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Number and place value

Place value is the foundation of number work: knowing what each digit is worth lets you round, compare, order and calculate with confidence, including with negative numbers and numbers into the millions.

What is tested

  • Reading, writing and ordering large numbers
  • Rounding to the nearest 10, 100, 1,000
  • Negative numbers, factors, multiples, primes and squares

Worked example

Round 4,679 to the nearest hundred.

  1. Look at the hundreds digit: 6 (so the number is between 4,600 and 4,700).
  2. Look at the tens digit: 7, which is 5 or more, so round up.
  3. 4,679 rounds to 4,700.

Answer: 4,700

Exam-day checklist

  • Say what each digit is worth.
  • For rounding, look only at the digit to the right of the one you are rounding to.
  • List factors in pairs so you do not miss any.
  • Draw a number line for negatives.

Common mistakes

  • Rounding using the wrong digit.
  • Thinking 1 is a prime number (it is not).
  • Getting the order of negative numbers backwards (−8 is smaller than −3).

Try it yourself

1. What is 10 more than 6,995?

Show answer

7,005

6,995 + 10 = 7,005; the carry changes the thousands digit.

2. Which is larger, 45,032 or 45,302?

Show answer

45,302

Both have 45 thousand; compare the hundreds: 3 hundreds beats 0 hundreds.

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