Statistics: Line Graphs and Tables
In Year 4, pupils extend chart reading from Year 3's bar charts and pictograms to line graphs (sometimes called time graphs), which show how a continuous quantity such as temperature or distance changes over time.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the title of the line graph or table first to find out what data is being shown and the units used.
- On a line graph, check what the horizontal axis represents (often time, such as days or hours) and what the vertical axis represents (the quantity being measured).
- Work out the value of each small division on the vertical axis before reading any point, in the same way as for a bar chart.
- To read a value at a labelled point, trace up from the axis to the line, then across to the scale.
- To estimate a value between two plotted points, judge how far along the line is between the two nearest gridlines.
- For a two-way table, read down the correct row and across the correct column to find the cell where they meet.
- For 'how many more/fewer' or 'total' questions, find the relevant values first, then subtract or add them.
Worked example
A line graph shows the temperature in a garden recorded every 2 hours: 6am = 8C, 8am = 11C, 10am = 15C, 12pm = 19C, 2pm = 21C, 4pm = 17C. Work out the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures recorded, and state at what time the temperature was highest.
- List all the recorded temperatures: 8, 11, 15, 19, 21 and 17 degrees C.
- Identify the highest value: 21C, recorded at 2pm.
- Identify the lowest value: 8C, recorded at 6am.
- Subtract to find the difference: 21 - 8 = 13.
- So the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures is 13C, and the highest temperature was recorded at 2pm.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1A line graph shows a plant's height: Week 1 = 4 cm, Week 2 = 7 cm, Week 3 = 9 cm, Week 4 = 15 cm. How much did the plant grow between Week 2 and Week 4?Show answer
Answer: 8 cm (15 - 7)
Q2A line graph's vertical axis has gridlines at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40. A point is plotted exactly halfway between the 20 and 30 gridlines. What value does it show?Show answer
Answer: 25
Q3A table shows ice creams sold by flavour on two days: Saturday - Vanilla 34, Chocolate 28; Sunday - Vanilla 41, Chocolate 19. How many chocolate ice creams were sold in total across both days?Show answer
Answer: 47 (28 + 19)
Q4Using the same table as above, how many more vanilla ice creams were sold on Sunday than on Saturday?Show answer
Answer: 7 more (41 - 34)
Q5A line graph shows a car's distance from home every hour: 1pm = 20 miles, 2pm = 45 miles, 3pm = 45 miles, 4pm = 70 miles. Between which two hours did the car's distance from home not change?Show answer
Answer: Between 2pm and 3pm, since the distance stayed at 45 miles.
Q6A line graph tracks the water level in a tank rising steadily over 5 days, from 12 cm to 32 cm. If the rise is the same each day, how much does the water level rise per day?Show answer
Answer: 4 cm per day (a rise of 20 cm over 5 days: 20 divided by 5 = 4)
Q7A two-way table shows pupils' favourite lunch by year group: Year 4 - Pasta 18, Salad 6; Year 5 - Pasta 15, Salad 11. How many pupils in total chose Pasta?Show answer
Answer: 33 (18 + 15)
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a KS2 Maths exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A line graph shows the number of visitors to a museum recorded at the end of each month: January = 320, February = 280, March = 410, April = 390, May = 460. (a) Work out the increase in visitors between February and March. (1 mark) (b) Work out the total number of visitors across all 5 months. (2 marks) (c) Between which two consecutive months shown did the number of visitors decrease? (1 mark)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 4 available
A table shows books borrowed from a school library across three terms. Autumn: Fiction 145, Non-fiction 62. Spring: Fiction 168, Non-fiction 74. Summer: Fiction 190, Non-fiction 58. (a) How many more fiction books were borrowed in Summer than in Autumn? (1 mark) (b) How many non-fiction books were borrowed in total across the three terms? (2 marks)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 3 available
A line graph shows rainfall over 4 days: Monday 2mm, Tuesday 9mm, Wednesday 5mm, Thursday 0mm. On which day was there no rainfall at all?
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 1 available
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the statistics: line graphs and tables worksheet pack - 8 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
Next topics
Not quite what you needed?
Tell us what is missing on statistics: line graphs and tables, or which topic to write up next. Every request is read, and we reply to every one.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.