11+ Data Interpretation: Tables, Scales and Pictogram Questions

A correct calculation can answer the wrong question if it uses the wrong row. Data interpretation begins before arithmetic: identify what was counted, which group the figure belongs to, and the unit or key that gives it meaning. The display below records fictional library loans, not survey evidence about real children.

These original explanations and questions support preparation for 11-plus exams taken in 2027. They are not official school questions or a complete syllabus. Check your target school’s current guidance. Try each question before revealing its answer; written English models illustrate a supported response rather than the only acceptable wording.

Read the intersection, not just the nearest number

Tuesday’s non-fiction figure is 16 because Tuesday selects the row and non-fiction selects the column. Tuesday’s total is a different quantity: 24 + 16 = 40. Keep a label beside each intermediate answer so that you do not confuse a category count with an all-category total.

Worked example: compare like with like

Fiction loans over the three days total 18 + 24 + 15 = 57. Non-fiction loans total 12 + 16 + 25 = 53. Fiction exceeds non-fiction by four loans. Comparing Tuesday fiction with all Wednesday loans would be a different comparison, even if the subtraction itself were accurate.

Scales and keys change the meaning of a mark

On a numbered axis, count intervals between labelled values. If 0 and 40 are separated by eight equal intervals, each interval represents five. A mark five intervals above zero represents 25, not five. A pictogram works differently: its key assigns a value to each complete symbol. If a complete symbol means six loans, half a symbol means three.

For a two-way table, include each person or object once when forming a grand total. Adding row totals and column totals together counts the same entries twice. For line graphs, read values at the requested times; a rising section indicates an increase, but it does not itself tell you the final value without the axis scale.

Eight questions using explicit data

Check whether the conclusion is supported

The library table shows counts for three days only. It cannot establish which type of book is most popular throughout the year or why someone borrowed a book. Separate the observation from a possible explanation. A useful answer states the relevant figures and the comparison they support, without adding an unmeasured reason.

What to practise next

Continue with averages and missing numbers after reading the data correctly, or practise information selection with time and timetables. Return to the maths learning hub or explore original practice and worked answers.

Sources and scope

The Department for Education programme of study provides the curriculum foundation. Our examples, questions and explanations are original. This curriculum reference does not confirm the content, timing or equipment rules of any particular school’s examination.