Read an elevation profile and distinguish vertical from horizontal scale.
Skills resources are shared. Check your qualification page for its specific assessment conditions.
Landscape cross sections
The profile joins six measured points with straight segments. Horizontal units are kilometres and vertical units are metres. The drawn slope angle is exaggerated by these different scales.
Distance (km)
Height (m)
0
20
1
320
2
620
3
920
4
620
5
20
Fictional landscape cross section. Original fictional resource; not an official map or real dataset.
On a small screen, scroll the diagram sideways to see the full resource.
Resource description
0 km along the transect: 20 m above datum; 1 km along the transect: 320 m above datum; 2 km along the transect: 620 m above datum; 3 km along the transect: 920 m above datum; 4 km along the transect: 620 m above datum; 5 km along the transect: 20 m above datum
Use the resource carefully
State the unit and the part of the resource you used. A pattern in a fictional dataset is evidence for that exercise; it does not establish a fact about a real place.
Check whether an explanation is supported by the data or needs additional geographical knowledge. For statistical tasks, a calculated result does not establish causation or significance by itself.