“A picture is worth a thousand numbers.” A chart lets a reader see patterns and comparisons at a glance. In this post you will learn to choose the right type of chart, create it in Excel, and format it with titles, labels and a legend.
Build on what you learned in Forms 1–3
These Lower School ICT posts cover the basics of this topic:
- Simple Chart Exercise – Tutorial with Solution – your first chart
- Absolute Addressing and Chart Creation – Revision – creating charts
In this post:
- Types of chart and when to use each
- Creating a chart step by step
- Parts of a chart
- Formatting and changing a chart
- Common mistakes
Choosing the right chart
| Chart | Best for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Column / bar chart | Comparing amounts across categories | Rainfall in each Caribbean island; marks of each student |
| Line graph | Showing change over time (trends) | Temperature each month; sales over a year |
| Pie chart | Showing parts of a whole (percentages), one data series only | How a family budget is divided; votes per candidate |
| Scatter (XY) chart | Relationship between two sets of numbers | Hours studied vs exam mark |
Creating a chart
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Month | Visitors (thousands) |
| 2 | Jan | 42 |
| 3 | Feb | 58 |
| 4 | Mar | 47 |
| 5 | Apr | 35 |
Practice data – type this into a new worksheet.
In Excel:
- Select the data including the headings (A1:B5). To select columns that are not next to each other, hold Ctrl.
- Insert → choose a chart type in the Charts group (e.g. Clustered Column), or Insert → Recommended Charts.
- The chart appears on the worksheet. Drag it to position it; drag the corners to resize.
- To put the chart on its own sheet: Chart Design → Move Chart → New sheet.
Video: Excel: Charts – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wu7jYTr1Pk
Parts of a chart
- Chart title – says what the chart shows.
- Axis titles – label the x-axis (categories, e.g. Month) and y-axis (values, e.g. Visitors in thousands).
- Legend – explains the colours when there is more than one data series.
- Data labels – show the actual value or percentage on each bar or slice.
- Data series – the set of values being plotted.
- Gridlines – help read values.
Formatting and changing a chart
- Click the chart, then the + (Chart Elements) button to add or remove the title, axis titles, legend and data labels.
- Chart Design → Change Chart Type to switch, e.g., from column to line.
- Chart Design → Select Data to change the range or add a series.
- Switch Row/Column swaps what is on the x-axis and in the legend.
- Double-click any element to format its colour, font or number format.
Google Sheets: Insert → Chart, then use the Chart editor (Setup and Customize). LibreOffice Calc: Insert → Chart opens a step-by-step wizard.
Common mistakes
- Using a pie chart for data that does not make up a whole, or with too many slices.
- Forgetting the chart title or axis titles (marks are often lost here).
- Selecting a total row along with the data, which distorts the chart.
- Using a line graph for categories that are not in time order.
Try it: Choose the chart
Choose the most suitable chart for each set of data.
| Monthly rainfall in Barbados over one year, to show the trend | |
| The percentage of a school’s students in each house | |
| Comparing the population of five Caribbean islands | |
| Whether taller students tend to have bigger shoe sizes |
Related
Related: Excel Charts, Pivot Tables Intro (recorded class)
Paper 1 practice (multiple choice)
Choose the best answer for each question. Try them all before you check.
1. Which chart is BEST for showing how a whole is divided into parts?
(A) Line graph
(B) Pie chart
(C) Scatter chart
(D) Column chart
2. The part of a chart that explains what each colour represents is the
(A) title
(B) legend
(C) axis
(D) gridline
3. To show a trend in temperature over twelve months, the best chart is a
(A) pie chart
(B) line graph
(C) bar chart of categories
(D) table
4. Before inserting a chart you should first
(A) save the file
(B) select the data, including headings
(C) sort the data descending
(D) freeze panes
5. Values shown directly on the bars of a chart are called
(A) data labels
(B) legends
(C) axis titles
(D) gridlines
Show answers
1. B
2. B
3. B
4. B
5. A
Paper 2 practice (structured question)
A Form 5 class recorded the number of tourists (in thousands) arriving in Tobago each month for one year, and how the tourists travelled (air or sea).
(a) Recommend a suitable chart for showing the monthly trend and give a reason. (2 marks)
(b) Name a chart for showing the proportion who came by air and by sea, and give a reason. (2 marks)
(c) State TWO chart elements that should be added to make the chart in (a) easy to understand. (2 marks)
(d) Outline the steps to create the chart in (a) on a separate sheet. (2 marks)
Total: 8 marks
Show answers
(a) Line graph (1) – shows change over time/trends clearly (1).
(b) Pie chart (1) – shows parts of a whole/percentages (1).
(c) Any two (1 each):
• chart title
• axis titles (Month, Tourists in thousands)
• legend
• data labels
(d) Select the month and tourist data with headings and Insert → Line chart (1); Chart Design → Move Chart → New sheet (1).
Next: Databases: Primary, Candidate, Secondary and Foreign Keys, Data Types and Relationships
Syllabus link: This post is relevant to the CSEC® Information Technology Syllabus (CXC 30/G/SYLL 17), Section 5: Spreadsheets, Specific Objective 8 (“perform charting operations”).
Attributions to media used in this post:
No third-party images are used in this post. Embedded videos are credited on YouTube to their channels.
Updates
2026/10/16
– Lists and algorithms laid out line by line.
© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.