This activity is an exercise in writing a data commentary

Task Imagine you are a teaching assistant for an introductory Chemistry course with a total enrollment of 150. Examinations are usually given in the evening to avoid losing valuable class time. Because some students have evening commitments, a make- up (alternative) examination is always given. The professor has noticed a big discrepancy between the scores of the last regular exam and those of the make-up examination. Because you administered the last make-up examination, you have been asked to offer an explanation. You have prepared the data in Table 1. Write a data commentary either as a report or an email message to your professor. Table 1: A Comparison of the Regular and the Make- Up Examination Average score (points out of 100) Time administered Difficulty of questions Number of students Proctor Two sample questions and answers discussed right before the exam Room temperature Regular Examination Make-Up Examination 86 72 Wednesday, 7:00 PM Friday, 4:00 PM Average Average 125 25 professor teaching assistant yes no, considered unnecessary about 20 degrees Celsius about 28 degrees Celsius