Maths Library

Tally Charts and Pictographs: Foundation maths

This topic covers collecting data using tally marks and displaying or reading categorical data in pictograms. The worksheet practises reading tally totals, drawing tally marks, and interpreting pictograms with symbols representing one or more items.

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What this covers

Tally Charts and Pictographs is taught in Foundation (age 5 to 6, Foundation) as a topic to introduce. It sits in the Statistics strand.

Worked example

In a pictogram, one circle represents 4 books. How many books do 3 and a half circles represent

  1. Calculate the whole circles: 3 × 4 = 12
  2. Calculate the half circle: 42 = 2
  3. Add them together: 12 + 2 = 14

Answer: 14

Difficulty scale

The sheet generator offers five difficulty settings for this topic.

  1. Reading simple tally counts up to 10
  2. Interpreting pictograms where 1 symbol represents 1 item
  3. Drawing and reading tallies grouped in fives up to 30
  4. Interpreting pictograms where 1 symbol represents 2, 5, or 10 items
  5. Solving two-step comparison problems using pictograms with half symbols

Common mistakes

  • Counting individual tally marks without grouping the diagonal slash as five
  • Ignoring the key in a pictogram and counting each icon as 1 item

Curriculum links

Indicative matches to Australian Curriculum v9. Check wording and codes against the official document.

  • AC9MFST01 Organise categorical data into simple visual displays such as pictograms.

Sample sheet and answers

Six questions at the level's usual difficulty. Open the editor to change, add or regenerate any of them.

Tally Charts and Pictographs

Foundation maths

Qs
6
Marks
6
NameDateScore / 6
1.
The tally chart shows favourite colours. How many people chose blue?
RedBlueGreenYellow
[1]
2.
The tally chart shows favourite colours. How many people chose green?
RedBlueGreenYellow
[1]
3.
The tally chart shows favourite colours. How many people chose green?
RedBlueGreenYellow
[1]
4.
The tally chart shows favourite colours. How many people chose green?
RedBlueGreenYellow
[1]
5.
The tally chart shows favourite colours. How many people chose green?
RedBlueGreenYellow
[1]
6.
The tally chart shows favourite colours. How many people chose red?
RedBlueGreenYellow
[1]

Answer key

  1. 4Count the tally marks next to Blue: 4
  2. 7Count the tally marks next to Green: 7
  3. 6Count the tally marks next to Green: 6
  4. 7Count the tally marks next to Green: 7
  5. 4Count the tally marks next to Green: 4
  6. 5Count the tally marks next to Red: 5