Worked example 1
A church is in the square right of line 22 and above line 45. What is its 4-figure grid reference?
- Along first: the easting is 22.
- Then up: the northing is 45.
- Write easting then northing.
Answer: 2245
Geography · Intermediate
Map skills: compass directions and grid references
Compass directions tell you which way to go. Grid references give a precise square on a map so anyone can find the same place.
- 1Learn it
- 2See it worked
- 3Try it online
- 4Print it
- 5Check your answer
Before you start
Who it's for and what to know first
Reading numbers on a number line.
Learn it
How it works
- Eight compass points clockwise from the top: North, North-East, East, South-East, South, South-West, West, North-West. Memory: ‘Never Eat Shredded Wheat’.
- Grid squares are labelled by the lines at their bottom-left corner.
- Read across first, then up: ‘along the corridor, then up the stairs’. The first two digits are the easting, the next two the northing.
- Example: the square whose bottom-left corner is at line 34 across and 17 up is 3417.
Try it online · print it · check it
Practice questions
Tips
Common mistakes
- Reading up before along — always along the corridor first.
- Using the top-right corner of the square instead of the bottom-left.
Last reviewed: 25 September 2026