The present study, carried out in the Nordic countries, examines the characteristics of students' scholastic performance on items containing graphical artefacts, that is, bar graphs, pie charts and line graphs, selected from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey test. Graphical analysis of statistical data resulted in the observation of two major categories of performance by the students. The results of cluster analysis also confirmed the two approaches. One approach consists of items perceived as requiring identification, that is, focusing primarily on perceptual elements. The other consisting of items requiring a critical-analytical approach, that is, involving evaluation of the graphical system, active interaction with subject specific operators and forms of expression. The general observation is that the pattern of response is similar for all these countries, with items demanding an identification approach showing comparatively higher scores than for items perceived as demanding a critical-analytical approach.