Maths Library

Comparing and Ordering Decimals: Year 5 maths

Students compare and order decimal numbers with varying numbers of decimal places. The sheet reinforces aligning place values and using inequality signs to order sets from least to greatest.

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What this covers

Comparing and Ordering Decimals is taught in Year 5 (age 9 to 10, KS2) as a main teaching focus. It sits in the Decimals strand.

Worked example

Which number is larger: 0.45 or 0.405

  1. Align the digits by place value or add trailing zeros: 0.450 vs 0.405.
  2. Compare tenths: both have 4 tenths.
  3. Compare hundredths: 5 hundredths is greater than 0 hundredths, so 0.45 is larger.

Answer: 0.45

Difficulty scale

The sheet generator offers five difficulty settings for this topic.

  1. Comparing two decimals with the same number of decimal places (tenths only)
  2. Comparing two decimals with differing lengths up to hundredths (e.g. 0.3 vs 0.28)
  3. Ordering a list of four decimals up to two decimal places
  4. Ordering a list of decimals up to three decimal places with varying lengths
  5. Contextual comparison problems involving metric measurements and money

Common mistakes

  • Believing a longer decimal is always larger (e.g. thinking 0.125 > 0.4)
  • Ignoring leading zeros in the decimal portion (e.g. confusing 0.05 with 0.5)

Curriculum links

Indicative matches to National Curriculum for England. Check wording and codes against the official document.

  • Read, write, order and compare numbers with up to three decimal places.

Sample sheet and answers

Six questions at the level's usual difficulty. Open the editor to change, add or regenerate any of them.

Comparing and Ordering Decimals

Year 5 maths

Qs
6
Marks
12
NameDateScore / 12
1.
Write < or >: 4.86 4.77
[2]
2.
Write < or >: 8.77 8.81
[2]
3.
Write < or >: 1.12 1.17
[2]
4.
Write < or >: 3.50 3.41
[2]
5.
Write < or >: 7.36 7.31
[2]
6.
Write < or >: 3.60 3.66
[2]

Answer key

  1. >Compare the digits from the left, one place at a time; 4.86 > 4.77
  2. <Compare the digits from the left, one place at a time; 8.77 < 8.81
  3. <Compare the digits from the left, one place at a time; 1.12 < 1.17
  4. >Compare the digits from the left, one place at a time; 3.50 > 3.41
  5. >Compare the digits from the left, one place at a time; 7.36 > 7.31
  6. <Compare the digits from the left, one place at a time; 3.60 < 3.66