GCSE · English Language · AQA · Spec 8700

Identifying bias and misuse of evidence

"Nine out of ten teachers agree." Sounds convincing, doesn't it? By the end of this lesson, you'll know exactly what's missing from that sentence.

Read like a checker

Every pupil deserves a tablet… or do they?

An invented leaflet, written for this lesson, sent home to parents

Every pupil deserves a tablet. Tablets are simply the best way to learn — everyone knows it.

Nine out of ten teachers agree that tablets make lessons more exciting.

In a survey of 800 pupils carried out by Brackenfold Council in March 2025, 64% said they found it easier to hand homework in on time once they had a tablet.

My own nephew, Sam, hated reading until he got a tablet — now he reads every single night.

And within ten years, schools without tablets will probably have fallen far behind.

Give your child the future they deserve: order a class set from us today.

Question 1 of 3

Only one claim here is backed up by evidence — information you could actually go and check. Tap the words that give that evidence.

Tap the words in the passage that prove your answer.

Be honest

Full of statistics = must be objective?

Your friend reads a leaflet packed with numbers — percentages, 'nine out of ten', big totals — and says: "It's full of statistics, so it must be objective."

Which is closest to what you think right now?

My friend's right. Numbers are facts, so a text full of them is just reporting the truth.It depends how many there are. The more statistics a text uses, the more reliable it is.Statistics in persuasive texts are always made up, so I'd ignore every one of them.Numbers can make an opinion look like fact. I'd check where and when the data came from — and ask who's giving me this, and why.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

My friend's right. Numbers are facts, so a text full of them is just reporting the truth.

This is a common misconception

This is exactly the trap. Statistics lend an argument authority because they present an opinion as if it rests on factual data. The look of data isn't the same as proof. A credible statistic shows where its data came from and when — without that, a number is just a confident-sounding opinion.

It depends how many there are. The more statistics a text uses, the more reliable it is.

This is a common misconception

Counting them doesn't help. Ten statistics with no source are still ten numbers you can't check. Judge each statistic on its own: does it show where the data came from, and when?

Statistics in persuasive texts are always made up, so I'd ignore every one of them.

This is a common misconception

That swings too far the other way. Some statistics are credible — they show where the data came from and when, like the Brackenfold Council survey in the leaflet. Your job is to check, not to throw everything out.

Numbers can make an opinion look like fact. I'd check where and when the data came from — and ask who's giving me this, and why.

This matches the evidence

That's the habit. Checking the source of a statistic tells you whether it's credible, and asking who is supplying the information and why tells you what they might want from you. It matters because some communication is designed to sway its audience — that's called propaganda — and what it presents is often biased or misleading.

Statistics make an argument sound authoritative; they don't make it objective. Ask where and when the data came from, and who is supplying it — and why.

Your turn

Write it, then mark it

Scroll back up to the tablet leaflet. (a) Identify one statement in it that is not supported by evidence, and explain how you can tell. (b) Who is supplying this information, and why are they supplying it? [4 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

Identifies a statement not supported by evidence — for example 'Tablets are simply the best way to learn', the story about Sam, the ten-year prediction, or 'Nine out of ten teachers agree'. (1 mark)
Explains how you can tell — for example nothing backs it up, it rests on a personal story, it rests on a guess, or the statistic doesn't say where or when its data came from. (1 mark)
Says who is supplying it: the people selling the tablets (the leaflet ends 'order a class set from us today'). (1 mark)
Says why they are supplying it: to get parents to buy their tablets — a reason to weigh their claims carefully. (1 mark)

Model answer

(a) 'Tablets are simply the best way to learn — everyone knows it' is not supported by evidence. It's stated as if it were a fact, but nothing backs it up: no data, no source, just 'everyone knows it'. (b) The information comes from whoever is selling the tablets — the leaflet ends 'order a class set from us today'. They are supplying it to persuade parents to buy from them, so I'd keep that in mind when deciding how far to trust what it says.

Two moves score here: point at the claim and say what it rests on, then name who is supplying the information and why.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

Telling real evidence apart from stories, guesses and numbers dressed up to look like proof

What you need to know

Evidence is the information, facts or data that back up a claim. Start by telling apart statements that are supported by evidence and statements that are not.
An anecdotal claim rests on a personal story; a speculative claim rests on a guess. Neither is hard fact, so treat both as uncertain unless they've been verified — checked and confirmed as true.
Statistics give an argument authority by making an opinion look as if it rests on factual data. A credible statistic shows details such as where the data came from and when.
For a quoted expert, check three things: is the view recent, is the expert named, and does their field actually relate to the topic?
Always ask who is supplying the information and why. Propaganda is communication designed to sway its audience, and what it presents is often biased or misleading.

The big picture

A claim is only as strong as what it rests on. Evidence — information, facts or data — backs a claim up. A personal story (anecdotal) or a guess (speculative) doesn't, so treat those as uncertain unless they've been verified. Statistics make an opinion look as if it rests on factual data, so check where and when the data came from. Check expert views too: are they recent, is the expert named, and does their field actually relate to the topic? And always ask who is supplying the information, and why.

Key points

1Evidence = information, facts or data that back up a claim.

2Personal story = anecdotal; guess = speculative. Both are uncertain until verified.

3No 'where' and no 'when'? Then the statistic gives you nothing to check.

4An expert from an unrelated field adds nothing, whatever their title.

5Who is telling me this, and why?

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Worked example

Problem

Here's an invented advert for a revision app: "Students who use FocusMax get better grades, says Leo Grant, a professional footballer. 'My cousin used it for a week and passed every exam,' writes one happy fan. Download FocusMax today!" What does each claim rest on, and how far should you trust it?

⚠ Watch out

Treating anything that looks like evidence as proof: a number, a confident tone, the word 'Professor'. A statistic with no 'where' or 'when', or an expert from the wrong field, gives you nothing solid to check.

🧠

Memory hook

Be a checker, not a believer. Ask two things of every claim: "What's it resting on?" and "Who's telling me — and why?"

✓

Check yourself

Cover the page. "Scientists say chocolate improves memory — I ate some before my test and got full marks!" What does each half rest on, and what's missing from the first half?

Flashcards

(10)

What is evidence?

The information, facts or data that back up a claim.

Anecdotal claim vs speculative claim

Anecdotal rests on a personal story; speculative rests on a guess. Neither is hard fact.

How should you treat anecdotal and speculative claims?

As uncertain, unless they have been verified.

What does 'verified' mean?

Checked and confirmed as true.

Why do statistics lend an argument authority?

They present an opinion as if it rests on factual data.

What details make a statistic credible?

Details such as where the data came from and when.

Three checks for a quoted expert view

Is it recent? Is the expert named? Does their field actually relate to the topic?

A named heart surgeon, speaking this year, says every child needs a tablet. Does that add weight?

No. Their field doesn't relate to the topic, and expertise in an unrelated field adds nothing.

Two questions to ask about the source of any non-fiction text

Who is supplying the information, and why are they supplying it?

What is propaganda?

Communication designed to sway its audience. What it presents is often biased or misleading.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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Identifying bias and misuse of evidence

Every pupil deserves a tablet… or do they?

Does this expert actually add anything?

Full of statistics = must be objective?

Write it, then mark it

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