The idea in brief. Equal intervals on one scale represent equal amounts; establish the interval before reading the pointer or liquid surface. Find one interval before reading the pointer or liquid level. The top label is not the amount inside. In the lesson. In the last lesson, you wrote measurements in two units. Today, we will read a scale by finding what one small gap stands for. Find what one small gap stands for first. Then count the gaps from the numbered mark below.
Lesson video, with the working
Reading scales and liquid levels
4 min 40 s
The film teaches 3 questions in turn. Each question shows first; its working is written as the film explains it.
Question 1 of 11 · Basic · free to tryA measuring beaker has equally spaced marks. The marks labelled 0 ml and…A measuring beaker has equally…
A measuring beaker has equally spaced marks. The marks labelled 0 ml and 500 ml are 5 intervals apart. The liquid level is 3 intervals after the 0 ml mark towards 500 ml. What is the volume of liquid in ml?
What is the method for reading weighing scales and measuring jugs in P3?
This page teaches your child to read a kitchen scale, a weighing scale or a measuring jug when the pointer or liquid level falls between numbered marks.
What your child learns here
This page teaches your child to read a kitchen scale, a weighing scale or a measuring jug when the pointer or liquid level falls between numbered marks. It supports the P3 outcomes on measuring mass and volume of liquid, including readings in compound units such as 1 kg 400 g.
Find the two numbered marks on either side of the pointer or water level.
Count the equal gaps between them and work out what one small gap stands for.
Count the gaps up from the lower numbered mark and add to find the reading.
Read the level of the liquid, not the largest number printed on the jug.
Write the reading in one unit or in two units, as the question asks.
Does the answer make sense?
A single reading your child gives must lie between the two numbered marks on either side of the pointer or water level. When beakers are added together, the total is more than either beaker's reading, and the water still needed to fill a jug must be less than the jug's capacity.
How to practise these questions
The Basic questions practise reading scales where the marks are labelled or the interval is easy to see. The Intermediate questions add unlabelled marks, so the value of one interval must be found first. The Challenge questions use less friendly intervals or compare two readings, such as how much liquid was added. When reading a scale is stuck, watch its solution film and return to it later from Revision. The multiple-choice Basic questions show a measuring jug, a measuring cylinder or a weighing scale and ask for the reading, starting from the labelled mark below the level or the pointer; these are solved in writing, not on film.
Questions parents ask
Why is reading scales tricky for P3 children? Each scale can count in different steps, so the small marks might stand for 10, 20, 25 or 50. The lesson on this page starts by finding what one small gap stands for, which works on any scale.
Is reading scales in the Primary 3 syllabus? The Primary 3 syllabus covers measuring length, mass and volume of liquid, including in compound units. Reading a scale or a measuring jug is how those measurements are made, so it is the practical side of that outcome.
Can we practise with a digital kitchen scale? A digital scale shows the number directly, so it is good for checking but not for practising the reading itself. A dial scale, a measuring jug or a ruler gives the marks and gaps your child needs to count.
