How to explain reasoning with data in data reasoning to your student: example question
27 October 2026
Reasoning with data means looking at information in a table or chart and explaining how you know the answer. This helps your child practise using facts and clear thinking to solve questions. Here is a simple example to show how to talk through your reasoning step by step.
Example question
A table shows the number of books read by three children in a week:
Alice read 5 books.
Ben read 3 books.
Cara read 7 books.
Who read the most books?
Step 1: Look at the numbers in the table. Alice has 5, Ben has 3, Cara has 7.
Step 2: Find the biggest number. 7 is the biggest.
Step 3: Say who has that number. Cara read 7 books.
Step 4: Explain why this means Cara read the most books. Because 7 is more than 5 and 3, Cara read more books than Alice and Ben.
The answer is: Cara read the most books.
After working through this example, your child will see how to use data to answer a question and explain their thinking. They will be ready to try similar reasoning with data questions on their own.
