Resources For Teachers For Tutors For Students & Parents AI New Pricing
Create Free Account
Year 5 Maths 2D Shapes, Position & Transformations

Use compass directions

20 practice questions 0 video lessons Theory + worked examples
Practice 20 questions
Practice questions

Every question with a fully worked solution.

Start practising
Create a free accountTrack your progress and save your work as you go.
Create free account

Theory

A compass has four main points, north, east, south and west, and four in-between points: north-east, south-east, south-west and north-west. This Year 5 maths page shows how to give the direction of one place from another, how to describe routes, and how to work out which way you face after a quarter, half or three-quarter turn.

Going clockwise around the compass: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW. Each main point is a quarter turn (\(90^\circ\)) from the next main point.

The opposite of a direction is a half turn away: north and south, east and west, north-east and south-west, north-west and south-east.

“The lookout is north-east of the tent” means: stand at the tent and face the lookout; you face north-east.

A quarter turn is \(90^\circ\), a half turn is \(180^\circ\), a three-quarter turn is \(270^\circ\) and a full turn is \(360^\circ\). Clockwise is the way clock hands move; anticlockwise is the other way.

Eight-point compass rose A compass rose with north at the top, east to the right, south at the bottom and west to the left, and the four in-between points north-east, south-east, south-west and north-west. N NE E SE S SW W NW
The eight compass points.
Map of a campsite A grid map with columns A to F and rows 1 to 6, north at the top. T (tent) is in B1, C (creek) in E1, H (hut) in B4, L (lookout) in D3 and W (waterfall) in F6. A dashed red path goes from the tent diagonally to the lookout. ABCDEF 123456 T C L H W N
T tent, C creek, H hut, L lookout, W waterfall. North is up the page.

Turns and opposites:

\[ \tfrac{1}{4}\text{ turn} = 90^\circ \quad \tfrac{1}{2}\text{ turn} = 180^\circ \]
quarter turn 90, half turn 180
\[ \tfrac{3}{4}\text{ turn} = 270^\circ \quad \text{full turn} = 360^\circ \]
three-quarter turn 270, full turn 360

Opposites: N and S, E and W, NE and SW, NW and SE.

Never Eat Soggy Weet-Bix. Going clockwise from the top: North, East, South, West.
Return trip. To go back the way you came, travel in the opposite direction.

How to give the direction of B from A

  1. Stand at A (the place after “from”).
  2. Look towards B: is it up or down the page (north or south), left or right (west or east)?
  3. Combine: up and right is north-east, down and left is south-west.

How to make a turn

  1. Start at the direction you are facing on the compass rose.
  2. Move around it: a quarter turn is two steps of the eight points, a half turn four steps.
  3. Go clockwise or anticlockwise as told.
Example 1 — Direction on the map
Use the map. In which direction is the creek (C) from the tent (T)?
Solution

C is to the right of T in the same row: east.

Example 2 — In-between direction
In which direction is the lookout (L) from the tent (T)?
Solution

L is 2 squares right and 2 squares up from T: north-east.

Example 3 — Opposite
In which direction is the tent from the lookout?
Solution

The opposite of north-east: south-west.

Example 4 — Follow directions
From the tent (T) in B1, walk 2 squares north and then 3 squares east. Which square are you in?
Solution

B1 to B3, then B3 to E3.

Example 5 — Quarter turns
(i) Facing west, you make a quarter turn clockwise. Which way do you face?
(ii) Facing north-west, you make a quarter turn clockwise. Which way do you face?
Solution

(i) North
(ii) North-east

Example 6 — Three-quarter turn
Facing north, you make a three-quarter turn anticlockwise. Which way do you face, and how many degrees did you turn?
Solution
\(3 \times 90\)\(=\)\(270^\circ\)
3×90=270

West, then south, then east: you face east, having turned \(270^\circ\).

Example 7 — Return trip
A boat sails south-east from a jetty. In which direction must it sail to get back?
Solution

The opposite direction: north-west.

Example 8 — Find the mistake
Mia says the tent is north-east of the lookout because the two are joined by a north-east line. Explain her mistake.
Solution

The direction depends on where you start. From the lookout, the tent is down and to the left, so it is south-west of the lookout.

Common pitfalls

Starting from the wrong place. “B from A” means stand at A and look at B.
Mixing up east and west. On a map with north up, east is on the right.
Treating a quarter turn as one step. On an eight-point compass a quarter turn moves two points (N to E).
Clockwise the wrong way. Clockwise goes N, NE, E, SE, S, ...

Frequently asked questions

What are the eight compass points?

North, north-east, east, south-east, south, south-west, west and north-west.

What is the opposite of north-east?

South-west.

How do the turns compare?

A half turn is two quarter turns, a three-quarter turn is three quarter turns, and four quarter turns make a full turn.

Which way is clockwise?

The way the hands of a clock move: from north towards east.

How do you find the direction of one place from another?

Stand at the first place named after “from” and see which way you would face to look at the other place.

More in 2D Shapes, Position & Transformations
Line & rotational symmetry
20 questions
Locate positions using grid maps & directional language
20 questions