Maths Library

Rounding and Estimating: Year 5 maths

This topic covers rounding whole numbers to powers of ten (10, 100, 1,000, etc.) and using rounded values to estimate calculations. Pupils practise identifying adjacent multiples and applying convention rules for the halfway boundary.

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What this covers

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

Worked example

Round 468 to the nearest 10.

  1. Identify the two surrounding multiples of 10: 460 and 470.
  2. Look at the ones digit: it is 8.
  3. Since 8 is 5 or greater, round up to 470.

Answer: 470

Difficulty scale

The sheet generator offers five difficulty settings for this topic.

  1. Rounding 2-digit numbers to the nearest 10 using a marked number line
  2. Rounding 3-digit numbers to the nearest 10 or 100
  3. Rounding 4-digit numbers to the nearest 10, 100, or 1,000
  4. Rounding large whole numbers to any given power of ten up to 100,000
  5. Estimating the answers to multi-step calculations by prior rounding

Common mistakes

  • Always rounding down when the target digit is followed by 5 instead of rounding up
  • Changing subsequent digits to non-zero values after rounding

Curriculum links

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

  • Round any number up to 1,000,000 to the nearest 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000 and 100,000.

Sample sheet and answers

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

Rounding and Estimating

Year 5 maths

Qs
6
Marks
12
NameDateScore / 12
1.
Round 55 445 to the nearest thousand.
[2]
2.
Round 82 187 to the nearest thousand.
[2]
3.
Round 74 412 to the nearest thousand.
[2]
4.
Round 89 123 to the nearest thousand.
[2]
5.
Round 90 450 to the nearest thousand.
[2]
6.
Round 76 934 to the nearest thousand.
[2]

Answer key

  1. 55 000Look at the digit to the right of the thousands place; 55 445 rounds to 55 000
  2. 82 000Look at the digit to the right of the thousands place; 82 187 rounds to 82 000
  3. 74 000Look at the digit to the right of the thousands place; 74 412 rounds to 74 000
  4. 89 000Look at the digit to the right of the thousands place; 89 123 rounds to 89 000
  5. 90 000Look at the digit to the right of the thousands place; 90 450 rounds to 90 000
  6. 77 000Look at the digit to the right of the thousands place; 76 934 rounds to 77 000