← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

Entering survey responses consistently

Typing each survey answer in its own cell, one row per person, using the same spelling and format every time (Yes, not yes or Y), and leaving the cell blank if there is no answer.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Acquiring and Storing Data — Module 13

Understanding Entering survey responses consistently in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

What it does: Name, answer and age each sit in a separate cell on one row, so one row holds one respondent and one cell holds one answer. COUNTIF only finds cells that match the text exactly, so it works when every answer is typed as Yes. Y or yeah would be missed. Each person gets their own row so every row is one complete response and can be sorted, filtered and counted. Pick one spelling and capitalisation and use it every time. Otherwise a formula like COUNTIF will count the variations as different answers. A Yes/No column should only hold Yes or No. Longer comments belong in a separate comments column.

Common mistakes: Every Yes/No answer must be typed the same way. 'yeah' does not match 'Yes', so the line should be Cam,Yes,13. Each heading needs its own cell. 'Likes sport' and 'Age' are squashed into one cell. It should be Name,Likes sport,Age.

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 204–236) and word search (Modules 189–236).

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Learning
Duo
A survey has 3 people. How should the responses be laid out in the spreadsheet?
One row per respondentOne column per respondent, all in one row
Matches
B2: Yes | B3: yes | B4: Y | B5: yeah
↓
The same answer is typed four different ways. It should be Yes in every cell.
Applying
Meanings
Term
consistent data entry
Meaning
Typing each survey answer in its own cell, one row per person, using the same spelling and format every time (Yes, not yes or Y), and leaving the cell blank if there is no answer.
Practice
Name,Year,Likes pizza
Testing
Gaps
=COUNTIF(B2:B9,"")
Check Answer
Spots
3Ben,No,12
4Cam,yeah,13

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Quick Questions

1. A survey has 3 people. How should the responses be laid out in the spreadsheet?
A. One column per respondent, all in one row
B. One row per respondent ✓
Each person gets their own row so every row is one complete response and can be sorted, filtered and counted.
2. Which way of entering a Yes answer keeps the data consistent?
A. Yes ✓
B. yes, Y, yeah or YES mixed together
Pick one spelling and capitalisation and use it every time. Otherwise a formula like COUNTIF will count the variations as different answers.
3. A student answers 'Yes, but only on weekends'. What is the best way to enter it in a Yes/No column?
A. Type the whole sentence into the cell
B. Pick the matching option, Yes, and type only that in the cell ✓
A Yes/No column should only hold Yes or No. Longer comments belong in a separate comments column.
4. A respondent skipped the question 'Do you own a pet?'. What should go in the cell?
A. Leave the cell blank ✓
B. Type 'no answer', 'n/a' and '???' in different cells
A blank cell clearly means no answer. Making up different labels creates inconsistent data.
5. Which cell entry follows the 'one answer per cell' rule?
A. Cell B2 holds Pizza and cell C2 holds Pasta ✓
B. Cell B2 holds Pizza, Pasta
If someone gives two answers, put each in its own cell (or its own column). Two answers in one cell are hard to count or sort.

Match the Pairs

Yes → The one agreed spelling for a yes answer, typed the same way in every row
(blank cell) → What to leave when a respondent gave no answer to a question
Each survey answer goes in its own cell, so a respondent's answers are spread across the columns of their row → A2: Mia | B2: Yes | C2: 13
Count the Yes answers in a column because every Yes was typed with the same spelling → =COUNTIF(B2:B20,"Yes")
B2: Yes | B3: yes | B4: Y | B5: yeah → The same answer is typed four different ways. It should be Yes in every cell.
A2: Mia, Yes, 13 (all typed in one cell) → Several answers are crammed into one cell. Each answer needs its own cell: Mia in A2, Yes in B2, 13 in C2.

Key Term

consistent data entry
Typing each survey answer in its own cell, one row per person, using the same spelling and format every time (Yes, not yes or Y), and leaving the cell blank if there is no answer.

Fill in the Blanks

1. =COUNTIF(B2:B9,"Yes")
Hint: Type the standard, capitalised answer word that every agreeing respondent should have in this column.
2. =COUNTBLANK(B2:B9)
Hint: Type the function that counts cells left empty because a person gave no answer.
3. =COUNTA(A2:A9)
Hint: Type the function that counts non-empty cells, giving the number of respondents when each has one row.
4. =IF(B2="Yes",1,0)
Hint: Type the operator that checks whether the cell matches the text exactly.
5. Respondent 3 answer to Q1 goes in cell B4
Hint: Type the row number for the third respondent, remembering that row 1 holds the headings.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A Name,Pizza,Age
B Ava,Yes,13
C Ben,No,12
D Cam,yeah,13
Line D — Every Yes/No answer must be typed the same way. 'yeah' does not match 'Yes', so the line should be Cam,Yes,13.
Question 2
A Name,Likes sport and Age
B Mia,Yes,12
C Tom,No,13
Line A — Each heading needs its own cell. 'Likes sport' and 'Age' are squashed into one cell. It should be Name,Likes sport,Age.
Question 3
A Zoe,Yes,12,Max,No,11
B Kai,No,13
C Eli,Yes,12
Line A — Use one row per respondent. This line holds two people (Zoe and Max). Zoe's answers belong on their own row: Zoe,Yes,12.
Question 4
A Name,Pet,Age
B Ben,no answer,12
C Cal,Cat,12
Line B — When a person gives no answer, leave the cell blank. Typing 'no answer' adds text that is not real data. It should be Ben,,12.
Question 5
A Name,Swims,Age
B Ava,Yes,13
C Ben,N,12
D Cal,Yes,12
Line C — Use the full word No every time, not the short form N. Mixed spellings are counted as different answers. It should be Ben,No,12.

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