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NSW SelectiveYear 7 entry

Reading graphs for the Selective maths test

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Reading graphs in the Selective maths test starts before the question: read the title, the axes and the scale first. Then your child finds the right bars or points and does the sum the question's key words ask for.

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The full lesson is in the SelectiveReady app. A free account opens How and Why Authors Write; this lesson needs a paid plan.

Updated 16 October 2026 · Facts checked 12 October 2026

Reading Charts and Graphs (lesson preview)

A short preview from the SelectiveReady lesson “Reading Charts and Graphs”, on reading graphs for the NSW Selective test.

Published:

Read the video transcript

First, check the title. Ice cream sales. Got it. Next, the axes. We've got sales and flavours. Okay. And now the most important part, we check the scale. And, huh, look at that. It's counting up in fives, not ones. See how important that is? Now, and only now are we ready for the question. So, let's break this down. Step one, we just need to find the right bars on the chart. The question is asking about chocolate and strawberry, so let's find them. Okay, there they are. Step two, we look for those key words. How many more? And that tells us exactly what maths to do. We need to subtract. Okay, so we read the value for the chocolate bar. That's 45. We read the value for strawberry. That's 25. Now we just subtract. 45 minus 25 equals 20. And there's our final answer. It's 20. See? When you follow the steps, it's not so scary at all.

Reading Charts and Graphs is a full lesson in the SelectiveReady app. A free account opens one lesson, How and Why Authors Write; the other lessons need a paid plan1SelectiveReady · 13 October 2026 · Published. The preview plays here with English and Chinese captions.

2

What will your child learn in this lesson?

Your child learns that a graph is a story told with pictures and numbers, and the test checks whether they read it accurately. They'll be able to read a chart in the right order, match a question's key words to a sum, spot a trend and find an average.

The clip reads an ice cream sales chart and finds a difference between two flavours. The full lesson adds the three data tools, the traps and a five-point recap.

3

How do graphs show up in the Selective maths test?

Graph and table questions sit inside the Mathematical Reasoning section, beside every other topic. The Department publishes no topic list, so how many data questions appear isn't known. 2NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published

PartThe Department's rule
Questions352NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published in 402NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutes
Options per question52NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
What it checksapplying the maths your child knows to new problems2NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published
CalculatorNo calculator2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Wrong answersThe practice papers say there are no marks lost for incorrect answers3NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published

Questions draw on concepts from the NSW curriculum up to Year 62NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, so high school graph topics aren't needed.

Our Thinking Skills lessons include one on judging what a set of data shows. It builds on the same careful reading.

4

What is data interpretation?

Data interpretation means reading information from a graph, table or chart, then using it to answer a question. Each kind of display has its own job and its own trap.

DisplayWhat it shows bestRead it by
Column or bar graphAmounts to compareThe top of each bar against the scale
Line graphChange over timeDirection: up, down or flat
Pie chartParts of a wholeThe labels, never the size of a slice
TableExact valuesAlong the row and down the column
Picture graphCounts with symbolsThe key: one symbol may stand for several
5

What is the method for graph questions?

The lesson's golden rule: read the title, the axis labels and the scale before your eyes go near the question. Ask what each small line on the graph is worth.

Read the graph before the question: the title first, both axes and the key, what one grid line is worth, then the question.

  1. Read the title

    It says what the whole graph is about, so your child knows which story they're reading.

  2. Read both axes and the key

    What runs across and what runs up? If there are colours or patterns, which group is which?

  3. Work out the scale

    Count what one small grid line is worth. It may be fives, tens or more, not ones.

  4. Find the values, then match the key words

    Read only the bars or points the question names. Then let its key words choose the sum.

Which sum does the question want?

The key words in the question tell your child which operation to use. The lesson calls this the alarm that goes off in your head.

Key wordsThe sum
How many more, how many fewer, the differenceSubtract the smaller from the larger
Altogether, in totalAdd
Average, meanAdd them all, then divide by how many
How many times as manyDivide the larger by the smaller
6

What does a worked graph example look like?

We wrote this question to show the method. Picture a column graph called "Library books borrowed this week", with days across and books up the side.

DayMonTueWedThuFri
Height of the column, in grid lines35264

The scale goes up in fives. Question: What was the average number of books borrowed per day?

