Before reading any bar or point, read the scale. Graphs often go up in 2s, 5s or 10s, so each gridline is worth more than 1. To find a value, count how many gridlines the bar reaches and multiply by what each gridline is worth. If a scale goes up in 2s and the bar reaches the 4th line, that is 4 × 2 = 8, not 4. Count the lines from zero and stop exactly where the bar ends.
Explore this idea with maths tools
Maths you can move
Build 8 + 5
Tap two gold counters to fill the ten-frame.
8 in the frame + 5 waiting. The total stays the same.
Words to know
- scale
- how much each gridline or square on the axis is worth
- gridline
- a line on the axis marking one step of the scale
- interval
- the size of one step of the scale
Worked examples
Scale in 2s, bar reaches line 4
- 1.Each line is worth 2.
- 2.4 × 2 = 8.
= 8
Scale in 5s, bar reaches line 3
- 1.Each line is worth 5.
- 2.3 × 5 = 15.
= 15
Scale in 10s, bar reaches line 6
- 1.Each line is worth 10.
- 2.6 × 10 = 60.
= 60
For parents
Method: Say the scale aloud ('going up in 2s') before reading anything.
What to say: Point at the zero line first, then count each gridline up to the bar.
Common mistakes:
- Counting each gridline as 1 and ignoring the scale.
- Overshooting or undershooting by one line.