KS2 Maths · Topic guide

Place Value to 1000000 and Negative Numbers

In Year 5, pupils extend their place-value knowledge to numbers up to 1,000,000, learning to read, write, order and compare numbers with up to seven digits and to state the value of any digit within them, for example that the 4 in 452,000 represents 4 hundred thousands.

Year 3-6 (KS2)Number and place valueNational CurriculumKS2 SATs

Before you start

Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:

Method

  1. Write out a place-value grid with columns for hundred thousands, ten thousands, thousands, hundreds, tens and ones to help find the value of any digit in a large number.
  2. To compare two large numbers, compare the digits from the left (the largest place value) first; the first column where the digits differ decides which number is bigger.
  3. To order a list of numbers, compare them column by column from the left, the same way you compare two numbers.
  4. To round a number, find the place-value column you are rounding to, then look at the digit immediately to its right: 5 or more rounds up, 4 or less rounds down (or stays the same).
  5. On a number line, remember that negative numbers get smaller the further left they are, so -8 is smaller than -3, and any negative number is smaller than any positive number.
  6. To find the difference between a negative and a positive number (or two negative numbers), count the total distance between them on the number line, including the distance crossing zero.
  7. Check a rounded answer makes sense by comparing it to the original number: it should be close to it, and it should end in zeros at and below the place value you rounded to.

Worked example

The temperature inside a walk-in freezer is -18C. The temperature in the kitchen next to it is 24C. Find the difference between the two temperatures.

  1. Picture the two temperatures on a number line: -18 is 18 places to the left of zero, and 24 is 24 places to the right of zero.
  2. To find the total distance between them, add the distance from -18 to 0 and the distance from 0 to 24.
  3. The distance from -18 to 0 is 18, and the distance from 0 to 24 is 24.
  4. Add the two distances: 18 + 24 = 42.
  5. So the difference between the two temperatures is 42 degrees.

Practice questions

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Q1Write the value of the 7 in the number 872,301.Show answer

Answer: 70,000 (seven ten thousands)

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Q2Order these numbers from smallest to largest: 456,201, 465,102, 456,120.Show answer

Answer: 456,120, 456,201, 465,102

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Q3Round 738,462 to the nearest 10,000.Show answer

Answer: 740,000

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Q4Round 195,300 to the nearest 100,000.Show answer

Answer: 200,000

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Q5Order these temperatures from coldest to warmest: -5C, 3C, -12C, 0C.Show answer

Answer: -12C, -5C, 0C, 3C

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Q6A submarine is at a depth of -85 m (85 m below sea level). It rises to a depth of -20 m. How many metres did it rise?Show answer

Answer: 65 m (85 - 20 = 65, or -20 - (-85) = 65)

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Q7Write the number four hundred and six thousand and eighteen using digits.Show answer

Answer: 406,018

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Exam-style questions

Written in the style of a KS2 Maths exam paper, with a full mark scheme.

Q1[3 marks]

A stadium has a capacity of 748,650. (a) Round this number to the nearest 10,000. (1 mark) (b) Round this number to the nearest 1,000. (1 mark) (c) Write the value represented by the 4 in 748,650. (1 mark)

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Q2[4 marks]

At midnight, the temperature in a mountain village was -7C. By 3pm the next day, the temperature had risen by 15 degrees. (a) Work out the temperature at 3pm. (2 marks) (b) A nearby village recorded a temperature of -11C at the same midnight. Which village was colder at midnight, and by how many degrees? (2 marks)

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Q3[1 mark]

Write these numbers in order, starting with the largest: 512,006, 510,600, 512,060.

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Free printable worksheet

Want more practice on paper? Download the place value to 1000000 and negative numbers worksheet pack - 6 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.

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