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      Understanding the mode

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can understand what the mode is measuring, how it is measuring it and find the mode from data presented in a list.

      Key learning points

      1. The mode is a measure of central tendency.
      2. The mode is the most frequently occurring value in a data set.
      3. There can be more than one mode.

      Keywords

      • Mode - the most frequent value. It is a measure of central tendency representing the average of the values.

      • Bimodal - Sets of data which have two modes are known as bimodal data

      • Trimodal - Trimodal data has three modes

      Common misconception

      Pupils may not understand what feature of a data set they're trying to find when identifying a mode

      Phrase the question as 'What is the modal colour?' for instance, rather than just 'What is the mode?'

      Teacher tip

      Emphasise to pupils that the mode is the only measure of central tendency that can be used with qualitative data.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), 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

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which is larger: 5 902 or 5 920?

      5 902
      Correct answer: 5 920

      Q2.
      Starting with the lowest number, put these numbers in order of size.

      1 - 2.4003
      2 - 2.409
      3 - 2.41
      4 - 2.416
      5 - 2.435
      6 - 2.47
      7 - 3

      Q3.
      Select the symbols that could be correctly written in the box. $${3} \square {3}$$

      $$<$$
      Correct answer: $$\leq$$
      $$>$$
      Correct answer: $$\geq$$
      Correct answer: $$=$$

      Q4.
      The letter 's' appears times in the tongue twister "She sells seashells on the seashore".

      Correct Answer: 8, eight

      Q5.
      An is a single number expressing the central or typical value in a set of data.

      Correct Answer: average

      Q6.
      In a non-leap year, which calendar month has the same number of Mondays as Tuesdays as Wednesdays as Thursdays as Fridays as Saturdays as Sundays?

      Correct Answer: February

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      The mode is the most value. It is a measure of central tendency representing the average of the values.

      Correct Answer: frequent, common

      Q2.
      The mode of this data: (-4), (-4), (-4), 2, 2, 3, 7, 8, 10 is .

      Correct Answer: -4, - 4, negative 4

      Q3.
      Which of these data sets has no mode?

      3, 5, 7, 3, 4, 7, 4, 6, 8
      2, 0, 2, 0, 4, 6, 6, 3, 1, 2
      Correct answer: 13, 15, 17, 14, 18, 12, 11, 16
      cat, dog, cat, mouse, spider, horse

      Q4.
      Which is the best description for the data set shown in this dot plot?

      An image in a quiz
      no mode
      Correct answer: one mode
      bimodal
      trimodal

      Q5.
      Match each data set to the description of its modes.

      Correct Answer:autumn, summer, summer, spring,one mode
      Correct Answer:3, 5, 2, 8, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 3,bimodal
      Correct Answer:a, b, b, c, c, d, e, e, f, g,trimodal
      Correct Answer:-2, -4, -1, -3, -7, -5, -10,no mode

      Q6.
      The mode of the data shown on this dot plot is .

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: 3, three

      To help you plan your 8 maths lesson on: Understanding the mode, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...