Data Handling: Tallies & Pictographs

≈ 15 min

Once you collect information (data), you organise it so it can be read at a glance.

A tally records each item with a single stroke, and every fifth stroke is drawn across the previous four — closing off a neat group of five. Counting in fives is fast.
A pictograph uses a picture to stand for a number of items, explained by a key (for example, one loaf picture $= 5$ loaves).

Worked example. A tally chart shows $3$ complete groups of five and $2$ single strokes. How many is that?

Each group is $5$ , so $3 \times 5 = 15$ , plus the $2$ singles: $15 + 2 = 17$ .

In tally marks, how is the number $5$ usually shown?

four strokes with a fifth crossing them

five separate dots

one long line

the digit $5$

A tally chart shows $3$ complete groups of five and $2$ extra single strokes. What is the total count?

In a pictograph, each apple picture stands for $5$ apples. One row has $6$ apple pictures. How many apples is that?

In a fruit survey, the tally for bananas counts $8$ and the tally for apples counts $5$ . How many more learners chose bananas than apples?

$3$

$13$

$8$

$5$