FREQUENCY
DISTRIBUTION AND
GRAPHS
FREQUENCY
It is a group of data into categories showing the
DISTRIBUTION
number of observations in each of the non-
overlapping classes
A frequency distribution is a way of organizing data
so you can see how often each value (or range of
values) occurs.
It shows the number of times (frequency) each
item, number, or category appears in a data set.
CATEGORICAL
It is used toFREQUENCY
organized nominal-level or
ordinal-level type of data.
A categorical frequency distribution table
is used when the data are non-numeric
categories (like colors, brands, types, or
classifications).
It shows how many times (frequency)
each category occurs.
Example:
Suppose a survey asked 15 people their favorite fruit, and
the responses were:
🍎 Apple, 🍌 Banana, 🍎 Apple, 🍇 Grapes, 🍎 Apple, 🍌
Banana, 🍊 Orange, 🍎 Apple, 🍇 Grapes, 🍌 Banana, 🍊 Orange,
🍌 Banana, 🍎 Apple, 🍇 Grapes, 🍎 Apple
👍Extending the categorical frequency distribution
table is by adding a Relative Frequency column,
which shows the proportion (or percentage) of each
category compared to the total.
👉 This table now shows both counts and proportions.
👉 You could also represent it visually with a bar graph or pie
chart.
GROUPED FREQUENCY
DISTRIBUTION
A grouped frequency distribution is a way of organizing data into
class intervals (groups or ranges) instead of listing each individual
value. This is useful when you have a large set of data and it would
be too messy to show every single number.
When to Use Grouped Frequency
Distribution?
• Large Data Sets
When the number of observations is too big to list individually (e.g., exam scores of
200 students).
• Wide Range of Values
When the data values span a large interval (e.g., ages from 1 to 100).
Grouping helps simplify and organize the data.
• When Patterns/Trends Need to Be Shown
Grouping data into classes makes it easier to see the shape of distribution (e.g., bell
curve, skewness).
• For Statistical Analysis
Many statistical measures (mean, median, mode for grouped data, histograms,
ogives) require data to be in grouped form.
• When Exact Values Are Less Important
If the goal is to see the general distribution rather than each specific value.
✅ Note:
If you have the test scores of 10 students, you can use an
ungrouped frequency distribution.
If you have the test scores of 500 students, it’s better to use a
grouped frequency distribution (e.g., 0–9, 10–19, …, 90–100).
STEPS IN CONSTRUCTING FREQUENCY
DISTRIBUTION
STEPS IN CONSTRUCTING FREQUENCY
DISTRIBUTION
Statistics test scores of 100 students:
74, 95, 78, 69, 62, 68, 72, 80, 74, 84, 80, 83, 65, 87, 73, 88, 84,
62, 70, 88,
80, 75, 84, 74, 72, 72, 81, 72, 69, 83, 78, 90, 79, 76, 85, 78, 80,
83, 95, 83,
83, 60, 78, 58, 64, 56, 87, 89, 71, 63, 85, 86, 92, 56, 75, 79, 95,
93, 67, 70,
66, 88, 91, 62, 77, 76, 85, 75, 82, 72, 82, 70, 84, 82, 81, 90, 100,
73, 77, 90,
57, 77, 95, 90, 66, 77, 64, 70, 86, 74, 85, 70, 64, 89, 69, 88, 82,
CONSTRUCTING FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION FOR THE
GIVEN DATA SET
CONSTRUCTING FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION FOR THE
GIVEN DATA SET
GRAPHS
Histogram
• The tallest bar is in the
77–83 class interval
(26 students).
• Most scores fall in the
middle intervals (70–
90).
• Very few students
scored below 63 or
above 97.
👉 Interpretation: The
distribution is
concentrated around the
mid-70s to mid-80s,
showing that the majority
GRAPHS Frequency
Polygon
• The polygon peaks at the
midpoint 80 (77–83) with
frequency 26.
• It shows a unimodal
distribution (one clear
peak).
• Both ends (low scores
and very high scores)
taper off smoothly.
• 👉 Interpretation: The
shape is roughly
symmetrical, indicating
that performance
clusters around the
center without extreme
GRAPHS Ogive (Cumulative
Frequency Graph)
• The curve starts at 8
(for ≤62) and rises
steadily to 100 (for
≤104).
• The steepest climb
occurs between 70–90,
where most students’
scores fall.
• About 42% scored ≤76
and about 91% scored
≤90.
👉 Interpretation: The ogive
helps in locating medians,
quartiles, and percentiles.
For example:
