Skip to main content
DigiTransact Mastermind
Maths•Upper Primary Decimals & Factors

Decimals and place value

Upper Primary 6 questions
AI-drafted from platform data — specialist review scheduledBy DigiTransact Mastermind editorial teamLast updated
Start practice

What decimals and place value means

You learn how to read the value of each digit after the decimal point and compare decimal numbers correctly. This helps you work out prices, measurements and simple calculations in everyday maths.

What you will practise

  • Identify tenths, hundredths and thousandths in decimal numbers.
  • Compare two decimals by looking at place value.
  • Line up decimal points before adding decimals.
  • Find the value of a digit in a given decimal.

Before you start

You should already know whole number place value and the names of digits in ones, tens and hundreds. It also helps if you can count in tenths and read simple fractions like halves and quarters.

Worked example

One question from this skill's own question bank, shown with its full working.

Question

What is the value of the 5 in 3.25?

  • 5 tenths
  • 5 hundredths
  • 5 ones
  • 5 tens
Answer: 5 hundredths

Working: In 3.25 the 5 is in the hundredths place.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Reading 0.7 as smaller than 0.65 because it has fewer digits. Write it as 0.70 before comparing.
  • Treating the digit after the decimal point as a whole number. Check whether it is in tenths or hundredths.
  • Adding decimals without lining up the decimal points. Keep the points in one column before you add.
  • Ignoring place value when finding a digit's value. Say the full value, not just the digit.

Curriculum and exam alignment

Ghana GES Basic 4 to 6 syllabusGroundwork for the BECE

In Upper Primary, this kind of work usually appears after pupils are secure with whole number place value and before more advanced number topics. It supports school-based assessment and gives useful practice for the kind of decimal questions that build the groundwork for the BECE.

Curriculum notes are a general guide to where this work normally sits. Always check the syllabus your school or examination body is currently using.

Related skills

Other Upper Primary Decimals & Factors skills in Maths, at the same point in the course.

Other Maths topics

Counting with PicturesPicture Addition & SubtractionEarly NumeracyNumber BasicsSHS Core MathematicsUniversity Mathematics

Related study guides

Exam Preparation
How to Master WASSCE Core Mathematics: Topics, Traps and Tactics

Core Maths is compulsory and it fails more WASSCE candidates than any other paper. This guide breaks…

7 min read
Exam Preparation
How to Build a BECE Study Plan That Actually Works (2026 Guide)

The BECE decides SHS placement for every JHS graduate in Ghana. Here is a realistic, week-by-week st…

7 min read

Exams that assess decimals and place value

Upper Primary work on this skill feeds directly into these exam papers. Each page lists the Maths topics that appear on it.

GESGES practice questionsFree GES practice across the subjects at this stage, with worked answers.BECEBECE practice questionsListed as a related subject on the BECE practice page.WASSCEWASSCE practice questionsListed as a related subject on the WASSCE practice page.

How this page was produced

This text was drafted with AI assistance from the questions and topics already stored on the platform. A subject-specialist review is scheduled but has not yet been recorded, so we do not claim it here.

Written by
DigiTransact Mastermind editorial team
Human review
Not yet. Subject-specialist review is scheduled; this page will say so once it has happened. See which content receives human review.
Last updated

Spotted a mistake on this page? Report a content correction and we will check it against the source. You can also read our editorial policy and how we use AI and where it falls short.

All Maths skills

Practise decimals and place value

6 questions with a worked answer after every attempt, and a SmartScore that tracks how close you are to mastery.

Start practice