Compare money amounts
£4.20 is more than £3.95.
Read the pounds first, then the pence.
Year 4
Estimate, compare and calculate different measures, including money in pounds and pence
Compare and calculate money amounts in pounds and pence and use measures carefully in practical contexts.
Lesson overview
Measurement
Money amounts use pounds and pence. We can compare them, add them to find a total, or subtract to find the change. The decimal point helps keep pounds and pence in the right place.
Find a total
£2.35 + £1.40 = £3.75.
Keep the pounds and pence aligned carefully.
Find change
£5.00 - £3.25 = £1.75.
Change is what is left after paying.
Worked example
A book costs £3.45 and a pencil costs £0.55. What is the total cost?
- Write the two money amounts clearly.
- Add the pounds and pence carefully.
- £3.45 + £0.55 = £4.00.
- So the total cost is £4.00.
Round 1: Learn it
Read each money amount carefully and decide whether you need a total, a comparison or the change.
Finish this round to unlock Round 2: Show you know it.
Question 1
Which amount is greater?
Question 2
What is £1.75 + £2.25?
Question 3
You pay £5.00 for an item costing £3.40. Write the change.
Question 4
Which amount is equal to 250 p?
Question 5
A toy costs £4.75 and you pay £5.00. What is the change?
Common mistakes
Watch for these as you work through the lesson.
- Mixing up total and change.
- Reading 40p as £40.
- Ignoring the decimal point in the money amount.
Related topics
These ideas connect closely to this lesson.
- Convert between different units of measure.
- Solve addition and subtraction two-step problems in contexts, deciding which operations and methods to use and why.