Bar Charts, Pie Charts and Pictograms

This lesson covers the main types of statistical diagrams you need to draw and interpret for AQA GCSE Mathematics. Being able to read information from charts, draw them accurately, and spot misleading representations are all important skills that will be tested in the exam.

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Bar Charts

A bar chart uses rectangular bars to represent data. The height (or length) of each bar shows the frequency.

Key Features of a Bar Chart

• The bars must be the same width.
• There must be equal gaps between the bars (for categorical or discrete data).
• The axes must be labelled clearly.
• The chart should have a title.
• The frequency axis must start at zero and use a consistent scale.

Types of Bar Chart