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GCSE Maths / Edexcel

Rounding to the nearest 10, 100, and 1000

Round whole numbers to a named place value by identifying the place, checking the next digit, and writing the rounded number correctly.

Number and Place ValueFoundation and HigherGrades 2 to 5Focused skill

Curriculum path: GCSE Maths > Edexcel > Number > Rounding to nearest 10, 100, and 1000

Pearson Edexcel GCSE Maths number: round numbers to an appropriate degree of accuracy.

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Revision notes

Theory, examples, and quick checks.

Keep the method short, then practise straight away. This note is written for GCSE Maths Edexcel students who need clear working and reliable method marks.

Theory

Rounding to the nearest 10, 100, or 1000 is place-value rounding.

First find the place named in the question. For nearest 10, look at the tens digit. For nearest 100, look at the hundreds digit. For nearest 1000, look at the thousands digit.

Then look at the digit immediately to the right. If it is 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4, the chosen digit stays the same.

If the digit to the right is 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, the chosen digit rounds up.

All digits to the right of the rounded place become zeros.

In Foundation papers, many marks are lost because students round to the wrong place. Always underline the place named in the question first.

Key ruleFind the named place, look one digit right, then replace the following digits with zeros.

Worked examples

Nearest 10

Round 3476 to the nearest 10.

  1. The tens digit is 7.
  2. The digit to the right is 6.
  3. 6 means round up, so 3476 becomes 3480.

Answer: 3480

Nearest 100

Round 3476 to the nearest 100.

  1. The hundreds digit is 4.
  2. The digit to the right is 7.
  3. 7 means round up, so the 4 becomes 5 and the final two digits become zeros.

Answer: 3500

Nearest 1000

Round 8499 to the nearest 1000.

  1. The thousands digit is 8.
  2. The digit to the right is 4.
  3. 4 means keep the 8 the same, then replace the remaining digits with zeros.

Answer: 8000

Common mistakes

  • Rounding to the nearest 10 when the question asks for the nearest 100.
  • Changing too many digits before checking the digit to the right.
  • Forgetting to replace the following digits with zeros.
  • Rounding 8499 to 9000 to the nearest 1000 because the last two digits look large, even though the hundreds digit is 4.

Quick exercise

Try these before moving to the exam-style questions.

  1. Round 384 to the nearest 10.
  2. Round 385 to the nearest 10.
  3. Round 2648 to the nearest 100.
  4. Round 2678 to the nearest 100.
  5. Round 7499 to the nearest 1000.
Exam-style questions

Practise the same skill at three levels.

These are original GCSE-style questions with mark schemes, common wrong answers, and AI marking guidance so feedback stays close to exam expectations.

Basic GCSE styleFoundationNon-calculator2 marks

Round 583 to the nearest 10.

nearest 10place valuefoundation number
Standard exam styleFoundation and HigherNon-calculator3 marks

Round 7486 to the nearest 100 and to the nearest 1000.

nearest 100nearest 1000place value
ChallengeFoundation and HigherNon-calculator3 marks

A town has population 28473. Write this population to the nearest 1000 and explain why your answer is sensible.

nearest 1000rounding in contextexplain