In the Victorian Curriculum 2.0, maths is written in levels rather than school years. Level 5 is what most children work on in Year 5.[1] It has 24 content descriptions, the specific things teachers are asked to teach, spread across six strands: Number, Algebra, Measurement, Space, Statistics and Probability.[1]
This page puts all 24 in plain English. If you've seen a code like VC2M5N05 on a report or a worksheet, you'll find it below. New to the curriculum itself? Start with our guide to the Victorian Curriculum 2.0.
The big ideas in Year 5
The VCAA's achievement standard describes what a student should be able to do by the end of Level 5.[1] In short, Year 5 is about:
- Decimals and factors. Ordering decimals with three or more places, and breaking numbers into factors.
- Fractions and percentages. Adding and subtracting fractions with related denominators, and linking common percentages to fractions and decimals.
- Bigger calculations. Multiplying by two-digit numbers, dividing with remainders, and checking with estimates.
- Measuring the real world. Perimeter and area, 24-hour time, and measuring angles in degrees.
- Data and chance. Line graphs, small investigations, and repeated chance experiments.
All 24 Year 5 maths topics, explained
The descriptions below are in our words. The official wording is on the VCAA's website.[1]
Number
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|---|
| VC2M5N01 | Read, compare and order decimals with more than two decimal places, including numbers bigger than one, and place them on a number line. |
| VC2M5N02 | Write whole numbers as products of their factors, find multiples, and test whether one number divides evenly into another. |
| VC2M5N03 | Compare and order unit fractions and mixed numbers with the same or related denominators, such as halves, quarters and eighths. |
| VC2M5N04 | Understand 100% as the whole, and connect common percentages to fractions and decimals (50% is a half is 0.5). |
| VC2M5N05 | Add and subtract fractions with the same or related denominators. |
| VC2M5N06 | Multiply large numbers by one- and two-digit numbers, choosing an efficient method and checking the answer. |
| VC2M5N07 | Divide, and decide what a remainder means in the problem: round up, round down, or write it as a fraction or decimal. |
| VC2M5N08 | Use estimation to check whether an answer, including a money answer, is reasonable. |
| VC2M5N09 | Use maths to model and solve real problems, including simple budgets, and explain the answer. |
| VC2M5N10 | Follow and write step-by-step algorithms, with decisions and repeats, to explore factors, multiples and divisibility. |
Algebra
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|---|
| VC2M5A01 | Use the fact that multiplication and division undo each other to build fact families (6 × 7 = 42, so 42 ÷ 7 = 6). |
| VC2M5A02 | Find the missing number in multiplication and division equations, such as 8 × ? = 96. |
Measurement
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|---|
| VC2M5M01 | Choose sensible metric units for length, mass and capacity, using smaller units or mixed units for accuracy. |
| VC2M5M02 | Solve practical problems about the perimeter and area of regular and irregular shapes. |
| VC2M5M03 | Compare 12-hour and 24-hour time and convert between them. |
| VC2M5M04 | Estimate, draw and measure angles in degrees with a protractor, and name angles by their size. |
Space
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|---|
| VC2M5SP01 | Match 3D objects to their nets, and build objects from nets. |
| VC2M5SP02 | Use a grid with coordinates, plus direction words, to describe where things are and how they move. |
| VC2M5SP03 | Slide, flip and turn shapes, say what changes and what stays the same, and find lines of symmetry. |
Statistics
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|---|
| VC2M5ST01 | Collect, check and display data using software, and describe it by its most common value (mode) and its shape. |
| VC2M5ST02 | Read line graphs that show change over time and draw conclusions from them. |
| VC2M5ST03 | Plan and run a small statistical investigation, choose a display and report what they found. |
Probability
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|---|
| VC2M5P01 | List all possible outcomes of a chance experiment and tell equally likely outcomes from ones that aren't. |
| VC2M5P02 | Repeat chance experiments, count how often each result comes up, and use that to estimate how likely it is. |
Where children often get stuck
- "Longer decimals are bigger." Lots of Year 5s think 0.45 is bigger than 0.5 because it has more digits. Money helps: 45 cents is less than 50 cents.
- Related denominators. Adding a half and a quarter means turning the half into two quarters first. Kids who add the bottom numbers (1/2 + 1/4 = 2/6) need to see it with a drawing or a pizza.
- Remainders. 26 children and 4 per car needs 7 cars, not 6.5. Year 5 asks children to decide what the remainder means.
- Area and perimeter mix-ups. Perimeter is the fence around a garden, area is the grass inside it.
How to help at home
- Use money for decimals. Compare prices, add up a small shopping list, work out change.
- Practise times tables as fact families. 6 × 8 = 48 also gives 48 ÷ 8 = 6. That's VC2M5A01, and it makes division far easier.
- Spot percentages. "50% off" and "25% off" signs are perfect for linking percentages to halves and quarters.
- Read timetables. Train and bus timetables use 24-hour time.
- Measure things. Measure a room for new carpet, or a garden bed for mulch. Area and perimeter stop being abstract very quickly.
What comes next
Year 5 sets up Year 6 directly. Fractions with related denominators become fractions with any denominators. Linking percentages to fractions becomes finding a percentage of an amount, like a discount. Area by counting becomes the formula for the area of a rectangle.[1] Our Year 6 maths guide covers the next level. Year 5 is also a NAPLAN year, and our NAPLAN guide explains what to expect.
Lessons mapped to the curriculum
Every Study Compass maths lesson is tied to a Victorian Curriculum 2.0 code. A short starting check finds where your child is, then the plan fills Year 5 gaps first and moves on when they're ready.
Start freeSources
- VCAA, Mathematics Version 2.0: F–10 curriculum (Level 5 content descriptions and achievement standard). https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/mathematics/mathematics-version-2-0/curriculum/f-10 (accessed 9 October 2026).
Rules, dates and formats change. Always check the official source before making a decision. Study Compass isn't affiliated with or endorsed by ACARA, the VCAA, ACER or the Victorian Department of Education.