Maths Library

Line Graphs: Year 6 maths

This topic covers plotting and interpreting continuous data tracked over time on a Cartesian grid. Pupils practise reading intermediate values, estimating trends, and finding rates of change across intervals.

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What this covers

Line Graphs is taught in Year 6 (age 10 to 11, KS2) as a topic to introduce. It sits in the Statistics strand.

Worked example

A line graph shows the temperature was 12°C at 10:00 and 19°C at 14:00. What was the temperature increase between these times

  1. Find the value at 10:00: 12°C.
  2. Find the value at 14:00: 19°C.
  3. Calculate the difference: 19 - 12 = 7°C.

Answer: 7

Difficulty scale

The sheet generator offers five difficulty settings for this topic.

  1. Reading points plotted directly on gridlines with integer steps
  2. Reading values between marked gridlines on simple axes
  3. Finding differences or totals across two distinct points in time
  4. Interpolating values along a segment and interpreting flat lines
  5. Comparing two lines on a single graph to find differences or trends

Common mistakes

  • Assuming the graph starts at zero when a broken axis or offset baseline is used
  • Confusing the steepness of a segment with the absolute value rather than rate of change

Curriculum links

Indicative matches to National Curriculum for England. Check wording and codes against the official document.

  • Interpret and construct pie charts and line graphs, and calculate and interpret the mean as an average.

Sample sheet and answers

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

Line Graphs

Year 6 maths

Qs
6
Marks
12
NameDateScore / 12
1.
The graph shows a temperature in °C. What was it at 2pm?
9am10am11am12am1pm2pm
[2]
2.
The graph shows a temperature in °C. What was it at 2pm?
9am10am11am12am1pm2pm
[2]
3.
The graph shows a temperature in °C. What was it at 12 noon?
9am10am11am12am1pm2pm
[2]
4.
The graph shows a temperature in °C. What was it at 2pm?
9am10am11am12am1pm2pm
[2]
5.
The graph shows a temperature in °C. What was it at 9am?
9am10am11am12am1pm2pm
[2]
6.
The graph shows a temperature in °C. What was it at 9am?
9am10am11am12am1pm2pm
[2]

Answer key

  1. 20°CRead up from the time to the line, then across to the scale; 20°C
  2. 20°CRead up from the time to the line, then across to the scale; 20°C
  3. 17°CRead up from the time to the line, then across to the scale; 17°C
  4. 11°CRead up from the time to the line, then across to the scale; 11°C
  5. 14°CRead up from the time to the line, then across to the scale; 14°C
  6. 13°CRead up from the time to the line, then across to the scale; 13°C