table provides details Show, provide, give, present, summarize, illustrate, reveal, display, demonstrate, indicate, suggest

Task 6 - Prepositions

Highlighting Statements Generalizations that you draw from the data Your opportunity to identify important trends Focus on points to support your claim Don’t Repeat all the details in words Attempt to cover all the information Claim more than is reasonable or defensible

Qualifications/Strength of Claim Hedging Pay particular attention to pages 126/127 Task 10

Qualifying Comparisons 56% of girls reported restrictions on going out late at night as opposed to 35% of boys. More girls than boys Fewer boys than girls Not as many boys as girls

Qualifying Comparisons 56% of girls reported restrictions on going out late at night as opposed to 35% of boys. Almost exactly twice as many boys A marginally smaller percentage of girls Slightly over twice as many boys Close to three times as many boys Boys exceeded girls in the times they reported…by a retio of 2.5 to 1.

Problematic Data If the data isn’t what you expected and doesn’t support your thesis, you may be tempted to ignore it Accounting for anomalies in the data, blips on the chart Again need to use hedging language as you are only offering possible explanations See examples on page 138

Task 19