How many points a mystery picture needs, by grade
As a starting point, give grade 4 students 25 to 50 points, grade 6 students 60 to 120, and older students up to about 150, then time your own class once and adjust. Fewer, bigger shapes beat many fiddly details at every age.
Last updated 19 October 2026. Written by the Plotpicture team.
Starting ranges
These are the ranges we use as a first guess. They assume students who already know how to plot an ordered pair; for a first ever lesson, take the bottom of the range. The grade levels follow where coordinates appear in the US standards (the first quadrant in grade 5, all four quadrants in grade 6) and the English national curriculum (the first quadrant in year 4, all four in year 6).
| Grade | Points | Version |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 4 (year 5) | 25 to 50 | Integers, first quadrant (version A), scale of 1 |
| Grade 5 (year 6) | 40 to 80 | Version A, with a scale of 2 for a stretch |
| Grade 6 (year 7) | 60 to 120 | Integers in four quadrants (version B) |
| Grades 7 to 9 (years 8 to 10) | 80 to 150 | Decimals or fractions (version C), one or four quadrants |
Time your own class
Speed varies more between classes than between grades. The simplest measure is your own: in the first 10 minutes of plotting, note how many points a typical student has done, after the early check. Multiply by the minutes you have left. A student who plots 3 points a minute gets through about 75 points in 25 minutes of plotting, which is the core of a 45 minute lesson once the warm up, the check and the reveal are taken out.
Decimals and fractions slow everyone down at first, because each point needs a moment of thought about where 2.75 or 1 1/4 sits. Four quadrants slow things down less once the sign rule is clear. When you move a class to a harder version, take 20 to 30 percent off the count.
Worked example: trimming a long picture
Say a pen drawing of a cat comes out at 190 points and the lesson is 45 minutes with a class that plots about 3 points a minute. That is over an hour of plotting. Raising the Simplify pen lines slider from a quarter square to a whole square typically removes the points that sit on gentle curves; then deleting the whiskers and the inner ears removes another 20 or so. At 110 points the picture still reads as a cat, and it fits.
The 24 starter pictures, from the shortest:
- Star: 26 points
- Kite: 28 points
- Leaf: 29 points
- Heart: 30 points
- Sailboat: 30 points
- Bell: 33 points
- Lighthouse: 34 points
- Pencil: 34 points
- Crown: 36 points
- Hot Air Balloon: 38 points
- Whale: 38 points
- Rocket: 41 points
- Fish: 42 points
- Fox: 42 points
- House: 44 points
- Pumpkin: 45 points
- Tree: 46 points
- Cactus: 48 points
- Mug: 48 points
- Bicycle: 50 points
- Cat: 54 points
- Guitar: 55 points
- Ringed planet: 58 points
- Snowflake: 80 points
Common mistakes
- Choosing the picture first and the count second. Choose the count, then a picture that fits it.
- Tiny details. Three points for an eye cost as much time as three points of outline and are much easier to misplot.
- Very short shapes everywhere. Each Lift pen is a moment where students lose their place.
- The same count for a harder version. Fractions and decimals need fewer points for the same time.
Sources
- Grade 5, Geometry: graph points on the coordinate plane, Common Core State Standards Initiative. Last reviewed 19 October 2026.
- Grade 6, The Number System: points in all four quadrants, Common Core State Standards Initiative. Last reviewed 19 October 2026.
- National curriculum in England: mathematics programmes of study, Department for Education. Last reviewed 19 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a right number of points?
No. The ranges here are starting points, not research findings. Time one picture with your own class and adjust from there.
What is the most points one worksheet can hold?
400. Past 150 the maker warns that the picture may not fit a 45 minute lesson; it still makes the worksheet.
How do I cut points without spoiling the picture?
Raise the Simplify pen lines slider first: it drops points on nearly straight stretches and keeps the corners. Then delete small details, such as a second window or a pattern on a band, which cost many points and add little.
Make the worksheet
The mystery picture maker draws, traces and prints all 3 versions; the rules it follows are on how it works, and the other guides cover the rest of the lesson.