This planner lets you test a sampling idea on an imaginary frame before you ever collect data. It describes the method’s strengths and limits, tells you what you may claim, suggests a graph for your kind of data, and produces a plan you can edit.
It supports fieldwork design and sampling and fieldwork analysis and evaluation in IGCSE Geography.
How do I use the planner?
- Write your enquiry question. The box starts with an example about pedestrian pace, which you can replace.
- Enter a hypothetical frame size, meaning the number of possible sites or people, and a planned sample size. Both must be whole numbers, and the sample cannot be bigger than the frame.
- Choose a sampling method: random, systematic, stratified or convenience.
- Choose the type of data you expect: counts in categories, two measured variables, a measurement along a line, or parts of a whole.
- Press Build my plan.
- Edit the plan text as you like and press Download plan to save it.
How do I read the result?
The result box gives four things: what the method is, its limitations, what you may claim, and a suggested graph with the reason. A convenience sample is shown as a warning, because its claim is deliberately limited.
For systematic sampling, it also works out the interval k = frame size ÷ sample size. Below that, a list of consent and safety questions appears. These are prompts to settle with your teacher, not instructions to go anywhere.
Worked example
Take the starting numbers: a frame of 200 and a sample of 20, with the question about pedestrian pace and data as a measurement along a distance.
With convenience selected, the tool says the sample is quick but not chosen by chance. It lists likely bias towards easy or visible units.
It says you must not call it random or representative, and should limit conclusions to the units reached. The graph suggestion is a line graph, or a kite diagram if the data follow a transect.
Now switch to systematic. The interval is 200 ÷ 20 = 10. You pick a random start between 1 and 10, say 4, then take every 10th unit: 4, 14, 24, and so on.
The tool warns that a regular pattern in the frame could bias the result, for example if every tenth site happens to be a corner.
What is the common mistake?
The usual mistake is to write a strong conclusion from a weak sample. A student stands at the most convenient spot, counts the first 20 people, and writes “people in the town centre walk faster”. That sentence claims more than a convenience sample can support.
A better sentence says “among the 20 people I observed at this spot on this day, pace was faster nearer the centre”, and then evaluates the sample in the conclusion.
Assumptions and limits
The frame is hypothetical, so the tool invents no observations. It compares methods descriptively and does not calculate statistics from data you have not collected.
It does not direct hazardous or unsupervised fieldwork. Always follow your school’s rules and the permission questions in the tool.
Which lessons explain this?
Begin with choosing a sampling method for an original scenario. Then read selecting a graph that answers the question.
For evaluation, see my fieldwork conclusion is stronger than my sample supports. If you are unsure what your own course requires, read checking the actual fieldwork or coursework route.
Try the fieldwork design and sampling practice set and the fieldwork analysis and evaluation practice set. A teacher can go through your own enquiry question one to one in IGCSE Geography tuition. More tools are on the tools page.