Counting as you go
When you collect data, answers come in one at a time. A tally chart lets you record each answer quickly with a tally mark: one short line for each answer.
How to draw tallies
- Draw one line for each item: I, II, III, IIII.
- For the fifth item, draw a line across the first four. This makes a bundle of five.
- Start a new bundle for the next five.
| Number | Tally |
|---|---|
| 1 | I |
| 2 | II |
| 3 | III |
| 4 | IIII |
| 5 | one bundle (IIII crossed) |
| 7 | one bundle + II |
| 10 | two bundles |
Bundles make tallies fast to count. You count by 5s for each bundle, then count on the single lines.
Making a tally chart
A tally chart has three columns: the category, the tallies and the total.
Question: What is your favourite pet?
| Pet | Tally | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Dog | one bundle + III | 8 |
| Cat | one bundle | 5 |
| Fish | II | 2 |
| Bird | IIII | 4 |
Steps
- Write each category in the first column.
- As each person answers, draw one tally in the right row.
- When all data is collected, count the tallies in each row.
- Write the totals.
- Check that the totals add up to the number of people asked.
Reading a tally chart
From the chart above:
- Most popular: dog (8)
- Least popular: fish (2)
- People asked: 8 + 5 + 2 + 4 = 19
- How many more chose dog than cat? 8 − 5 = 3
Worked examples
Example 1: How many is two bundles and three single tallies?
5 + 5 + 3 = 13.
Example 2: Draw tallies for 6.
One bundle of five and one more line.
Example 3: A chart shows: apples 7, pears 3. How many more chose apples?
7 − 3 = 4.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting to cross the fifth line, so you have lines like IIIIIII that are hard to count.
- Drawing the bundle as six lines (five upright plus a crossing line). The crossing line is the fifth.
- Putting a tally in the wrong row.
Try it yourself
- What number do three bundles show?
- Draw tallies for 9.
- Red has 6 tallies and blue has 4. What is the total?
- Why do we bundle tallies in fives?
Answers: 1) 15 2) one bundle + IIII 3) 10 4) It makes counting faster, by counting in 5s.
Quick recap
- A tally mark records one item.
- Every fifth mark crosses four to make a bundle.
- A tally chart lists each category, its tallies and its total.