Measurement
Money: Recognising, Combining and Giving Change
Year 1 · Year 2
- ✓Recognise and name all common UK coins (1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, £2) and notes (£5, £10).
- ✓Know the value of each UK coin and note.
- ✓Count and combine amounts of money to find a total.
- ✓Solve simple practical problems involving money, including giving change.
- ✓Use the correct symbols for pounds (£) and pence (p).
Key concepts
Coins are small, round pieces of metal money. Each coin has a number on it that tells you its value in pence (p). The common UK coins are: 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 (one pound), and £2 (two pounds).
Notes are pieces of paper or plastic money. Each note has a number on it that tells you its value in pounds (£). The common UK notes are: £5 (five pounds), £10 (ten pounds), £20 (twenty pounds), and £50 (fifty pounds). For Key Stage 1, we mostly focus on £5 and £10 notes.
When you combine money, you put different amounts together to find a total. This means you add the values of the coins or notes.
When you buy something, you pay with money. If you pay with more money than the item costs, you get some money back. This money is called 'change'. To find the change, you subtract the cost of the item from the amount you paid.
Key facts to remember
- 1The common UK coins are 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, £2.
- 2The common UK notes are £5, £10, £20, £50.
- 3100 pence (p) is the same as £1 (one pound).
- 4To find the total amount of money, you add the values of all the coins and notes.
- 5To find the change, you subtract the cost of the item from the amount of money you paid.
- 6Always look at the number on a coin or note to know its value.
- 7The symbol for pence is 'p' and the symbol for pounds is '£'.
Worked examples
Example 1
What is the total value of a 5p coin and a 2p coin?
Answer
7p
Example 2
Lily has a 10p coin, a 5p coin, and two 1p coins. How much money does she have altogether?
Answer
17p
It can help to count the largest coins first.
Example 3
A sweet costs 7p. Tom pays with a 10p coin. How much change does he get?
Answer
3p
You can count on from the cost (7p) to the amount paid (10p) to find the change: 7... 8, 9, 10. That's 3 fingers, so 3p change.
Common mistakes
- ✗Confusing the size of a coin with its value (e.g., thinking a 2p coin is worth more than a 5p coin because it is bigger).
- ✗Forgetting to count all the coins or notes when finding a total.
- ✗Subtracting the wrong way around when finding change (e.g., subtracting the amount paid from the cost).
- ✗Not including the correct unit (p or £) in the answer.
- ✗Miscounting when adding or subtracting small amounts.
Exam tips
- ★Always check the number on each coin or note to make sure you know its value.
- ★When combining money, count the largest value coins/notes first, then the next largest, and so on.
- ★For giving change, you can use a number line or count on your fingers from the cost up to the amount paid.
- ★Remember to write 'p' for pence and '£' for pounds in your answers.
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