Describing 2D shapes using properties: number of sides, vertices, types of angles, parallel sides, equal sides.
Where your child meets this in real life: Describing shapes precisely when giving instructions or solving puzzles
Each SEAG paper has 28 maths questions. Questions 29 to 50 are multiple choice with five possible answers, and questions 51 to 56 need a short written answer. With 56 questions in 60 minutes across English and maths, that is about a minute per question.
SEAGReady breaks describe shape properties into 3 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.
Count and state the number of sides and vertices in 2D shapes
Identify parallel sides and equal-length sides in 2D shapes
Identify and describe the types of angles within 2D shapes
Try three free questions from our describe shape properties course. They start easy and get harder, so you can see where your child's confidence runs out. If they manage the last one without a hint, this topic is probably secure. If not, the steps above show where to start.
Aaron is describing shapes for a quiz at his school. How many sides does a pentagon have?
The trapezium shown has one pair of parallel sides. How many pairs of parallel sides does a trapezium have?
Lucy is measuring the corners of a window shaped like a quadrilateral. Three of the angles measure 75°, 100° and 110°. What is the size of the fourth angle?
This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.
A pupil is describing a shape for a guessing game.
How many sides and vertices does a hexagon have?
A side is a straight edge of the shape
Step 1 of 4
A pupil is describing a shape for a guessing game.
How many sides and vertices does a hexagon have?
A hexagon has 6 sides and 6 vertices.
The key insight: In any polygon, the number of sides always equals the number of vertices!
Common mix-up: A hexagon has 6 sides and 8 vertices. Confusing sides with vertices - vertices are only the corner points, not the edges.
These are the misconceptions we see most often in describe shape properties, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.
Struggling with describe shape properties? The real gap is often in one of these earlier topics.
Sitting the SEAG test this November? Read our last-month revision plan, Paper 1 vs Paper 2 and test day guide.
SEAGReady finds the exact step where your child gets stuck, teaches it with worked examples like the one above, and brings it back for review so it sticks.
Free to start · no card needed