Six marks for analysing one source and stating a conclusion linked to the claim. The single most common way to lose marks here is to describe the findings beautifully and never say what they mean. Analysis is description plus interpretation plus a verdict.
📘 What you need to know
Q2 is worth 6 marks and asks you to analyse the findings of one source and state a conclusion linked to the claim.
Analyse means break the findings into their essential elements, interpret them, and connect them to the claim.
A conclusion is required for full marks. Without one the answer is capped.
Refer to raw scores or statistics where the source gives them, and say which condition or group did better.
Use comparative language: higher than, lower than, more likely, steeper.
Qualify the conclusion where the evidence is partial: “to some extent”, “partially”.
The four moves
Write the conclusion sentence first if it helps. Knowing where you are heading keeps the analysis pointed at the claim.
What analysing quantitative data looks like
If the source gives numbers, use them. Quote raw scores or descriptive statistics: means, medians or modes as measures of central tendency, and range or standard deviation as measures of spread. If inferential statistics are given, say whether the result was significant and at what level of probability.
Then say which condition performed better and what that suggests. If it is relevant, comment on the shape of the data too — is the distribution normal, or is it skewed?
What analysing qualitative data looks like
Qualitative sources have no means to quote, so the analysis shifts. Focus on how the findings were categorised or presented, what themes emerged, and what limits how the data was gathered — sample size, potential bias, the researcher’s own influence on what was recorded.
Same question, different toolkit. For numbers you ask “how big is the difference and is it meaningful?”. For qualitative data you ask “who decided what these categories were, and what got left out?”.
The language that scores
“The data proves the claim” is almost always wrong. “The data supports the claim to some extent, although…” is almost always right.
Worked example
WORKED EXAMPLE
Source 2 is a scatterplot of hours spent making notes on a smartphone against marks in a class test. Analyse the findings and state a conclusion. [6 marks]
1 Identify
The data is a scatterplot, so the co-variables are hours of note-taking on a smartphone and marks awarded in a class test.
2 Analyse
There is a reasonably strong negative relationship: as hours rise, marks tend to fall. A few points sit away from the trend, but not enough to break the overall pattern.
3 Link
This fits ideas about divided attention and cognitive load: a device that carries notifications competes for the same limited processing resources as the learning task.
4 Conclude, with a qualifier
The findings support the claim to some extent. However, this is correlational, so no cause and effect can be established — weaker students may simply prefer typing notes — and it remains unclear whether smartphone note-taking actually impairs performance.
Identified, analysed, linked, concluded and qualifiedThe qualifier is not hedging. It is precision, and the mark scheme rewards it.
💡 Exam tip
Name the type of data in your first sentence: scatterplot, bar chart, interview themes. It shows you have read the source properly.
Always say which group or condition came out better. It is explicitly looked for.
Quote at least two figures if the source has numbers.
Finish with a sentence that starts “The findings suggest…” so the conclusion cannot be missed.
Give this question about 15 minutes.
⚠ Common mix-up
Describing instead of analysing. Restating the data is only the first move.
No conclusion. The single biggest cause of lost marks on this question.
Claiming causation from a correlation. Say what the relationship is, then say what it cannot prove.
Ignoring outliers. Mentioning them and judging whether they matter shows real analysis.
An absolute conclusion. “This proves” overreaches on almost any Paper 3 source.
Up next: Paper 3, Question 3: What to Write — credibility, bias and transferability, and how to suggest improvements that would actually work.
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