Community statistics · Maths CAS idea
Track the cost of a healthy weekly shop
Service
Track the prices of a fixed basket of healthy food at local shops over months and share the results with a community group working on food poverty.
Where the maths comes in
Index numbers, percentage change and fair comparisons.
Which CAS strand it fits
- Service: Unpaid, voluntary work with others that also has a learning benefit for you.
Your CAS coordinator decides how an experience counts at your school. Strand summaries are provisional (our words, being checked).
How to run it
- Agree a basket with a community group or teacher.
- Record prices at the same shops each fortnight.
- Calculate a simple price index.
- Share results with the group in a format they can use.
How to evidence it
- Price log
- Index calculations
- The group's response
Date everything and keep it in your school's CAS portfolio as you go. More on what counts as evidence.
Reflection prompts
Questions to think about, not answers to copy. Write your reflections in your own words, in whatever form your school accepts.
- Why did you choose those items?
- What did the numbers show about who is hit hardest?
- How did sticking to a fixed routine go over months?
Learning outcomes this often gives a chance to show
- Commitment and perseverance. When did you feel like stopping, and what kept you going? What does your record of sessions or meetings show about how regularly you took part?
- Global significance. How does the local need you worked on connect to a wider issue? What did you learn about that issue that you did not know before?
- Initiative and planning. What did you plan, and what did you have to change once you started? Who did you need to ask for permission or help, and how did you go about it?
Whether you meet an outcome depends on what you actually do and reflect on, not on the idea. Outcome labels are our short summaries, being checked.
Safety and ethics
- Use only prices on public display or websites; ask shop permission before taking photos inside.
Agree every plan with your CAS coordinator first. Safety and ethics for maths CAS.
Need the statistics? The statistics guide (written for the IA) explains tests and charts step by step. Keep CAS and your IA separate.