Number and place value
Choose your practice ↓Place value is the foundation of every other primary topic: it is what makes column addition, short division and decimal work possible. Children count, read and write numbers, learn what each digit is worth, compare and order numbers, count in steps, work with negative numbers, and round to the nearest ten, hundred or thousand. Phase 2 of MathsUK will cover Years 1 to 6 in detail; for now the question bank is GCSE, where this material reappears inside the number content area.
📚 What you learn here
- Counting forwards and backwards, including in steps and across zero
- Reading and writing numbers in numerals and in words
- The value of each digit, and comparing and ordering numbers
- Negative numbers in context
- Rounding to the nearest 10, 100, 1000 and, later, to decimal places
Frequently asked questions
When do children meet place value?
From Year 1, with numbers to 20, extending each year to 100, 1000, 10 000, a million and beyond, and then to decimals.
Is this on the GCSE paper?
Yes, inside the number content area — the DfE GCSE statement on the four operations explicitly includes understanding and using place value.
✍️ Written by the MathsUK teamChecked against the National Curriculum and GCSE specifications