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Maths · Data

Read a line-graph value

Read one plotted value at a named position.

Watch the worked example

Find the Hidden Line-Graph Value

This video shows how to find the plotted value at a named position by reading the axes and scale of a line graph. Watch an 11+ maths question solved step by step.

Turn on captions with the CC button. Jump to any part with the chapter buttons.

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Quick quiz: Read a line-graph value

10 questions, with feedback after each one. No sign-up needed.

Read the questions in this quiz
  1. Question 1

    How many centimetres does the graph show on Mon?

    0510152025MonTueWedThuFriSatSunDayCentimetres
    • A.16
    • B.8
    • C.14
    • D.24
  2. Question 2

    How many visits does the graph show on Thu?

    020406080100120140MonTueWedThuFriSatSunDayVisits
    • A.50
    • B.140
    • C.90
    • D.120
  3. Question 3

    How many degrees does the graph show on Wed?

    0510152025MonTueWedThuFriSatSunDayDegrees C
    • A.24
    • B.14
    • C.20
    • D.10
  4. Question 4

    How many children does the graph show on Sat?

    0102030405060MonTueWedThuFriSatSunDayChildren
    • A.28
    • B.32
    • C.20
    • D.44
  5. Question 5

    How many litres does the graph show in Week 1?

    010203040506070Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6Week 7WeekLitres
    • A.36
    • B.60
    • C.48
    • D.32
  6. Question 6

    How many ice creams does the graph show on Thu?

    020406080100120MonTueWedThuFriSatSunDayIce creams
    • A.60
    • B.70
    • C.40
    • D.100
  7. Question 7

    How many umbrellas does the graph show in Week 3?

    05101520Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6Week 7WeekUmbrellas
    • A.20
    • B.4
    • C.12
    • D.14
  8. Question 8

    How many millimetres does the graph show in Jun?

    05101520253035JanFebMarAprMayJunJulMonthMillimetres
    • A.30
    • B.24
    • C.18
    • D.32
  9. Question 9

    How many bags does the graph show in Week 4?

    05101520253035Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6Week 7WeekBags
    • A.34
    • B.18
    • C.22
    • D.14
  10. Question 10

    How many centimetres does the graph show in Week 3?

    0102030405060Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6Week 7WeekCentimetres
    • A.24
    • B.48
    • C.36
    • D.60

Practise it now

Tap the step where the line rises the most. Then say by how many books it rose across that step.

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A worked example

One question of the kind this skill is tested with, worked all the way through: the reasoning, and what the wrong answers are there to catch.

Milk delivered to the school kitchen

Start on Fri on the bottom axis and follow the line straight up. How many litres does the graph show there?

Milk recorded once each day.

051015202530MonTueWedThuFriSatDayLitres

Line chart with horizontal axis Day and vertical axis Litres. Milk: (Mon, 30), (Tue, 24), (Wed, 30), (Thu, 14), (Fri, 14), (Sat, 28).

  1. 20
  2. 14
  3. 24
  4. 30

Answer: 14

How you get there

The line above Fri sits level with 14 on the scale, so the graph shows 14 litres on Fri.

Why the other answers tempt

The highest point on the graph is only the answer when the question names the position it sits above.

If they are stuck, say this

Find Fri along the bottom of the graph, go straight up to the line, then straight across to the scale on the left.

Now do it live in Line Reader

What this exercise is doing

Line Reader

Tap the step where the line rises the most. Then say by how many books it rose across that step.

The steepest rise is from Tuesday to Wednesday: the line goes from 15 to 30, a rise of 15. Every other step on this graph moves less than that, which is what makes this one the answer rather than merely a big move. Counting the gridlines between the two ends gives the same number as subtracting, and the lines here go up in 5s. The steepest step is the one that climbs the most lines, not the one that ends highest.

  1. Step 1. Find it. Tap the steepest step of the line.
  2. Step 2. Read it. Now read the scale and choose how many books that is.

What to say if they get stuck

  1. Find the bar, row or slice the question names before you read anything. Getting the label right matters as much as the reading.
  2. The scale does not always count up in single steps. Work out what a single line is worth before you read anything off it.
  3. Keep your finger level as you slide from the board across to the scale. Drifting up or down by a line is the commonest slip there is.

Open Line Reader on its own page to share it

Where read a line-graph value sits in the 11+

The 11+ does not test these skills in isolation, and practising one in the wrong order wastes the practice. These are the skills the curriculum map connects this one to.

This opens up

Compare line-graph change

A change comparison requires accurate plotted values.

How read a line-graph value differs from the skills beside it

The same exercise practises one other skill, and telling them apart is often the difficulty rather than the exercise itself. On this page the skill is: read one plotted value at a named position, and it stops where excludes trend and rate interpretation.

Related maths skills

All maths 11+ skills

Questions parents ask about read a line-graph value

What this skill involves, common mistakes and ways to practise it at home.

Read one plotted value at a named position. It is one of 55 named maths skills in the 11+, in the data strand, and this page carries 1 interactive exercise that practises it.

Read a line-graph value is the step before compare line-graph change

A free diagnostic maps the whole run of skills either side of this one, so practice follows the order the paper actually needs.