Why summarise results?
An inquiry gives you many notes, numbers and photos. Other people do not want all of it. They want the message: what did you ask, what did you find, and what does it mean?
To summarise means to keep the important facts and leave out the rest. To present means to share them in a form that your listener can understand quickly: a report, a chart, a poster or a talk.
First decide who will read or listen (your teacher, classmates, visitors) and why (to inform, to convince, to be marked). The answer decides how long, how simple and how visual your work should be.
Writing a report in four parts
A report is a short, ordered text. Use these parts, in this order.
- Question: what you wanted to find out, in one sentence. Add a guess (hypothesis) if you made one.
- Method: what you did, step by step, so someone else could repeat it. Name the tools and the number of times you tested.
- Results: what you saw or measured. Only facts and numbers, in a table or chart. No opinions here.
- Conclusion: the answer to your question, backed by the results. Say if your guess was right, and what could be wrong or improved.
Give the report a clear title, write in short sentences, and list the sources you used. Write the method in the past tense ("I measured ...") because it is already done. Always use your own words.
Showing results: tables and charts
Numbers are easier to see in a picture. Use a table when exact values matter. Use a bar chart to compare separate groups (like three days). Use a line graph to show change over time.
Every chart needs: a title that says what it shows, labels on both axes, the unit (cm, kg, minutes), and a scale that starts at zero for bars. Then write one sentence under it that says what the reader should notice, for example "Plants grew tallest on day 2".
Posters and oral presentations
A poster is read by people walking past, so it must work in about three seconds. Use one big title, one strong picture or chart, and three short points. Leave empty space. Use large letters that can be read from one metre away and only two or three colours.
An oral presentation (talk) is heard once, so keep it simple. Plan about one slide per minute, with one idea on each slide and very few words. Open with the question, show the results, end with the conclusion. Practise aloud, look at the audience, speak slowly, and keep time. At the end, invite questions.
Poster, talk and report share one message, but each uses a different amount of detail: the report has the most, the poster has the least.
Try it
- Grow three bean seeds in different places (sun, shade, dark). Measure each every day for a week.
- Write the four-part report in 8 to 10 sentences. Keep Results to numbers only.
- Draw a bar chart with a title, labels and units.
- Make a poster with a title, a picture and 3 points. Show it to a friend for 3 seconds, then ask what they remember.
- Give a 2-minute talk with 2 slides. Ask a friend to time you.
Key formulas and definitions
- Report = Question + Method + Results + Conclusion
- Chart = title + labelled axes + unit + one sentence of meaning
- Poster = 1 big title + 1 picture + 3 short points
- Talk time: about 1 slide per minute, 1 idea per slide
- Mean = total of the values ÷ how many values
Worked examples
1. A student writes in the Results part: "I think the plant in the sun was happier." What is wrong, and how can it be fixed?
Results must hold facts and numbers, not feelings or opinions. Fix: "After 7 days the plant in the sun was 5 cm tall and the plant in the shade was 3 cm tall." The idea that sun helps growth belongs in the Conclusion.
2. Plants grew 3 cm, 5 cm and 2 cm on three days. Find the mean growth and say which chart suits the data.
Total = 3 + 5 + 2 = 10 cm. Mean = 10 ÷ 3 = 3.3 cm (to one decimal). Three separate days are separate groups, so a bar chart suits. Title: "Plant growth on three days (cm)".
3. Your slot is 6 minutes. How many slides should you make, and what goes on each?
About 6 slides at one per minute. Slide 1: the question. Slide 2: the method. Slides 3 and 4: results (one chart each). Slide 5: the conclusion. Slide 6: thanks and questions. One idea on each slide.
4. A poster has 120 words in tiny letters. Make it better in three changes.
1) Cut the words to a big title and 3 short points. 2) Make the letters large enough to read from one metre. 3) Add one clear picture or chart and leave empty space around it.
Common mistakes
- Putting opinions in the Results part. Results are facts and numbers only.
- Forgetting the Method, so nobody can repeat or trust the work.
- A chart with no title, no axis labels or no unit.
- Too many words on a poster or slide. One idea at a time.