An exact grid location uses numbers and needs no reference feature. A relative position uses a direction and a reference feature. Which one the question wants is decided by its command words.
This lesson belongs to topographic direction and position. If grid references are still new, revisit four-figure and six-figure grid references first.
Which answer does each command word want?
| Command words in the question | Answer type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Give the grid reference of… | Exact | 4257 |
| State the location of… with six figures | Exact | 423578 |
| Describe the position of X from Y | Relative | North-east of the station |
| What is the direction of X from Y | Relative | East |
| Give the bearing of X from Y | Angle | 072° |
Underline the command words before you start measuring.
Worked example: an original market and station
An original map has a railway station at square 4056. A market sits in square 4257. The market is two squares east and one square north of the station.
Question 1: “Give the grid reference of the market.” Answer: 4257. No reference feature is needed.
Question 2: “Describe the position of the market from the station.” Answer: “The market lies to the east-north-east of the station.” The market is two squares east and one north, so east is the main direction, with a small northward part.
Question 3: “State the position of the market, with reference to the station.” A full answer is: “The market is in square 4257, which is about two kilometres east-north-east of the station, if each grid square is one kilometre wide.”
The mistake: answering the wrong type
A typical slip is to reply “north-east of the station” when the question says “give the grid reference”. The direction is correct but it is not the type the marker wants.
The reverse also happens: writing “4257” when asked to “describe the position from the station”. The reference alone gives no relation to the station, so the answer is incomplete.
Check yourself
On the same map, a school is in square 4057, directly above the station. Write the grid reference of the school and its relative position from the station.
Answer
Grid reference: 4057.
Relative position: the school is directly north of the station, one grid square away.
What to study next
Apply both position types in checking a route description against topographic symbols.
For a teacher to drill command words with you, see online one-to-one Geography tuition.