Using Excel to Create Graphs

In the last activity, we addressed the ‘what’ and the ‘why’. You now know what some common and useful graphical techniques are and you also know why we use them. These are important for engaging with and critically assessing data analysis, but you also need to know how to create them.

Now, in this activity, you’ll learn how to construct them yourself. We’ll be revisiting the examples shown and going through their creation step-by-step. Unfortunately, FutureLearn doesn’t support the sharing of Excel files within the comments. If you have your own data available, however, we’d suggest you try experimenting and following along.

You can share your work with other learners and view examples from others on this course using our Padlet wall here. Please do not share inappropriate materials or any personally identifiable information, learners who do so will have their posts removed.

Actively doing a task helps to reinforce the lessons and ensures you get the most out of this activity. If you don’t have access to Microsoft Excel, you could also use the free Google Sheets.

If you’re ready, Mark as Complete and move on to next step to get started with pie charts and bar charts.