Use a pencil and ruler to draw the axes of the graph on gridded graph paper. The x- and y-axis are perpendicular to each other. The origin is the point where the axes intersect. The origin for a speed graph is usually positioned in the bottom left corner of the graph.
Title the axes. The horizontal x-axis is labeled with the independent variable "time." The vertical y-axis is labeled with dependent variable "distance." The measurement units are included in brackets after the axis title. For example, the x-axis title is "time (s)" if the units of measurement are seconds (s), and "time (min)" if the units are minutes.
Divide both axes into regular intervals and label the intervals. For example, if the x-axis represents a range of 60 seconds, this axis can be divided into 5-second intervals. The time at the origin is 0 s, the time after the first interval is 5 s, and the time after the second interval is labeled as 10 s. The labeling continues until the 60 s mark is labeled on the axis.
Plot all the (x; y) data points on the graph. The data points are (time; distance) for a speed graph. Make a pencil dot at the position of each data point.
Draw a line through the data points. The line does not need to pass through every data point. Instead, it should be representative of the entire set of data points. If the line is a straight line, the speed is constant. Constant speed is equivalent to the gradient or slope of the line. A curved line is indicative of acceleration or deceleration.