Two-way tables show two features together — Data, 11–13 years
A two-way table sorts data by two questions at once. Reading rows, columns and totals can reveal patterns that one list would hide.
Rows and columns cross two questions
A two-way table places one feature in the rows and another in the columns. Each inside cell counts people or objects with both properties, such as pupils who chose football and walk to school. Row, column and grand totals help you check the picture.
Why cross the data?
One question may hide an important difference. Knowing that 20 pupils prefer buses tells little about who also arrives late or lives nearby. Crossing two features lets you ask a sharper question and compare the resulting groups instead of guessing from separate totals.
Reading a travel table
A table records walking or cycling: 8 walk and arrive early, 5 walk and are late, 4 cycle and arrive early, 3 cycle and are late. The early total is 8 + 4 = 12. Among walkers, 8 of 13 arrive early, so the table answers both questions.
Do not mix up a cell and a total
It is easy to read 8 as “all walkers” because it sits in the walking row. But 8 counts only walkers who arrived early; the walking total is 8 + 5 = 13. The mistake is reasonable: the row label is nearby, so always read both the row and column heading.
Finding patterns in choices
Two-way tables appear in polls, school surveys and simple experiments. They can show whether transport choice differs by weather, or whether a game is preferred by different age groups. The table organises the counts; it does not by itself explain why a pattern appears.
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