Primary 4 Tables and Line Graphs Study Guide

Primary 4 tables and line graphs in five short steps: reading a table, completing one, reading a line graph, comparing readings, and finding a value that is not printed. Each step has something to tap, and worked examples follow.

Start here

How do you read tables and line graphs?

Every number has two labels. Find both first.

A table puts each number where a row meets a column. A line graph puts each reading where a time meets a value on the scale. Your child names both labels before any working, then chooses the calculation the question asks for.

In this chapter, your child learns to:

  • read a number from its row and column headings, and add a whole row;
  • complete a table from a total or from the parts;
  • work out a graph's scale and read each point;
  • find the increase or decrease between two readings;
  • work out a reading the graph or table does not print, then use it.
1

Step 1

Reading a table

Add the whole row. Each number in a table belongs to two headings: its row and its column. Pupils means boys and girls together, so a question about pupils needs each school's whole row. Add every row first, then compare the totals.

Tap a school

Pupils at a swimming meet

SchoolBoysGirlsPupils
4638?
5229?
4147?
3944?
Each number has a row (the school) and a column (boys or girls). Pupils means both. Tap a school to add its whole row.
Try it

In the table above, how many girls came from Hillview and Sunrise altogether?

▶ Watch the lesson: Reading a tablePractise 10 questions →
2

Step 2

Completing a table

A ? cell is a number to work out. When a table gives a total, the parts in that row add up to it. To find a missing part, subtract the known part from the total. To find a missing total, add the parts. Fill in the cell first, then answer the question.

Tap a ?

Visitors to a fun fair

DayAdultsChildrenTotal
Saturday12643150
Sunday15872318
Two cells are marked ?. Saturday gives the total; Sunday gives both parts. Tap a ? to work it out.
Try it

A school hall holds 530 pupils: 245 boys and some girls. How many girls are there?

▶ Watch the lesson: Reading a tablePractise 10 questions →
3

Step 3

Reading a line graph

Work out the scale before reading a point. Look at how the labels on the scale go up. A dashed line halfway between two labels is worth the number halfway between them. Trace each point straight across to the scale, read it, and write it down before adding or comparing.

Tap a day

Cups of coffee sold

Number of cups0100200300400MonTueWedThuFriDay
Mon?
Tue?
Wed?
Thu?
Fri?
The labels go up in hundreds. Each dashed line is halfway, so it is 50 more than the line below. Tap a day to read its point.
Try it

On the graph above, how many more cups were sold on Thursday than on Wednesday?

▶ Watch the lesson: Reading a line graphPractise 12 questions →
4

Step 4

Increase and decrease on a line graph

Compare neighbouring points, in time order. A line going up shows an increase; a line going down shows a decrease. Subtract the smaller reading from the greater one to find the change. Compare only the changes the question asks about: the steepest line going down shows the greatest decrease.

Tap Next step

Cars in a car park

Number of cars01002003004008 am9 am10 am11 am12 noon1 pmTime
8–9?
9–10?
10–11?
11–12?
12–1?
The readings are 100, 250, 350, 300, 150 and 100 cars. Tap Next step to compare each time with the next one.
Try it

On this graph, between which two times did the number of cars increase the most?

▶ Watch the lesson: Reading a line graphPractise 12 questions →
5

Step 5

Finding a missing value on a graph or table

Find the missing value first. Sometimes a graph hides a point, or a table marks a cell with ?. The question always gives a fact that fixes it, such as 60 more than Thursday or 3 times the earlier increase. Work out the missing reading on its own line, then use it to answer the question.

Tap Next step

The 2024 increase is 3 times the increase from 2022 to 2023. How many visitors were there in 2024?

Visitors050010001500200025002021202220232024Year?
    The graph prints 1000, 1250 and 1500. The 2024 point is hidden. The question gives a fact about its increase.
    Try it

    A graph shows 40 kg on Monday and 55 kg on Tuesday. The Wednesday point is hidden. The increase from Tuesday to Wednesday is twice the increase from Monday to Tuesday. What is the Wednesday reading?

    ▶ Watch the lesson: The hidden readingPractise 8 questions →
    Mixed practice: 6 questions →

    Primary 4 tables and line graphs questions, worked step by stepRead the table or graph facts yourself first, then open the hint or the working line by line.

    Reading a tableBasic

    The table shows the books read by three classes. 4A read 128 fiction and 95 non-fiction books. 4B read 116 fiction and 109 non-fiction books. 4C read 134 fiction and 87 non-fiction books. Which class read the most books altogether?

