Fiducia TogetherRounding and truncation
Cutting a number short, two different ways.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Rounding goes to the nearest value at a given precision. Truncation simply cuts the digits off.
Where it applies
Both tiers, and it underlies bounds.
How it works
Truncation always reduces the magnitude of a positive number; rounding may go either way. That gives them different bounds.
How to use it in your work
Read whether the question says round or truncate — they are different instructions with different answers.
For money, round to two decimal places and write both, so £12.50 not £12.5.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification and mark scheme.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The Maths Song The GCSE maths topics, in order.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.