---
title: "Tables, charts, and graphs"
description: "Construct data tables with correct headings and SI units, plot appropriate graph types (bar chart, line graph, scatter graph), draw a line of best fit, and calculate the gradient of a straight-line gr"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/tables-charts-and-graphs-mt_YHsUhi4Prc
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/tables-charts-and-graphs-mt_YHsUhi4Prc.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

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# Tables, charts, and graphs

Construct data tables with correct headings and SI units, plot appropriate graph types (bar chart, line graph, scatter graph), draw a line of best fit, and calculate the gradient of a straight-line graph

Subject: Science · Area: Scientific Inquiry · Ages 12 to 13
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/tables-charts-and-graphs-mt_YHsUhi4Prc

## Ready when they can

- Constructs a table with column headings that include quantity and unit (e.g. Mass / g)
- Selects the appropriate graph type for the data and plots it accurately with labelled axes and scales
- Draws a line of best fit for linear data and correctly calculates its gradient using two points

## Lesson: Tables, charts, and graphs

When you record data in a table, every column needs a heading that names what you measured and its unit. Write it like this: quantity / unit, for example Mass / g. That way anyone reading your table knows exactly what the numbers mean.

**Example.** Zara tests how a spring stretches under different weights. She makes a table with two columns: Weight / N and Length / cm. Each row is one test, so the numbers always line up with the right measurement.

Different data needs different graphs. Bar charts compare separate categories, like favourite colours. Line graphs show how something changes, like temperature over time. Scatter graphs check whether two measurements are linked, like height and weight.

*(drawing: A bar chart fits here because colour is a category, not a number that changes smoothly. Each bar gets a label and its height shows the count.)*

**Tip.** For data that changes smoothly, like the spring stretching, draw one straight line through the middle of your points instead of joining them dot to dot. Then pick two points on that line and find the gradient: change in y divided by change in x.

**Recap.** Give every column heading a quantity and unit, choose the graph type that matches your data, and find the gradient from two points on your line of best fit.

## Practice

15 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Precision, accuracy and significant figures](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/precision-accuracy-and-significant-figures-mt_auJqTemMpI)
- [Bar charts and time graphs](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/bar-charts-and-time-graphs-mt_ChjMU2GDJa)
- [Recording data with diagrams and graphs](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/recording-data-with-diagrams-and-graphs-mt_rDjtmDogJr)
- [Scientific Quantities and Units](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/scientific-quantities-and-units-mt_vdHqdaflog)

## Opens up

- [Drawing conclusions from evidence (age 12+)](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/drawing-conclusions-from-evidence-age-12-mt_3jmBpEepYX)