Year 5 is a quiet turning point in primary maths. Decimals get longer, fractions start being added together, and percentages turn up for the first time. By the end of the year a lot of the Year 6 and Year 7 work is already in view.
In South Australia, Year 5 maths follows the Australian Curriculum, Version 9, taught in public schools through the SA Curriculum.[2] There are 24 content descriptions across six strands.[1] All of them are below, in our words.
Why Year 5 matters more than it looks
For families thinking about the Ignite gifted programme, Year 5 is the year that counts. The Ignite test is sat in February of Year 6, only a few weeks into the school year, so the maths a child takes into that test is mostly Year 5 maths.[3] Our guide to Ignite and scholarship tests has the details.
All 24 Year 5 maths topics
ACARA publishes the official wording.[1] Codes like AC9M5N05 read as maths, Year 5, Number strand, number 5.
Number
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|---|
| AC9M5N01 | Read, compare and order decimals with more than two decimal places, including numbers bigger than one, and place them on a number line. |
| AC9M5N02 | Write whole numbers as products of their factors, find multiples, and test whether one number divides evenly into another. |
| AC9M5N03 | Compare and order fractions with the same or related denominators, including mixed numbers, and show them on a number line. |
| AC9M5N04 | Understand 100% as the whole, and connect common percentages to fractions and decimals (50% is a half is 0.5). |
| AC9M5N05 | Add and subtract fractions with the same or related denominators. |
| AC9M5N06 | Multiply large numbers by one- and two-digit numbers, choosing an efficient method. |
| AC9M5N07 | Divide, and decide what a remainder means in the problem: round up, round down, or write it as a fraction or decimal. |
| AC9M5N08 | Use estimation to check whether an answer, including a money answer, makes sense. |
| AC9M5N09 | Use maths to model and solve real problems, including money problems, and explain the answer. |
| AC9M5N10 | Follow and write step-by-step algorithms, with decisions, to explore factors, multiples and divisibility. |
Algebra
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|---|
| AC9M5A01 | Use the fact that multiplication and division undo each other to build fact families (6 × 7 = 42, so 42 ÷ 7 = 6). |
| AC9M5A02 | Find the missing number in multiplication and division equations, such as 8 × ? = 96. |
Measurement
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|---|
| AC9M5M01 | Choose sensible metric units for length, mass and capacity, using smaller units or mixed units for accuracy. |
| AC9M5M02 | Solve practical problems about the perimeter and area of regular and irregular shapes. |
| AC9M5M03 | Compare 12-hour and 24-hour time and convert between them. |
| AC9M5M04 | Estimate, draw and measure angles in degrees with a protractor, and name angles by their size. |
Space
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|---|
| AC9M5SP01 | Match 3D objects to their nets, and build objects from nets. |
| AC9M5SP02 | Use a grid with coordinates, plus direction words, to describe where things are and how they move. |
| AC9M5SP03 | Slide, flip and turn shapes, and say what changes and what stays the same. |
Statistics
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|---|
| AC9M5ST01 | Collect, check and display data using software such as spreadsheets, and describe it by its most common value (mode) and its shape. |
| AC9M5ST02 | Read line graphs that show change over time and draw conclusions from them. |
| AC9M5ST03 | Plan and run a small statistical investigation, choose a display and report what they found. |
Probability
| Code | What your child learns |
|---|---|
| AC9M5P01 | List all possible outcomes of a chance experiment and tell equally likely outcomes from ones that aren't. |
| AC9M5P02 | Repeat chance experiments, count how often each result comes up, and use that to compare how likely each one is. |
The four that trip children up
- Decimal length. 0.45 looks bigger than 0.5 because it has more digits. Line them up as money, 45c and 50c, and it clicks.
- Adding fractions. 1/2 + 1/4 is not 2/6. The half has to become two quarters first, and drawing it beats any rule.
- Remainders in context. 26 people, 4 to a car: 7 cars. Year 5 asks children to decide what the leftover means, not just write "r2".
- Area against perimeter. One is the fence, the other is the lawn. Mixing them up is common well into high school.
Easy wins at home
- Fact families. Every times-table fact is also a division fact: 7 × 8 = 56, so 56 ÷ 8 = 7. That's AC9M5A01.
- The Adelaide Metro timetable. It runs on 24-hour time, which is AC9M5M03. Ask what time the 16:42 bus leaves in everyday words.
- Sale signs. "25% off" is a quarter off. Linking percentages to fractions is the whole point of AC9M5N04.
- A backyard job. Working out how much edging or turf a garden bed needs makes area and perimeter real.
What comes after
In Year 6, fractions with related denominators become fractions with any denominators, percentages become percentages of amounts, and counting squares becomes the area formula.[1] Year 7 then builds on all three in the first year of high school.
Year 5, mapped and planned
Study Compass checks where your child is in Year 5 maths, fills the gaps first, then moves on. Every lesson carries its Australian Curriculum code.
Start freeSources
- ACARA, Australian Curriculum: Mathematics F–6, Version 9.0 (Year 5 content descriptions). https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/content/dam/en/curriculum/ac-version-9/downloads/mathematics/mathematics-curriculum-content-f-6-v9.docx (accessed 19 October 2026).
- South Australian Department for Education, Delivering world-leading mathematics in South Australian public schools. https://www.education.sa.gov.au/department/media-centre/our-news/delivering-world-leading-mathematics-in-south-australian-public-schools (accessed 19 October 2026).
- The Heights School, Ignite program information 2024. https://www.theheights.sa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Ignite-Program-Website-Information-2024.pdf (accessed 19 October 2026).
Curriculum documents get updated. Always check the official source before making a decision. Study Compass isn't affiliated with or endorsed by ACARA, ACER or the South Australian Department for Education.