Maths Library

Bar Graphs and Column Graphs: Year 5 maths

This topic covers reading, interpreting, and constructing discrete data visualisations on vertical and horizontal axes. Pupils practise extracting values, comparing categories, and calculating totals or differences from bar charts.

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What this covers

Bar Graphs and Column Graphs is taught in Year 5 (age 10 to 11) as a main teaching focus. It sits in the Statistics strand.

Worked example

A bar chart shows 8 pupils like apples and 14 pupils like bananas. How many more pupils prefer bananas than apples

  1. Read the frequency for bananas: 14.
  2. Read the frequency for apples: 8.
  3. Subtract to find the difference: 14 − 8 = 6.

Answer: 6

Difficulty scale

The sheet generator offers five difficulty settings for this topic.

  1. Reading single bars with unit scale increments (steps of 1)
  2. Reading intervals of 2, 5, or 10 and comparing two bars
  3. Interpreting values that fall halfway between gridlines
  4. Two-step problems such as finding totals or multi-bar differences
  5. Reading dual or grouped bar charts to make composite comparisons

Common mistakes

  • Misreading the vertical scale by assuming every grid line represents 1 unit
  • Reading the height of the wrong bar when bars are adjacent

Curriculum links

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

  • AC9M5ST01 Construct, read, and interpret data in column graphs and line graphs.

Sample sheet and answers

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

Bar Graphs and Column Graphs

Year 5 maths

Qs
6
Marks
12
NameDateScore / 12
1.
The bar chart shows books borrowed. Which bar is tallest, and what is its value?
05101520253035404550JanFebMarAprMay
[2]
2.
The bar chart shows ice creams sold. Which bar is tallest, and what is its value?
012345678MonTueWedThu
[2]
3.
The bar chart shows books borrowed. Which bar is tallest, and what is its value?
0102030405060708090JanFebMarApr
[2]
4.
The bar chart shows pupils choosing a club. Which bar is tallest, and what is its value?
012345678910ChessChoirDramaArtJudo
[2]
5.
The bar chart shows books borrowed. What is the total across all the bars?
0123456789JanFebMarAprMay
[2]
6.
The bar chart shows pupils choosing a club. How many were there for Choir?
05101520253035404550ChessChoirDramaArtJudo
[2]

Answer key

  1. Feb, 45The scale goes up in 5s; The tallest bar is Feb; Its value is 45
  2. Mon, 7The scale goes up in 1s; The tallest bar is Mon; Its value is 7
  3. Mar, 80The scale goes up in 10s; The tallest bar is Mar; Its value is 80
  4. Drama, 9The scale goes up in 1s; The tallest bar is Drama; Its value is 9
  5. 29The scale goes up in 1s; 6 + 5 + 8 + 7 + 3 = 29
  6. 45The scale goes up in 5s; Read across from the top of the Choir bar: 45