Home → Curriculum Hub → Maths Lessons → Schemes of Work → Key Stage 3 → Probability, Outcomes and Venn Diagrams
This Key Stage 3 Probability, Outcomes and Venn Diagrams scheme of work is designed for Year 8 work on mutually exclusive events, sample space diagrams, two-way tables, Venn diagrams and basic set notation for probability.
Use this page to sequence the lessons below, keep mutually exclusive and overlapping events distinct, and connect sample space representations to Venn diagrams before students use set notation for unions and intersections.
Last updated: May 2026
For more schemes and topic routes across KS3, GCSE and A-Level, browse the Mr Mathematics Curriculum Hub.
Read the prerequisite and key-concept cards first so the 0–1 probability scale and basic probability language are secure. Teach the lessons in the order listed unless your timetable requires otherwise — keep probabilities summing to one and sample spaces before two-way tables and Venn diagrams, and introduce set notation after students can read probabilities from overlapping circles.
Presentations, worksheets, question generators and video tutorials for the lessons in this unit are available to members. Explore Mr Mathematics membership if you need full access to the library and schemes of work.
If you are comparing options for a department, the membership page sets out exactly what is included so you can align this unit with your wider KS3 probability and statistics plan.
Students should be secure with the following before this unit.
Ideas to keep explicit while students work with probability, outcomes and Venn diagrams.
How this unit supports fluency, reasoning and problem solving in Key Stage 3.
Typical slips to address during teaching and marking.
Use it to sequence teaching, align vocabulary and spot likely errors before they become habits. Then use the lessons below as the delivery route for the unit.
They need confident work with the 0–1 probability scale and language for equally and unequally likely outcomes so new work focuses on combined events, tables and Venn diagrams rather than basic probability experiments.
Each lesson listed below has its own page with downloadable resources and, where available, online tasks. Access depends on your membership level.
Yes if your timetable requires it — keep mutually exclusive events and probabilities summing to one before sample space and two-way tables, and teach Venn diagrams before set notation so the visual model is in place first.
Additional revision lessons, exam-style questions and topic-based practice are available on the GCSE Maths Revision Hub. This is useful for consolidating learning after teaching the unit or for Year 11 exam preparation.
Students learn how mutually exclusive events are represented in a Venn diagram and that probabilities add up to one.
As learning progresses, they use mutually exclusive events to calculate the probability of an event not happening.
Students learn how to create a sample space diagram to find the probability of two or more events.
As learning progresses students are challenged to find the events when given a partially completed sample space diagram.
Students learn how to complete and interpret two-way tables, using them to calculate theoretical probabilities from given data. They start by extracting information from tables and using the totals to find missing values.
Later, as learning progresses, students create two-way tables from written descriptions and consider how sample size changes for different criteria. They use two-way tables to solve multi-step exam-style questions.
Probability, Outcomes and Venn Diagrams
Venn diagrams are introduced as a means to organise sets of data into a sample space diagram.
As learning progresses, students calculate probabilities from distinct and overlapping events.
Students learn how to find the union and intersection of elements using basic set notation.
As learning progresses students consider the complement of a set while reviewing basic number properties.
Additional practice learning how to organise data using two-way tables.
The problem-solving activity challenges students to complete a two-way table based on their understanding of ratios, fractions, decimals and percentages.
Students gain additional practice working out the probability of mutually exclusive events.
The problem-solving activity challenges students to combine mutually exclusive events with sharing to a ratio.
Mutually Exclusive Outcomes and Events
How to Draw a Venn Diagram to Calculate Probabilities
Students gain additional practice organising data within Venn Diagrams.
The problem-solving activity challenges students to create a Venn Diagram from a real-life problem and work out a probability.
How to Draw a Venn Diagram to Calculate Probabilities
Two-Way Tables and Frequency Trees
Students revise how to organise events and probabilities into a Venn diagram.
Later, as learning progresses, they use set notation to solve probability problems.
Mutually Exclusive Outcomes and Events
How to Draw a Venn Diagram to Calculate Probabilities
Students revise how to calculate the probability of an event not happening using mutual exclusivity.
Later, as learning progresses, they use probabilities to calculate the expected frequency of an event occurring.
Mutually Exclusive Outcomes and Events
How to Draw a Venn Diagram to Calculate Probabilities
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