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Primary Science · Year 6Chapter 1 · Working scientifically (Years 5-6)
Year 6 Science · Working scientifically (Years 5-6) · Lesson 1.3

Year 6 Science: Recording data in tables and graphs

Part of the Year 6 Science working scientifically (years 5-6) chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

1.3

Recording data in tables and graphs

Year 6
WS3: record data and results using scientific diagrams and labels, tables, bar and line graphs and models
Story. Mo has measured a bean plant every week for five weeks. He draws a table of the heights, and a line graph. “Why not a bar chart?” asks Priya. Mo says, “A line graph shows how the plant changed over time, so it fits better.”

Scientists record results in tables, so that data is easy to read. They show results in graphs and diagrams.

Every graph needs a title, labelled axes with units, and a scale that goes up in equal steps. The horizontal axis is the x-axis and the vertical axis is the y-axis.

05101520mean water absorbed (mL)14 mLTowel A10 mLTowel B19 mLTowel C
Bar chart of the mean water absorbed by three towels: Towel A 14 mL, Towel B 10 mL and Towel C 19 mL.
0510152025height (cm)week 1week 2week 3week 4week 5
Line graph of the height of a bean plant over five weeks.

The table records Mo's bean heights, from the line graph above.

WeekHeight (cm)
Week 14
Week 27
Week 311
Week 416
Week 520

Key ideas

  • Use a table to record data clearly.
  • Use a bar chart to compare separate groups.
  • Use a line graph to show how something changes over time.
  • Every graph needs a title, labelled axes, units and an equal scale.
Worked example 1.3.1
Mo wants to show the mean water absorbed by three different towels. Which graph should he draw: a bar chart or a line graph? Write the words.

Method. Think about what is being compared.

  1. Look at the groups. The three towels are separate groups, not steps in time.
    separate groups
  2. Choose the graph. A bar chart compares separate groups.
    bar chart
  3. Write the answer.
    bar chart

Check. A line graph would be used for the bean height over weeks. ✓

Worked example 1.3.2
Look at the table in section 1.3. How much did the bean grow between week 3 and week 4? Write the answer in centimetres.

Method. Subtract the earlier height from the later height.

  1. Read the heights. Week 3 is 11 cm and week 4 is 16 cm.
    11 and 16
  2. Subtract. The growth is 16 minus 11.
    16 - 11 = 5
  3. Write the answer.
    5 cm

Check. 11 + 5 = 16, so the answer is correct. ✓

Watch out. Growth is the later height minus the earlier height.

Worked example 1.3.3
Look at the table in section 1.3. How tall was the bean in week 5? Write the answer in centimetres.

Method. Find week 5 in the table.

  1. Find the row. The row for week 5 gives the height.
    week 5
  2. Read the height. The height in week 5 is 20 cm.
    20
  3. Write the answer.
    20 cm

Check. The line graph reaches 20 cm at week 5. ✓

Watch out

Watch out: a bar chart without units, or a line graph with the axes unlabelled, cannot be read properly. Always write the units.

Exam tip

Exam tip. When you draw a graph, give it a title, label both axes with units, and use equal steps on each scale.

Try it (with your teacher, or a grown-up at home). Measure how tall a plant or a stick is each day for four days, using a ruler and a pencil mark. Write the heights in a table with one row for each day. Then draw a line graph with a title, labelled axes and units.

Exercise 1C  Recording data in tables and graphs

1
FLook at the bar chart in section 1.3. Which towel has the shortest bar? Write the name.
2
FLook at the bar chart in section 1.3. What is the mean for Towel A? Write the answer in millilitres.
3
FLook at the line graph in section 1.3. How tall was the bean in week 2? Write the answer in centimetres.
4
FHow much did the bean grow between week 1 and week 2? Write the answer in centimetres.
5
FBetween which two weeks did the bean grow most? Write the two weeks, for example week 1 and week 2.
6
FLook at the line graph in section 1.3. What was the total growth from week 1 to week 5? Write the answer in centimetres.
7
FWrite two things that every graph must have. Write two words.
8
FWhich axis of the line graph shows the weeks: the x-axis or the y-axis? Write the axis.
9
FIn the bar chart, the units on the scale are millilitres. Write the unit for the bar chart scale.
10
PSIn a bar chart, each centimetre of height stands for 2 mL. A bar is 7 cm tall. How many millilitres does the bar show? Write the answer.
11
PSMo draws the bean heights as a bar chart with week labels, but no title. Name one thing that he should add to the chart.
12
RSam draws a bar chart of the bean heights over five weeks. Explain why a line graph would show the bean growth more clearly. Write one sentence.
13
RLook at the line graph in section 1.3. The bean grew 5 cm in one week. Which week was it, and which weeks did it grow between? Write the weeks.
14
RChallenge: a teacher says a graph with a title but no units is complete. Is she right? Write no, and give one reason.

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