Te reo Māori terms
click each term to open in Te Aka
Learning objective overview
Master Teaching Guide coverage for this objective.
Current NZC (2007)
S4-2
New NZC (2026)
NZC26-P4-STA-INT-K-Y9-03NZC26-P4-STA-INT-P-Y9-01NZC26-P4-STA-VIS-P-Y9-02NZC26-P3-STA-INT-K-Y7-04NZC26-P3-STA-INT-P-Y7-03
Resources
- Quick Maths NZ - Misleading Graphs (Year 9 lesson)
- YouTube - How to spot misleading graphs!
- CorbettMaths on misleading graphsQuestions PDF · Answers
- Beta: Skills in Ex 28.03, pg 537
Terminology
- good title
- clearly labelled axis
- simplicity
- clear data points
- uninterrupted axis
- truncated axis
- axis break
- area distortion
Task goals
- Recall the five features of a good, honest graph: good title, clearly labelled axes, simplicity, clear data points, and an uninterrupted (zero-baseline) axis.
- Identify a truncated or non-zero y-axis and explain why it exaggerates the apparent difference between values.
- Recognise the axis-break (zig-zag) symbol and explain what it signals to a reader.
- Identify area distortion in pictograms, where scaling an icon's linear size makes its area (and the visual impression) grow much faster than the true value.
- Redraw or describe an honest correction of a misleading graph using the same data.
- Critique a misleading graph in detail, using actual figures to quantify how misleading it is, and reason about the ethics and real-world impact of misleading data visualisation.
Where this fits
What leads into this objective, and where it goes next.
You are here
Misleading graphs
Know
Data visualisations need to be critically assessed to see if they support or misrepresent the data.
Statement▸
Year 9 · Statistics · Interpretation of data
NZC26-P4-STA-INT-K-Y9-03
Do
Critically considering data visualisations, including those from contemporary media, to see if they support or misrepresent the data
Statement▸
Year 9 · Statistics · Interpretation of data
NZC26-P4-STA-INT-P-Y9-01
For teachers
Need the fuller teaching notes for this objective? Open the Teacher guidance PDF.