The Two-Source Report
You are writing a one-page briefing for a volunteer coordinator about weekend attendance at a community centre. You have two sources. Source A is the sign-in sheet: it records 62 people on Saturday and 48 on Sunday. Source B is a volunteer's text message: "Sunday felt really busy, maybe 70-odd? Saturday was quieter than usual." The sign-in sheet is kept at the front desk, but the side entrance was propped open for a delivery between 10 and 11 am on Saturday. The coordinator needs a single attendance figure for a funding application due Friday.
1. Which source should carry more weight for the funding figure, and what specific weakness must you disclose?
Read the worked answer
The sign-in sheet (Source A) should carry more weight because it is a written record made at the time, with countable entries (62 and 48). The text message is a recollection with an explicit guess ("maybe 70-odd") and no count, so it cannot support a number in an application.
The weakness to disclose is the propped-open side entrance on Saturday between 10 and 11 am. People who entered that way may not have signed in, so 62 is likely an undercount for Saturday. The honest statement is: "Saturday: 62 recorded sign-ins; some attendees may not have signed in while the side entrance was open 10–11 am." Do not silently inflate the number to match the volunteer's impression.
2. The volunteer's estimate of "70-odd" on Sunday conflicts with the 48 recorded. Draft two sentences for the briefing that handle this conflict honestly.
Read the worked answer
"Sunday attendance was recorded as 48 sign-ins. A volunteer's impression was that the day felt busier, so the recorded figure may understate actual attendance; we have not adjusted the number without a count."
This does three things: it gives the recorded figure, it names the conflicting impression without treating it as data, and it states the decision not to adjust. A weaker version would average the two (59) or use the higher figure, both of which invent precision the evidence does not support.
3. The application asks for "total weekend attendance." Explain how you would present the total and one caveat, in no more than 40 words.
Read the worked answer
"Total recorded weekend attendance: 110 (62 Saturday, 48 Sunday). Figures are sign-in counts; Saturday may be slightly understated because a side entrance was open 10–11 am."
This adds the two recorded figures (62 + 48 = 110), labels them as recorded rather than actual, and attaches the one caveat that affects the number. It avoids adding the volunteer's guess to the total, which would mix a count with an estimate.