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Views and Elevations

FoundationHigherAQAEdexcelOCR

Master views and elevations for GCSE Maths with structured, exam-style practice. This Foundation and Higher resource covers drawing plans and elevations and includes a complete mark scheme showing the steps examiners reward. Suitable for AQA, Edexcel and OCR. Free to download as a PDF. Draw the plan from above, plus the front and side elevations.

Free downloads

These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

WorksheetFoundation · PDFMark SchemeFoundation · PDF

Higher

WorksheetHigher · PDFMark SchemeHigher · PDF

Topic overview

Views and elevations show a three-dimensional solid from different directions, drawn as flat two-dimensional shapes.

The plan is the view from directly above. The front elevation is the view from the front, and the side elevation is the view from one side. Each shows only what you would see looking straight on, with no perspective.

Every view is drawn to the same scale as the solid, and hidden edges are not shown. Sketching a cube and imagining a torch shining from each direction is a helpful way to work out what each view should look like.

Revision notes

The three views

The plan is from above, the front elevation from the front, and the side elevation from the side.

For a cylinder standing upright: the plan is a circle, and both elevations are rectangles.

Drawing accurately

Each view is drawn to the same scale, using a ruler, with no perspective and no hidden edges.

Lines that would be hidden behind the solid are simply not drawn, since a view shows only the outline and edges visible from that direction.

Working backwards

Given the three views, you can often reconstruct the solid.

A square plan with two rectangular elevations describes a cuboid; a circular plan with triangular elevations describes a cone.

Key points

  • The plan is the view from above.
  • The front elevation is the view from the front.
  • The side elevation is the view from the side.
  • All views use the same scale.
  • No perspective is used.
  • Hidden edges are not drawn.

Worked examples

Example 1

What is the plan view of a cylinder standing upright?

Working

\[\text{Looking from directly above}\]consider the view downwards
\[\text{A circle}\]state the shape

Example 2

What is the front elevation of a cube?

Working

\[\text{Looking from the front}\]consider the view straight on
\[\text{A square}\]state the shape

Example 3

A solid has a circular plan and triangular elevations. Name the solid.

Working

\[\text{Circular base, tapering to a point}\]interpret the views
\[\text{A cone}\]name the solid

Common mistakes

  • Adding perspective.

    Views are drawn straight on, with no vanishing points or angled lines.

  • Drawing hidden edges.

    A view shows only what is visible from that direction.

  • Using different scales for different views.

    All three must be to the same scale.

  • Confusing plan with elevation.

    The plan is from above; elevations are from the sides or front.

Exam tips

  • Imagine a light shining from each direction to work out the outline.
  • Use a ruler and keep all views to the same scale.
  • Leave out any edge you could not actually see.
  • Label each view clearly as plan, front or side.

Key terms

Plan
The view from directly above.
Elevation
The view from the front or side.
Perspective
The effect of distance, not used in these drawings.
Scale
The ratio between the drawing and the real object.

Related topics

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