About this worksheet

This free Year 5 grid references and directions worksheet is written for the Western Australian curriculum and mapped to SCSA content description WA5MMGTW6. It focuses on one skill and is full of hands-on activities where children shade, draw, label and complete diagrams. By the end, students can say “I can use grid references, grid coordinates and compass directions to describe positions and pathways.”

What’s inside

• Key idea box – a short explanation with a worked, visual example to read before starting.
• A · Warm up (16 questions) – quick draw, shade and write practice to build confidence.
• B · Practise (9 questions) – worded problems in everyday Australian contexts, most with a diagram to work on.
• C · Think it through (5 questions) – explain your thinking: spot the mistake, true or false, always–sometimes–never, odd one out.
• D · Challenge (3 questions) – harder multi-step and problem-solving questions for students ready to stretch.
• Separate marking key – every answer with working, the correct shading and drawings shown in colour, and marking criteria for reasoning questions.

Skills covered

• Using grid references and coordinates to find positions
• Describing paths with compass directions and steps
• Following turns left and right to a new position

How to use this worksheet

Print the worksheet in black and white – all shading shows clearly in grey. Read the Key idea box together, then complete Section A. Most students should attempt Sections B and C; Section D suits students aiming high or preparing for extension and selective-entry maths. The worksheet is marked out of 56, and the score box on the last page shows which section needs more practice.

The diagrams follow the styles used in NAPLAN numeracy, so this sheet doubles as NAPLAN practice.

Common mistakes to watch for

• Swapping across and up, e.g. plotting (2, 3) at (3, 2)
• Thinking east is on your left when you face south
• Confusing a grid reference like B3 with a coordinate point
• Mixing up north-east and north-west

Where this fits in the WA Year 5 sequence

Grid References and Directions sits in the Two-dimensional space and structures sub-strand of Measurement and geometry. It is one of a set of short, single-skill EduLift worksheets that split each Year 5 content description into sub-skills. Use the previous and next links to work through the sequence in order.

Common errors we see in tutoring

• Swapping across and up, e.g. plotting (2, 3) at (3, 2)
• Thinking east is on your left when you face south
• Confusing a grid reference like B3 with a coordinate point
• Mixing up north-east and north-west