New
New
Year 9

Data cleansing

I can describe the need for data cleansing and apply data cleansing techniques to a data set.

New
New
Year 9

Data cleansing

I can describe the need for data cleansing and apply data cleansing techniques to a data set.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Data cleansing involves detecting and correcting, or removing, corrupt or inaccurate data.
  2. Data cleansing is important because real-world data is often messy, with errors or missing information.
  3. Once the data is clean, charts or graphs can be created to help understand patterns and trends.

Keywords

  • Data cleansing - the process of detecting and correcting, or removing, corrupt or inaccurate data

Common misconception

If you have missing data and cannot find the original source, there is nothing you can do.

You could look at similar data and generate an average value to insert. For example, if the zoo is missing a weight for a lion, they could calculate the average weight of the other lions and enter this.


To help you plan your year 9 computing lesson on: Data cleansing, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Files needed for this lesson

  • collection-forms 14.88 MB (PDF)
  • litter-sample-data 20.7 KB (XLSX)
  • zoo-data 29.08 KB (XLSX)

Download these files to use in the lesson.

A sample data file is provided for this lesson if pupils have not collected their own data.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Pupils will need access to CODAP for this lesson: oak.link/codap-new

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each step of the investigative cycle to its description:

Correct Answer:ask a question,decide what you want to find out

decide what you want to find out

Correct Answer:collect data,gather information

gather information

Correct Answer:analyse,find patterns and trends

find patterns and trends

Correct Answer:draw conclusions,answer the question

answer the question

Q2.
What is the main purpose of a data capture form?

Correct answer: to collect information in a clear and organised way
to decorate your folder
to summarise your conclusions
to write down your opinions

Q3.
What word describes a question that is clear, specific, and unambiguous?

Correct Answer: precise

Q4.
Which of these is the best example of a precise question?

“Do you like things?”
Correct answer: “How many hours do you spend on homework each week?”
“What is your favourite?”
“Is school good?”

Q5.
Why is it important to decide what data you need before starting an investigation?

so you can finish quickly
to impress your teacher
to use more paper
Correct answer: to make sure you collect useful and relevant information

Q6.
What could happen if your data capture form is unclear or confusing?

You will get more accurate data.
Your results will be colourful.
Correct answer: You might collect data that is hard to use or doesn’t answer your question.
Your investigation will be faster.

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the process called that involves finding and fixing errors or removing incorrect information from a data set?

Correct Answer: data cleansing, cleansing

Q2.
What is the main goal of data cleansing?

to make data look pretty
to increase the amount of data
to reduce the size of the file
Correct answer: to ensure the data is accurate and reliable for analysis

Q3.
Which statement about missing data is incorrect?

You can sometimes use an average value to fill in missing data.
Missing data can cause problems in analysis.
Correct answer: You can’t do anything if data is missing.
Data cleansing can help fix missing values.

Q4.
Put these steps in order for preparing data for analysis:

1 - detect errors or missing values
2 - correct or remove errors
3 - create a chart or graph
4 - analyse patterns and trends

Q5.
Match each keyword to its meaning:

Correct Answer:data cleansing,the process of finding and fixing errors in data

the process of finding and fixing errors in data

Correct Answer:dissing value,a value that is not present in the data set

a value that is not present in the data set

Correct Answer:visualisation,showing information as a chart or graph

showing information as a chart or graph

Correct Answer:average,a typical value calculated from several numbers

a typical value calculated from several numbers

Q6.
Which tool can help you visualise a cleansed data set?

Correct answer: chart or graphing software
word processor
drawing app
calculator