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S1.4StatisticsFoundation

Types of Data

Before analysing data you must know what kind it is. Data splits into qualitative and quantitative, and quantitative data further into discrete and continuous — choices that decide which diagrams and calculations are appropriate.

20 min Data Collection
Edexcel Statistics Y1 — Data Collection playlist (Zeeshan Zamurred)Curated by Kepler, not produced by us. Watch it before the notes below.
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What you'll be able to do

  • Distinguish qualitative and quantitative data
  • Distinguish discrete and continuous data
  • Classify a given variable
  • Understand why the data type matters
1

Qualitative vs quantitative

Qualitative\textbf{Qualitative} (categorical) data describes qualities — colours, names, types. Quantitative\textbf{Quantitative} data is numerical — heights, scores, counts.

Tip — Qualitative = words/categories; quantitative = numbers.

2

Discrete vs continuous

Quantitative data is discrete\textbf{discrete} if it can only take specific values (usually counts, like number of cars), and continuous\textbf{continuous} if it can take any value in a range (measurements, like height or time).

discrete: countablecontinuous: measurable\text{discrete: countable} \quad\quad \text{continuous: measurable}
Counts are discrete; measurements are continuous.
Example 1Classify “time taken to run 100 m”.
1It is numerical (quantitative) and can take any value (measurement).
Answerquantitative, continuous
3

Why it matters

The data type determines which graphs and statistics are valid — for instance, histograms suit continuous data, while bar charts suit categorical data. Getting the type right is the first step in any analysis.

Formula recap

qualitative=categories\text{qualitative} = \text{categories}
Non-numerical data.
discrete=countable values\text{discrete} = \text{countable values}
e.g. number of pets.
continuous=any value in a range\text{continuous} = \text{any value in a range}
e.g. height, time.

Common mistakes to avoid

Calling shoe size continuous because it is a number.
Shoe size takes set values, so it is discrete.
Treating all numerical data the same.
Discrete and continuous data need different diagrams and methods.

Key takeaways

  • Qualitative = categories; quantitative = numbers.
  • Discrete = countable values; continuous = any value in a range.
  • The data type decides which graphs/statistics are appropriate.

Test yourself

Answer a few questions, then review anything you missed.

Next step

Keep practising

Start with the quiz above to check the key ideas. You can also choose another topic from the practice library.

Browse practice topics

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