    The question asks about all the books, so add each whole row before comparing.
    1. 4A: 128 + 95 = 223.
    2. 4B: 116 + 109 = 225.
    3. 4C: 134 + 87 = 221.
    4. 225 is the greatest, so 4B read the most books.
    Answer: 4B
    Reading a line graphBasic

    A line graph shows the height of a plant at the end of each week. The scale is labelled 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 cm, with a dashed line halfway between each pair of labels. The Week 2 point is on the dashed line between 10 and 20. The Week 5 point is on the dashed line between 30 and 40. How much did the plant grow from Week 2 to Week 5?

    Work out what each dashed line is worth first. The labels go up in tens.
    1. Halfway between 10 and 20 is 15, so Week 2 = 15 cm.
    2. Halfway between 30 and 40 is 35, so Week 5 = 35 cm.
    3. Growth = 35 − 15 = 20 cm.
    Answer: 20 cm
    Completing a tableIntermediate

    The table shows the tickets sold for a school concert. On Friday, 386 adult tickets were sold and 1050 tickets were sold in all. On Saturday, 642 adult tickets and 579 child tickets were sold. How many child tickets were sold on the two days altogether?

    Friday's child tickets are not given. Work them out from Friday's total first.
    1. Friday child tickets = 1050 − 386 = 664.
    2. Check: 386 + 664 = 1050, the Friday total.
    3. Child tickets on both days = 664 + 579 = 1243.
    Answer: 1243 child tickets
    Increase and decreaseIntermediate

    A line graph shows the number of visitors to a library from Monday to Friday. From the graph, there were 240 on Monday, 310 on Tuesday, 280 on Wednesday, 190 on Thursday and 260 on Friday. Between which two days did the number of visitors decrease the most?

    Look only at the parts of the line that go down, in the order the days move.
    1. The line goes down from Tuesday to Wednesday and from Wednesday to Thursday.
    2. Tuesday to Wednesday: 310 − 280 = 30.
    3. Wednesday to Thursday: 280 − 190 = 90.
    4. 90 is greater than 30, so the greatest decrease is from Wednesday to Thursday.
    Answer: Wednesday to Thursday
    The hidden readingChallenge

    A line graph shows the bottles of juice a stall sold each day. It sold 120 on Monday and 150 on Tuesday. The point for Wednesday is hidden. The increase from Tuesday to Wednesday was twice the increase from Monday to Tuesday. Each bottle cost $2. How much did the stall collect on Tuesday and Wednesday altogether?

    Find the Wednesday reading first, from the increase. Then add the two days and multiply by the price.
    1. Increase from Monday to Tuesday = 150 − 120 = 30.
    2. Increase from Tuesday to Wednesday = 2 × 30 = 60.
    3. Wednesday = 150 + 60 = 210.
    4. Tuesday and Wednesday = 150 + 210 = 360.
    5. Amount collected = 360 × 2 = $720.
    Answer: $720
    6

    Step 6

    Check yourself

    Five quick table and graph questions. Nothing is recorded, and each reply names the practice set that fits.

    Class 4A has 18 boys and 17 girls. Class 4B has 16 boys and 21 girls. Which class has more pupils?

    On Sunday there were 1325 visitors in all. 748 were adults. How many were children?

    A scale is labelled 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80. A point is on the dashed line halfway between 60 and 80. What does it show?

    A graph shows 45 at 9 am, 60 at 10 am and 38 at 11 am. What is the decrease from 10 am to 11 am?

    A table shows 150 apples on Monday. Tuesday is marked ?, and had 35 fewer than Monday. How many apples were there on the two days altogether?

    0/5
    Answer all five to see where to practise next.
    For parents

    How to use this guide. Before your child taps anything, ask which two labels a number belongs to: the school and the column, or the day and the scale. Then let the visual confirm it. Each step takes a few minutes.

    When a question hides a number, cover the working and ask what the question says about that value. Your child writes the missing reading on its own line first, and only then adds, compares or multiplies with it.

    More study guides

    Before this: Four Operations of Whole NumbersNext: FractionsPrimary 3 Bar Graphs study guidePrimary 4 Pie Charts study guidePrimary 4 Decimals study guide
    Lessons and practice

    P4 Tables and Line Graphs lessons and practice

    3 lesson videos and 36 questions across three subtopics, from Basic to Challenge, each with a worked solution.

    Watch and practise →