Year 6 is the last year of primary maths in the Australian Curriculum, which Queensland state schools teach.[2] It has 24 content descriptions in six strands: Number, Algebra, Measurement, Space, Statistics and Probability.[1]
A lot of Year 6 is about using what your child already knows with more confidence: fractions with any denominator, percentages of amounts, and decimals without a calculator. These are the ideas Year 7 maths is built on.
The big ideas in Year 6
- Negative numbers. Integers on a number line and on all four quarters of a coordinate grid.
- Fractions, decimals and percentages together. Equivalent fractions, adding and subtracting any fractions, and finding a percentage of an amount.
- Area by formula. Why the area of a rectangle is length times width.
- Angle facts. Using angles on a straight line and around a point to find a missing angle.
- Thinking about data. Comparing two data sets and questioning statistics in the news.
All 24 Year 6 maths topics, explained
The descriptions below are in our words. ACARA publishes the official wording.[1]
Number
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|
| AC9M6N01 | Use negative numbers (integers) in real situations, including money, and place them on a number line and a coordinate grid. |
|---|
| AC9M6N02 | Recognise prime, composite and square numbers and use their properties to solve problems and simplify calculations. |
|---|
| AC9M6N03 | Compare and order common fractions, such as halves, thirds and quarters, on one number line, and explain the order. |
|---|
| AC9M6N04 | Add and subtract decimals using place value, and check with estimation and rounding. |
|---|
| AC9M6N05 | Add and subtract fractions by first making equivalent fractions. |
|---|
| AC9M6N06 | Multiply and divide decimals by 10, 100, 1000 and their multiples without a calculator. |
|---|
| AC9M6N07 | Find a fraction, decimal or percentage of an amount, including percentage discounts. |
|---|
| AC9M6N08 | Estimate answers to problems with fractions, decimals and percentages, including money problems. |
|---|
| AC9M6N09 | Use maths to model and solve real problems with fractions, decimals and percentages, including money, and justify the choices made. |
|---|
Algebra
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|
| AC9M6A01 | Find and use the rule behind growing patterns, including number patterns with fractions and decimals. |
|---|
| AC9M6A02 | Find unknown values in equations with brackets and more than one operation. |
|---|
| AC9M6A03 | Design step-by-step algorithms that use a rule to make a set of numbers, and explain the pattern. |
|---|
Measurement
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|
| AC9M6M01 | Convert between metric units of length, mass and capacity, using decimals (1.25 kg is 1250 g). |
|---|
| AC9M6M02 | Work out why the area of a rectangle is length × width, and use it to solve practical problems. |
|---|
| AC9M6M03 | Read timetables and itineraries to plan activities and work out how long events and journeys take. |
|---|
| AC9M6M04 | Use angle facts (angles on a straight line, angles at a point, vertically opposite angles) to find unknown angles. |
|---|
Space
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|
| AC9M6SP01 | Compare the cross-sections of objects and connect them to right prisms. |
|---|
| AC9M6SP02 | Plot points in all four quadrants of a coordinate grid, and describe how coordinates change when a point moves. |
|---|
| AC9M6SP03 | Combine slides, flips and turns to make tessellations and other patterns. |
|---|
Statistics
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|
| AC9M6ST01 | Compare two sets of data side by side using mode, range and shape. |
|---|
| AC9M6ST02 | Spot arguments in the media that use statistics, and question how the data was collected and shown. |
|---|
| AC9M6ST03 | Plan and run a statistical investigation, refining the question as they go, and report the findings. |
|---|
Probability
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|
| AC9M6P01 | Describe probability as a number from 0 to 1 (or 0% to 100%), and estimate how likely everyday events are. |
|---|
| AC9M6P02 | Run chance experiments and simulations with more and more trials, and compare the results with what they expected. |
|---|
Where children often get stuck
- Unlike denominators. 1/3 + 1/4 isn't 2/7. Both have to become twelfths first. If your child adds the bottoms, go back to drawing the fractions.
- Moving the decimal point. Multiplying by 10 moves the digits, not the point. Saying "the digits get ten times bigger" works better than "add a zero", which breaks with decimals.
- Percentage of an amount. 25% of 80 is a quarter of 80. Linking common percentages back to fractions makes most Year 6 percentage questions mental maths.
- Negative numbers. −8 is smaller than −3. A thermometer or a bank balance helps.
How to help at home
- Shop the sales. Work out what "30% off" saves on something your child wants.
- Plan a trip. Use a real timetable to work out leaving times and how long the trip takes. That's AC9M6M03.
- Talk about the news. When a headline quotes a statistic, ask "How do they know that?"
- Cook with decimals. A recipe that needs 1.5 kg of flour or 250 mL of milk is unit conversion practice.
Ready for Year 7
Study Compass finds the gaps that make Year 7 maths harder, then plans short daily lessons to close them. Every lesson carries its Australian Curriculum code.
Start free