StepWhat your child does
Title and axesBooks borrowed, by day
ScaleEach grid line is worth 5 books
Values15, 25, 10, 30 and 20 books
Key word"Average": add, then divide by how many days
Sum15 + 25 + 10 + 30 + 20 = 100, and 100 ÷ 5 = 20 books

A child who skips the scale reads the columns as 3, 5, 2, 6 and 4, and gets an average of 4. Multiple-choice options are often built from slips like this one.

7

Which mistake catches most children on graphs?

Misreading the scale is the number one trap. The lesson shows two bars of the same height: one is worth 3 because the scale counts in ones, the other 30 because it counts in tens.

TrapWhat it looks likeThe fix
Scale assumed to be onesReading a bar as 6 when each line is worth 5Check the scale before any value
The wrong bar or lineReading a neighbour's value, or the wrong colourCheck the key, then point at the bar
Judging a pie slice by eyeA slice looks like a quarter but is labelled 28%Read the label
8

Can my child try one on their own?

Here is a column graph question from our free maths set. Your child answers it, then checks the steps below.

Practice question · SEL-MA-TST-25

The bar chart shows the number of laps five friends swam in a swim-a-thon. Each lap raised $2.

Laps swum in the swim-a-thon
Sione
40
Anh
30
Kalinda
20
Theo
60
Rania
50

Swimmer · Laps

How much more money did the swimmer with the most laps raise than the swimmer with the fewest laps?

  1. A

    $40

  2. B

    $60

  3. C

    $80

  4. D

    $120

  5. E

    $160

Show answer and explanation

Answer: C

Answer: C ($80)

  1. Most laps: Theo, 60. Fewest laps: Kalinda, 20.
  2. Difference: 60 − 20 = 40 laps.
  3. Each lap raised $2: 40 × $2 = $80.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A ($40): This is the difference in laps; it forgets that each lap raised $2.
  • B ($60): This uses Rania's 50 laps as the most, but Theo's bar is taller.
  • D ($120): This is the money Theo raised on his own, not the difference.
  • E ($160): This adds the two swimmers' laps (60 + 20) before doubling, instead of finding the difference.

  1. Read the graph first

    The title, the names along the bottom, the laps up the side, and what each grid line is worth. Each lap raised $2.

  2. Find the right bars

    Most laps: Theo, with 60. Fewest laps: Kalinda, with 20.

  3. Match the key words

    "How much more money" means a difference: 60 − 20 = 40 laps, and 40 × $2 = $80. The answer is C.

9

How can my child practise reading graphs and tables?

Everyday charts are free practice, and a few minutes is enough. Ask one question about each chart, then check it together.

Charts in the news and sport

Weather forecasts, ladders and scoreboards. Ask how many more, or what the trend is.

Make your own graph

Survey the family about breakfast or pets, then draw a column graph that goes up in twos or fives.

Change the scale

Draw the same data twice with different scales. Talk about why the bars look so different.

The Department's practice tests

Its online practice tests simulate the real test and its tools. 2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published

10

Questions parents ask about graphs in Selective maths

What kinds of graphs should my child know?

Start with the five kinds in the table above: column or bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, tables and picture graphs.

How do you find an average from a graph?

Read every value, add them, then divide by how many values there are. Check the scale before reading any value.

Can my child estimate a value instead of reading it?

Read it. The lesson's rule: never guess from a bar's height or a slice's size when the scale or label gives the number.

Is the full lesson free?

A free account opens one lesson, How and Why Authors Write; the other lessons need a paid plan1SelectiveReady · 13 October 2026 · Published.

Next questions

Selective Mathematical Reasoning →Lesson: Fractions, Decimals & Percentages →Lesson: Probability & Counting →Selective Thinking Skills →Free Selective practice test →

Sources and checks

  1. SelectiveReady

    SelectiveReady · Checked 13 October 2026

  2. Selective high school practice tests

    NSW Department of Education · Checked 12 October 2026 · Practice materials: personal or non-commercial use only; CC BY 4.0 does not apply (page notice). Page text: CC BY 4.0.

  3. Selective High School Placement Test, Thinking Skills Question Paper, Practice Test 1 (2026 entry practice tests, PDF)

    NSW Department of Education · Checked 13 October 2026 · Practice materials: personal or non-commercial use only; CC BY 4.0 does not apply (page notice). Quoted briefly with credit. Saved text: the cover-page instructions only; the question pages are not stored (W§3.22).

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