Year 5 maths · Key Stage 2 · Statistics

Year 5 line graphs, tables and timetables explained

In Year 5 statistics children read and interpret line graphs, using them to answer comparison, sum and difference questions. They also complete, read and interpret tables, including timetables, which means working out times and journey lengths. Underneath is careful attention to scales and a growing sense of which way of showing data suits the job.

Line graphs, tables and timetables, explained

A line graph shows how something changes, usually over time: the temperature through a day, the height of a plant week by week, or the water in a bath as it fills. Time goes along the bottom (the horizontal axis) and the thing being measured goes up the side (the vertical axis). Each reading is a point, and the points are joined with a line so that you can see the pattern. Because it is a graph on coordinates, children use what they know about reading across and up, and about scales, from earlier years.

The scale is the most important part to read carefully. The labelled numbers may go up in 2s, 5s, 10s or 20s, and there are often small unlabelled squares between them. If the labels are 0, 10 and 20 and there are five small squares between each label, each square is worth 2. Children work this out before reading anything off the graph. After that the questions are the kind they already know: how much warmer was it at 2 pm than at 8 am (a difference), what is the total of two readings (a sum), and which reading is higher (a comparison). A steep part of the line means a fast change, a flat part means no change, and a line going down means a decrease.

Tables hold information in rows and columns, and the answer sits where the right row meets the right column. Timetables are tables of times. Children read them using both the 12-hour and the 24-hour clock, find when a bus, train or lesson starts, and work out how long something takes. A good method is counting on: from 08:47 to 09:00 is 13 minutes, then another 32 minutes takes you to 09:32, so the journey is 13 + 32 = 45 minutes. Children also complete tables where some values are missing, using totals or differences from the others.

Children are also starting to decide which way of showing data fits best. A table gives exact values, a bar chart compares separate categories such as favourite fruits, and a line graph is best for change over time. Being able to explain why one is a better choice is part of the thinking, as well as reading the numbers off correctly.

Words your child will hear

Data: Information collected, such as measurements, counts or times.
Line graph: A graph with points joined by a line, used to show how something changes, often over time.
Axes: The horizontal and vertical lines of a graph where the scales and labels are written.
Scale: The numbers marked along an axis. The gaps between marks show how much each step is worth.
Table: Information set out in rows (across) and columns (down).
Timetable: A table showing the times when things happen, such as buses, trains or lessons.
24-hour clock: A way of writing time where the hours run from 00 to 23, so 3:15 pm is 15:15.

What the National Curriculum says

In Year 5, pupils should be taught to:

Solve comparison, sum and difference problems using information presented in a line graph
Complete, read and interpret information in tables, including timetables

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A worked example

A line graph shows the height of a bean plant at the end of each week. The labels on the vertical axis go up in 10s (0, 10, 20, 30) with five small squares between each label. The points read: week 1, 4 cm; week 2, 8 cm; week 3, 14 cm; week 4, 18 cm; week 5, 26 cm. (a) In which week did the plant grow most? (b) How much taller was it at week 5 than at week 2?

Work out the scale first. There are five small squares between 0 and 10, so each small square is 10 ÷ 5 = 2 cm. Use this to read each point accurately.

(a) Find the growth in each week by subtracting one reading from the next.

Week 1 to 2:  8 − 4 = 4 cm
Week 2 to 3: 14 − 8 = 6 cm
Week 3 to 4: 18 − 14 = 4 cm
Week 4 to 5: 26 − 18 = 8 cm

The biggest number is 8 cm, between weeks 4 and 5. This matches the graph, where that part of the line is the steepest.
(b) Compare the two heights by finding the difference.
```
26 − 8 = 18 cm
```
Check that the answer is sensible: the plant grew 6 cm, then 4 cm, then 8 cm after week 2, and 6 + 4 + 8 = 18.

(a) Most growth was in the fifth week, 8 cm. (b) At week 5 the plant was 18 cm taller than at week 2.

Common mistakes and how to help

Counting each small square as 1

On a graph with labels every 10, a child reads 4 squares above 20 as 24 when the scale makes it 28. Many earlier graphs had a scale of 1, so that is assumed.

What helps: Always find the value of one square before reading anything: the gap between two labels divided by the number of small squares. Write it next to the axis.

Treating the line between points as exact data

The line between two points suggests values, and a child reads off, say, week 2.5 as if it had been measured. But only the points were recorded.

What helps: Explain that the line shows the trend. Reading between points gives an estimate, such as “about 11 cm”, which is reasonable for something that changes steadily like temperature.

Subtracting times column by column

For a journey from 08:47 to 09:32, a child works out 932 − 847 = 85 and gives 85 minutes, or 1 hour 25 minutes. Column subtraction exchanges an hour for 100 minutes instead of 60, so the usual method breaks.

What helps: Count on instead: from 08:47 to 09:00 is 13 minutes, then 32 more minutes, so 45 minutes. Use a number line or a clock face.

Confusing a steep line with a high value

A steep line looks dramatic, so children say it shows the biggest number. But steepness shows how fast the value changes, not how large it is.

What helps: Ask two questions: how high is it (look up the side) and how fast is it changing (look at the slope)? A line can be high and flat, or low and steep.

How to help at home

Keep a weather log. Read the same thermometer at the same time every day for two weeks and plot a line graph together. Ask “which day was warmest?” and “how much colder was Tuesday than Monday?”
Plan a trip from a timetable. Look at a bus or train timetable and ask: “Which one do we catch to arrive by 3 o’clock? How long does the journey take?” Counting on to the next hour is useful here.
Grow something and measure it. Grow cress or a bean on a windowsill, measure the height every few days and put the readings in a table and then a graph. A ruler is all that’s needed.
Read tables in daily life. Swimming pool sessions, a school menu or a sports fixture list are all tables. Ask your child to find a time, then say how long a session lasts.
Ask “which graph, and why?”. When your child sees a chart, talk about whether it shows categories or change over time and whether another type would have been better.

Builds on

Year 4: Bar charts and time graphs

Leads on to

Year 6: Pie charts, line graphs and the mean

Everything in Year 5 maths

Updated 20 October 2026.