Functional Skills Level 2 — Shape: Perimeter and Area

2D Shapes

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Shape Family Reference Chart

The ten shapes below are the ones you need to know for FS2. Shapes filled in blue are quadrilaterals; shapes filled in gold are other polygons.

Square 4 equal sides, all right angles Rectangle Opposite sides equal, all right angles Equilateral Triangle 3 equal sides, regular polygon r diameter Circle r, diameter, circumference Parallelogram Opposite sides parallel & equal Rhombus 4 equal sides, diagonals ⊥ Trapezium One pair of parallel sides Kite 2 pairs adjacent equal sides Pentagon 5 sides, regular polygon Hexagon 6 sides, regular polygon
Types of Triangle
NameSidesOther properties
Equilateral3 equal sidesRegular polygon — all sides and angles equal
Isosceles2 equal sidesThe two base angles are equal
ScaleneNo equal sidesNo equal angles
Right-angledAnyHas one right angle (shown with a square corner mark)

Visual guide to triangle types:

Equilateral 3 equal sides Isosceles 2 equal sides, 2 equal angles Scalene No equal sides or angles Right-angled One angle = 90°
Quadrilaterals
ShapeSidesEqual SidesEqual AnglesLines of SymmetryRot. Symmetry
Square4All 4All 4 (90°)4Order 4
Rectangle42 pairsAll 4 (90°)2Order 2
Rhombus4All 42 pairs opp.2Order 2
Parallelogram42 pairs2 pairs opp.0Order 2
Trapezium4VariesVaries0 or 1Order 1
Kite42 pairs adj.1 pair opp.1Order 1

Quadrilateral Family Tree

Quadrilateral Parallelogram Trapezium Kite Rectangle Rhombus Square

A square is both a rectangle AND a rhombus — it inherits all properties of both.

✓ Quick Check 1 — Identifying 2D Shapes
Question 1 of 10
Regular and Irregular Shapes

A regular polygon has all sides equal in length and looks the same all the way round. An irregular polygon has sides of different lengths.

ShapeSidesRegular?
Equilateral triangle3Yes — all sides equal
Square4Yes — all sides equal
Rectangle4No — sides can differ
Pentagon5Can be regular or irregular
Hexagon6Can be regular or irregular
Remember: A regular shape has all sides equal. A square is a regular quadrilateral; a rectangle is not (unless it is also a square).
Lines of Symmetry and Rotational Symmetry

A shape has a line of symmetry if you can draw a straight line through it so that one side is an exact mirror image of the other — fold along that line and the two halves match perfectly. A shape can have zero, one, or several lines of symmetry.

Square: 4 lines of symmetry Isosceles triangle: 1 line of symmetry

A shape has rotational symmetry if, when you spin it around its centre (less than a full 360° turn), it looks exactly the same as it did before you started. The order of rotational symmetry is how many times it matches itself during one full 360° turn.

Example — Rotational symmetry of a square

Step 1
Spin a square around its centre. After a quarter turn (90°), it looks identical to the start (a square rotated 90° is still a square in the same outline).
Step 2
This keeps happening every 90°: at 90°, 180°, 270°, and back to 360°. That's 4 matches in one full turn.
Step 3
So a square has rotational symmetry of order 4.
💡 Quick reference: square — 4 lines of symmetry, order 4 rotational symmetry. Rectangle — 2 lines, order 2. Equilateral triangle — 3 lines, order 3. Isosceles triangle — 1 line, order 1 (no rotational symmetry other than the full 360° turn). Kite — 1 line, order 1. Parallelogram (not a rectangle) — 0 lines, order 2.
✓ Quick Check 2 — Properties of Shapes
Question 1 of 10
Shape Reference — Eight Shapes to Know Square Rectangle Equilateral △ Circle Parallelogram Rhombus Trapezium Kite
✓ Quick Check 3 — Shape Properties
Question 1 of 10

Practice: Extra Questions

Work out each answer, then type it in and click Check to see if you're right.

# Question Your answer Result
1 How many sides does a triangle have?
2 What type of triangle has exactly 2 equal sides?
3 How many lines of symmetry does a square have?
4 What is the name of a quadrilateral with exactly one pair of parallel sides?
5 How many sides does a pentagon have?
6 What type of triangle has NO equal sides?
7 What is the name of a polygon with 6 sides?
8 A rhombus has 4 equal sides. True or false: a rhombus is always a square?
9 What is the name of a quadrilateral with 4 equal sides and 4 right angles?
10 What is the name of a quadrilateral with 4 right angles and 2 pairs of equal opposite sides (not all 4 equal)?
11 What is the name of a triangle with all 3 sides equal?
12 What is the name of a shape with no straight sides where every point on the edge is the same distance from the centre?
13 What is the name of a quadrilateral with 2 pairs of parallel sides but no right angles?
14 What is the name of a quadrilateral with 4 equal sides but no right angles?
15 What is the name of a quadrilateral with two pairs of equal adjacent sides and no parallel sides?

⚠ Things to Watch Out For

  • A regular polygon has all sides equal AND all angles equal — a shape with equal sides but unequal angles (like a rhombus) is not regular.
  • A parallelogram has opposite sides equal and parallel, but its angles are not 90° — don't confuse it with a rectangle.
  • Name shapes precisely — a square is a special rectangle, and a rectangle is a special parallelogram, but they are not the same shape.
  • The diagonals of a square bisect each other at 90°; the diagonals of a rectangle bisect each other but are not perpendicular.
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