Drawing Straight Line Graphs (OCR GCSE Maths) : Revision Note
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Drawing Linear Graphs
How do I draw a straight line from a table of values?
You may be given a table of values with no equation
Use the x and y values to form a point with coordinates (x , y )
Then plot these points
Use a ruler to draw a straight line through them
All points should lie on the line
For example
The points below are (-3, 0), (-2, 2), ... etc
-3 | -2 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
How do I draw a straight line using y = mx + c?
Use the equation to create your own table of values
Choose points that are spread out across the axes given
For example, plot y = 2x + 1 on axes from x = 0 to x = 10
Substitute in x = 0, x = 5 and x = 10 to get y coordinates
Then plot those points
0 | 5 | 10 | |
1 | 11 | 21 |
How do I draw a straight line without using a table of values?
Start at the y-intercept, c
Then, for every 1 unit to the right, go up m units
m is the gradient
If m is negative, go down
If m is a fraction, remember that gradient is change in y divided by change in x
A gradient of
would be
units up for every
units right
This creates a sequence of points which you can then join up
Be careful of counting squares if axes have different scales
1 unit might not be 1 square
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Always plot at least 3 points (just in case one of your end points is wrong!)
Worked Example
On the same set of axes, draw the graphs of and
.
For , create a table of values
0 | 1 | 2 | |
-1 | 2 | 5 |
Plot the points (0, -1), (1, 2) and (2, 5)
Connect with a straight line
Alternatively, start at the y-intercept (0, -1) and mark the next points 3 units up for every 1 unit to the right
For , create a table of values
Because of the fraction, x = 5 is a good point to include
0 | 3 | 5 | |
3 | 1.2 | 0 |
Plot the points (0, -1), (1, 2) and (2, 5)
Connect with a straight line
Alternatively, start at the y-intercept (0, 3) and mark the next points 3 units down for every 5 units to the right

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