Reading charts and tables
Strategy card
Data questions reward careful reading over speed.
- Step 1: Read the title, axis labels and units.
- Step 2: Find the exact values the question needs.
- Step 3: Compute (difference, total, average) step by step.
- Step 4: Check if the answer is reasonable.
Tip: Watch the units and the scale: is it tens or hundreds?
Worked example
What is the mean (average)?
- A: 26
- B: 20
- C: 19
- D: 25
- E: 23 (the answer)
Why: Total 32 + 22 + 6 + 32 = 92. Divide by 4: 92 ÷ 4 = 23.
Your turn
Your turn 1 of 3
How many more hundred visitors for 2024 than for 2023?
Your turn 2 of 3
What is the range (largest minus smallest)?
| Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mm | 10 | 36 | 40 | 42 | 16 |
Your turn 3 of 3
Which month had the least rain?
| Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mm | 12 | 36 | 40 | 30 | 26 |
Keep practicing
Grown-ups: Discuss a chart from the news: what does it show, and what does it not? Parent guide
Next lesson: Unknowns and balances