How to explain pie charts in pie charts to your child: worked example
23 October 2026
Pie charts are a simple way to show how groups are divided. They help children see information clearly, using slices of a circle for each group.
Worked example
A pie chart shows how 40 children travel to school. The 'Walk' section of the pie chart is 90°.
Step 1: Remember a whole circle is 360°.
Step 2: Find the fraction for 'Walk'. 90° out of 360° is 90 ÷ 360 = 0.25.
Step 3: Multiply this fraction by the total number of children. 0.25 × 40 = 10.
Key insight: 90° in a pie chart is one quarter of the circle, so one quarter of the children walk to school.
The correct answer is 10 children walk to school.
After seeing this example, your child will be able to spot the link between the angle of a slice and the number it represents. The next step is to practise with similar pie chart questions, building confidence for 11+ maths.
