Fact, opinion and evidence — Media, 11–13 years
A confident sentence is not automatically true. Learn to separate what can be checked from what someone thinks, and to ask whether the evidence really supports the claim.
What can be checked?
A fact is a claim that can be checked against reliable evidence, such as a date, score or official record. An opinion expresses a judgement, taste or belief, such as “the film is boring”. Opinions matter, but they are not turned into facts by sounding certain.
Why the difference matters
News, adverts and posts often mix checkable information with interpretation. If we treat an opinion as a fact, we may repeat a judgement as though it were proven; if we reject every opinion, we miss honest viewpoints. The distinction helps us choose what needs checking and what is a matter of perspective.
Example: test a claim
A post says, “Our town recycled 80% of its rubbish last year, so it is the greenest town.” Split it into two claims. Look for the town’s waste report to check 80%; “greenest” is a judgement unless it names a comparison and measure. One source may confirm the number without proving the opinion.
Trap: facts can still mislead
A number feels objective, so it is easy to assume a post containing numbers must be fair. But a true number can be selected, rounded or placed beside a misleading comparison. Check what is being counted, when, compared with what, and whether important information has been left out.
Use: choose the next question
Use this when a post makes a strong claim about health, sport, school or people. Mark each sentence as checkable fact, opinion or a mixture, then ask for the right evidence. A statistic needs a source; an opinion needs to be recognised as a viewpoint, not silently upgraded into truth.
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