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Timetables

FoundationChallengeAQAEdexcelOCR

Practise timetables with this free Foundation GCSE Maths worksheet from Virtus Academy. You'll work through reading timetables, building confidence for your exam, and every question comes with worked solutions in the mark scheme. Suitable for AQA, Edexcel and OCR. Times use the 24-hour clock; find durations by counting on.

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Topic overview

A timetable shows the times at which services depart from and arrive at each stop. Each column represents one service, and each row represents one location.

Reading one means following the correct column down. The commonest error is drifting across rows into a different service, which gives an impossible journey.

Some cells are blank or marked with a dash, meaning that service does not stop there. Journey time is found by counting on from the departure time to the arrival time, exactly as in any time calculation.

Revision notes

Reading a timetable

Find the stop in the rows and follow the correct column down to the time you need.

Use a ruler or your finger to stay in the right column, since the columns are often close together.

Blank cells

A blank or a dash means the service does not call at that stop.

If your departure point has no time in a column, that service cannot be used and you must look at another.

Working out journey time

Count on from the departure time to the arrival time.

A train leaving at \(09{:}45\) and arriving at \(11{:}20\) takes \(15\) minutes to \(10{:}00\) plus \(1\) hour \(20\), so \(1\) hour \(35\) minutes.

Key points

  • Each column is one service.
  • Each row is one location.
  • Follow the column down carefully.
  • A blank or dash means the service does not stop there.
  • Count on to find the journey time.
  • Use the 24-hour clock.

Worked examples

Example 1

A train leaves at \(10{:}20\) and arrives at \(11{:}05\). Find the journey time.

Working

\[10{:}20 \to 11{:}00 = 40 \text{ minutes}\]count on to the next hour
\[11{:}00 \to 11{:}05 = 5 \text{ minutes}\]count on to the arrival
\[= 45 \text{ minutes}\]add the two parts

Example 2

What does a dash in a timetable cell mean?

Working

\[\text{No time is given}\]interpret the symbol
\[\text{That service does not stop there}\]state the meaning

Example 3

A bus leaves at \(14{:}50\) and the journey takes \(35\) minutes. Find the arrival time.

Working

\[14{:}50 \to 15{:}00 = 10 \text{ minutes}\]count on to the next hour
\[25 \text{ minutes remain}\]subtract the 10 already used
\[15{:}25\]add the remaining minutes

Common mistakes

  • Drifting across into a different column.

    Each column is a separate service, so a journey must stay in one column.

  • Treating a dash as a missing value to work out.

    It means the service does not stop there at all.

  • Subtracting times as decimals.

    Count on instead, especially across an hour boundary.

  • Confusing arrival and departure columns.

    Check the row labels carefully.

Exam tips

  • Use a ruler to stay in the correct column.
  • Check your chosen service actually stops at both your stations.
  • Count on to find journey times.
  • Work in the 24-hour clock throughout.

Key terms

Timetable
A table of departure and arrival times.
Service
One scheduled journey, shown as a column.
Departure
The time a service leaves.
Arrival
The time a service reaches its destination.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications. Spotted an error? Let us know.