This standard is derived from Achievement Objective S8.3, Evaluate a wide range of statistically based reports, including surveys and polls, experiments and observational studies.

• critiquing causal relationship claims
• interpreting margins of error

Students also need to be familiar with the following AOs so that they have a good understanding of the Statistical enquiry process in a wide range of contexts:

Achievement Objective S8.1, Carry out investigations of phenomena, using the statistical enquiry cycle,

• conducting experiments using experimental design principles
• seeking explanations
• using informed contextual knowledge, exploratory data analysis, and statistical inference
• communicating findings and evaluating all stages of the cycle

Achievement Objective S8.2b, Make inferences from surveys or experiments

•  determining estimates and confidence intervals for means, proportions & differences
• use methods such as resampling or randomisation

Students should be able to:

• Use the statistical enquiry cycle and elementary principles of experimental design, surveys and polls, including potential sources of bias
• Interpret statistical inferences
• Interpret a wide variety of statistical tables and graphs
• Analyse a wide variety of statistical situations
• Critique causal relationship claims and interpret margins of error

This standard requires a broad knowledge of a variety of statistical methods and situations.  The approach used in interpreting the margins of error is new and is based on making informed approximations or rules of thumb to interpret reported margins of error (linked to confidence intervals).