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Study GuideYear 5Level 2 · Standard

Free Year 5 Area and Perimeter: Rectangles and Composite Shapes

Explains the difference between perimeter (distance around) and area (surface inside), the formulas for rectangles and squares, how to find a missing side from a known area, and how to break an L-shape into rectangles. Covers correct units and the mistakes Year 5 students make most often.

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Year
Year 5
Subject
Mathematics
Topic
Area & Perimeter
Difficulty
Level 2 · Standard
Estimated time
15 minutes
Curriculum
Australian Curriculum
Answers
Not applicable
Format
PDF (A4) + print

Students will practise

  • understanding the difference between perimeter and area
  • calculating the perimeter and area of rectangles and squares
  • finding a missing side length from a known area or perimeter
  • finding the area and perimeter of composite (L-shaped) figures

Curriculum: Australian Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.

What's next?

Completed: Area and Perimeter: Rectangles and Composite Shapes

  1. 1Year 5 Area and Perimeter Worksheet — Level 2
  2. 2Year 5 Metric Conversions Worksheet — Level 2
Study guide

How to use this study guide

  1. Read it together first, pausing at each worked example to try the step before reading the answer.
  2. Attempt the "Check yourself" questions at the end without looking back.
  3. Then practise with a worksheet from the pathway above and finish with the topic test.

Common questions

Who is this study guide for?

Year 5 students (typically ages 10–11) working on area & perimeter. It is pitched at level 2 · standard.

Are the answers included?

This is a study guide, so there is no separate answer sheet; the 'Check yourself' questions include answers.

How long does it take?

About 15 minutes. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.

Do I need to sign up to download?

No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.

What should we do next?

Try Year 5 Area and Perimeter Worksheet — Level 2.

Preview

Year 5 · Mathematics · Area & Perimeter

Area and Perimeter: Rectangles and Composite Shapes

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What you need to know

Perimeter is the distance all the way around the outside of a shape. You find it by adding up every side, and it is measured in units of length such as cm or m. Area is the amount of flat surface inside a shape. It is measured in square units such as cm2 or m2, because you are counting how many unit squares fit inside.

Rectangles. Perimeter = 2 × (length + width), because there are two lengths and two widths. Area = length × width. A square is a rectangle with four equal sides, so its perimeter is 4 × side and its area is side × side.

A rectangle is 8 cm long and 5 cm wide

  1. Perimeter: add all four sides: 8 + 5 + 8 + 5 = 26 cm. Or use the formula: 2 × (8 + 5) = 2 × 13 = 26 cm.
  2. Area: 8 × 5 = 40 cm[sup 2].
  3. Notice the units: cm for perimeter, cm2 for area.

Find the missing side: a rectangle has an area of 36 m2 and a length of 9 m

  1. Area = length × width, so 36 = 9 × width.
  2. Width = 36 ÷ 9 = 4 m.
  3. Now the perimeter can be found too: 2 × (9 + 4) = 2 × 13 = 26 m.

Composite shapes. An L-shape or T-shape is made from rectangles joined together. For area, split the shape into rectangles (or imagine the full rectangle and subtract the missing corner), find each area and combine them. For perimeter, you still just add up all the outside edges, so work out any unlabelled edges first.

An L-shaped garden is 10 m by 6 m overall, with a 4 m by 3 m corner cut out of the top-left

  1. Area of the full rectangle: 10 × 6 = 60 m2.
  2. Area of the missing corner: 4 × 3 = 12 m2.
  3. Area of the garden: 60 − 12 = 48 m[sup 2].
  4. Perimeter: going around, the six sides are 10, 6, 6 (that is 10 − 4), 3, 4 and 3 (that is 6 − 3).
  5. Perimeter = 10 + 6 + 6 + 3 + 4 + 3 = 32 m. This is the same as the full rectangle's perimeter, 2 × (10 + 6) = 32 m, because the cut-out edges replace the missing edges exactly.
MeasureUnitsReal-life example
Perimetermm, cm, m, kmLength of fence needed around a paddock
Areamm2, cm2, m2, hectares (ha), km2Carpet needed to cover a floor
Common mistake: mixing up area and perimeter, or writing cm instead of cm2 for an area. Ask yourself: am I measuring a path around the shape (perimeter, add the sides) or the surface inside it (area, multiply)?
Common mistake: adding only the labelled sides. A rectangle labelled 8 cm and 5 cm has four sides, so the perimeter is 8 + 5 + 8 + 5 = 26 cm, not 8 + 5 = 13 cm.

Check yourself

  1. What is the perimeter of a rectangle 7 cm long and 3 cm wide?
  2. What is the area of the same 7 cm by 3 cm rectangle?
  3. What is the perimeter of a square with sides of 9 m?
  4. What is the area of a square with sides of 9 m?
  5. A rectangle has an area of 48 cm2 and a width of 6 cm. What is its length?
  6. A square paddock has a perimeter of 100 m. What is its area?

Answers: 1. 20 cm 2. 21 cm2 3. 36 m 4. 81 m2 5. 8 cm 6. 625 m2 (each side is 100 ÷ 4 = 25 m, and 25 × 25 = 625)

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More Year 5 area & perimeter resources

  • Worksheet

    Year 5 Area and Perimeter Worksheet — Level 2

    Perimeter and area of rectangles, squares, triangles and composite shapes. Expected-level practice for this year group. This Year 5…

    Difficulty
    Level 2 · Standard
    Time
    15 min
    Questions
    10 questions
    Answers
    Answers included
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About this resource

Created by
Success Tutoring
Last reviewed
1 October 2026
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