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Geometry & Measures · Foundation & Higher

Plans & elevations

A plan is the view from directly above. A front elevation is the view from the front, and a side elevation is the view from the side. You must be able to draw and interpret plans and elevations of 3D solids on squared paper.

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Revising plans & elevations the night before an exam? These are condensed revision notes — the facts, formulas and mistakes examiners actually mark, with no long explanations. Prefer a full walkthrough with step-by-step reasoning instead? Search “Plans & elevations GCSE” on the site for the complete guide.

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Key facts to remember

  • 1Plan view: looking straight down from above.
  • 2Front elevation: looking horizontally from the front.
  • 3Side elevation: looking horizontally from the side.
  • 4Hidden edges can be shown with dashed lines.
  • 5Each view is a 2D drawing — lengths are preserved.
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Worked examples

Example 1

A solid is made from 4 identical cubes arranged in an L-shape: three cubes in a row, with one extra cube on top of the leftmost cube. Describe the plan view.

Working

  1. From above, you see the three cubes in a row — a 3×1 rectangle.
  2. The top cube sits on top of the leftmost cube, so it does not change the plan view.
  3. Plan view = 3 × 1 rectangle.
AnswerA 3 × 1 row of three squares.
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Common mistakes

✗Confusing the plan with the front elevation.
✗Missing edges when two shapes share a face.
✗Not lining the three views up beside each other.
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Exam tips

✓Always label each view: Plan, Front elevation, Side elevation.
✓Use a ruler and draw on squared paper.
✓Keep the same scale for all three views.

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