Surveys and Interviews
Practise Surveys and Interviews for GCSE Statistics with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style questions with worked answers for AQA and Edexcel. Data can be collected through surveys, interviews, observation or experiments, each with advantages and drawbacks.
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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA and Edexcel specifications. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.
Topic overview
Surveys and interviews are two ways of collecting primary data, and each has characteristic advantages and drawbacks.
A written or online survey can reach a large number of people quickly and cheaply. Respondents can answer anonymously, which encourages honest answers to sensitive questions. But the response rate is often low, and there is no opportunity to clarify a question that has been misunderstood.
An interview allows the interviewer to explain questions and to follow up interesting answers, so the data is often richer and the response rate higher. But interviews are time-consuming and expensive, and the presence of the interviewer may cause respondents to give answers they think are expected — a form of bias.
Revision notes
Written and online surveys
Advantages: reach many people quickly and cheaply, and allow anonymous responses which encourage honesty.
Disadvantages: response rates are often low, causing non-response bias, and there is no chance to clarify a misunderstood question.
Interviews
Advantages: the interviewer can explain questions and follow up answers, giving richer data and a higher response rate.
Disadvantages: time-consuming and expensive, and the interviewer's presence may cause respondents to give the answers they think are expected.
Choosing between them
Large populations and sensitive topics suit anonymous surveys.
Complex topics needing explanation, or small populations where depth matters more than breadth, suit interviews. The choice should be justified by the nature of the investigation.
Key points
- Surveys reach many people quickly and cheaply.
- Anonymity encourages honest answers.
- Survey response rates are often low.
- Interviews allow questions to be explained.
- Interviews give a higher response rate.
- The interviewer's presence may cause bias.
Worked examples
Example 1
Give one advantage of using a written survey rather than an interview. [1 mark]
Working
Example 2
Explain why interviews may produce biased answers. [2 marks]
Working
Example 3
Explain why an anonymous survey may be better for sensitive questions. [2 marks]
Working
Common mistakes
Saying surveys always have a low response rate.
It is often low, which is a risk rather than a certainty.
Giving only advantages.
Evaluation questions want both sides.
Forgetting interviewer bias.
It is the characteristic drawback of interviews.
Not linking the method to the investigation.
Justify the choice by the topic and population.
Exam tips
- Give both an advantage and a disadvantage.
- Name interviewer bias specifically.
- Link anonymity to honest answers on sensitive topics.
- Justify the choice of method for the situation described.
Key terms
- Survey
- A set of questions answered without an interviewer present.
- Interview
- Data collection through direct questioning in person.
- Response rate
- The proportion of those asked who reply.
- Anonymous
- Answers that cannot be traced to an individual.
Related topics
Written and reviewed against the current AQA and Edexcel specifications. Spotted an error? Let us know.