Counting with Tally Marks

What you will learn

• Record counts with tally marks.
• Count tally marks in fives.
• Read a tally chart and compare the groups.

Before you start: you should be able to count in fives. See Skip Counting.

The idea

When you count things as they happen, such as cars passing or votes coming in, you cannot stop to write each number. Instead you make a quick tally mark (a short line) for each one. Every fifth mark is drawn across the first four, so each group of five is one bundle.

Counting a tally

Count in fives for each full bundle, then count on in ones. For three bundles and two extra lines, say “5, 10, 15, 16, 17”.

From tally to totals

Once you have counted each group, you can write the frequency (how many) as a number, compare the groups and add them for a total. A tally chart is often the first step before drawing a graph.

Worked examples

Example 1: Reading a tally

A tally shows $2$ full bundles and $4$ extra marks. How many is that?

1. $2 \times 5 = 10$.
2. $10 + 4 = 14$.

Answer: $14$

Example 2: Comparing

Cats $12$, dogs $7$, fish $5$. Which is most common and how many animals are there?

1. The biggest count is $12$, for cats.
2. Total: $12 + 7 + 5 = 24$.

Answer: cats are most common, and there are $24$ animals.

Example 3: Making a tally

Draw the tally for $13$.

1. $13 = 5 + 5 + 3$.
2. Draw two crossed bundles and then three single lines.

Answer: two bundles and three extra marks

Tip: leave a small gap between bundles so you can see each group of five at a glance.

Why it matters

Tally marks are used for stock counts, election counts, sports scores and traffic surveys. They let you record fast and count without mistakes later. Next you will learn to read data from tables and pictograms.