This deep dive covers Reading and Drawing Pictograms within Bar Charts & Pictograms for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Bar Charts & Pictograms in Statistics for GCSE Mathematics with 11 exam-style questions and 20 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 7 of 11 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Reading and Drawing Pictograms
Reading Pictograms
- Check the key: Find out what each symbol represents
- Count symbols: Count whole and partial symbols for each category
- Calculate: Multiply by the value from the key
Example: If Ford has 6 car symbols and the key shows 🚗 = 5 cars, then Ford sold 6 × 5 = 30 cars.
Drawing Pictograms
- Choose a suitable symbol: Related to the data (cars for car sales, books for library data)
- Decide on the scale: What will each symbol represent? Consider the range of your data
- Calculate symbols needed: Divide each value by your chosen scale
- Draw partial symbols: Use fractions for remainders (halves, quarters)
- Add key and labels: Make it clear what everything represents
Practice questions for Bar Charts & Pictograms
In a pictogram, the key shows that one symbol represents 4 people. A row shows 3 and a half symbols. How many people does this row represent?
A bar chart comparing two companies' sales has a vertical axis starting at 900 rather than 0. Company A has sales of 950 and Company B has sales of 1000. Explain why this bar chart could be misleading.