Plans and elevations

OCR J560 expects fluent translation between a 3D solid and its three orthographic views. Plans and elevations appear on every Foundation paper and frequently on Higher.

The three standard views

• Plan view — the view looking straight down on the object from above.
• Front elevation — the view looking horizontally at the front face.
• Side elevation — the view looking horizontally from the side (usually the left).

Each view is a 2D drawing showing the outline as it would appear with parallel projection (no perspective). All measurements are true to scale.

Conventions

• Use a sharp pencil and ruler. Lines that are visible in the view are solid; hidden edges (behind another face) are usually shown dashed when asked.
• Each view should be drawn on a separate part of the grid. OCR mark schemes typically award B1 per correct view, with shape and dimensions both required.
• Always label which view is which — "Plan", "Front", "Side".

Building from views

Going the other way — given the three views, sketch the solid — is harder. Read each view as constraints:

• Plan tells you the footprint (base shape).
• Front elevation tells you the height and front-facing profile.
• Side elevation confirms depth and any features hidden from the front.

A common OCR question: an L-shaped block. Plan is an L. Front shows the tall and short heights. Side shows the depth. Total volume = sum of two cuboids.

OCR mark scheme conventions

• B1 per view drawn correctly with correct shape and dimensions.
• Loss of mark for missing dimensions or wrong proportions on grid paper.
• Hidden lines only required if the question states "show hidden edges".