5-minute guide to understanding NAPLAN
What is NAPLAN, and what are students being tested on? If you are confused about what exactly happens during a NAPLAN test, this quick guide will break it down for you!
Table of Content:
- What is in the NAPLAN?
- What is in NAPLAN Writing?
- What is in NAPLAN Reading?
- What is in NAPLAN Language Conventions?
- What is in NAPLAN Numeracy?
- How can students prepare for NAPLAN?
- FAQs
What is in the NAPLAN?
NAPLAN assesses students' skills in Literacy and Numeracy across four main parts: Writing, Reading, Language Conventions, and Numeracy. The format varies by year level:
- Literacy: Divided into Writing, Reading, and Language Conventions.
- Numeracy: Includes No-Calculator sections for Years 3 and 5, and both Calculator and No-Calculator sections for Years 7 and 9.
What is in NAPLAN Writing?
Students are provided with a ‘prompt’ – an idea or topic – and asked to write a response of a particular text type. Students sitting NAPLAN are tested on either narrative or persuasive writing. This section evaluates a student's ability to express ideas clearly and effectively.
Years 3 & 5: Students will write a story or a persuasive piece based on a prompt. Think of it as their chance to be creative or argue their viewpoint!
Years 7 & 9: Still the same overall format, but students are expected to use advanced writing techniques and demonstrate a deeper understanding of their texts. Here is a sample Year 7 writing prompt:
📌 Creative Writing Tips:
- Encourage your child to create short stories or create alternate endings to their favourite books! Exploring their imagination and making their character come alive with the power of words will put your child in good stead come NAPLAN season.
📌 Persuasive Writing Tips:
- Engage in fun debates at home. Ask them to argue, with many reasons. It’s a playful way to develop their reasoning:
- Which season is better - Summer or Winter?
- Which superhero is more supreme - Batman or Superman?
What is in NAPLAN Reading?
The NAPLAN reading tests measure literacy proficiency across the English learning area in line with the Australian English Curriculum.
Years 3 & 5: Focus is on basic comprehension and identifying main ideas.
Years 7 & 9: Questions look at more complex texts, asking students to analyse the author’s tone and use of language. Here is a sample Year 7 NAPLAN Reading question:
Q. The information enclosed in brackets in paragraph 3 is included to:
a) Provide specific examples
b) Explain the preceding phrase
c) Simplify the sentence structure
d) Show useful alternative terms.
📌 Reading Tips:
- Make reading a daily habit. Make it easy by combining it with another habit (e.g., 15 minutes of reading before brushing their teeth at night). Include genres they like, plus other articles and stories!
- Afterwards, chat about the plot, characters and messages they took away.
- Expand vocabulary by researching the meanings of new words and practising writing them in a sentence. This can be done in a dedicated vocabulary book to revisit what they learnt in one convenient place!
What is in NAPLAN Language Conventions?
This section assesses grammar, punctuation and spelling understanding. Across all year levels, the aim is to ensure proficient grammar and understanding of when (and when not!) to use particular punctuation and spelling, with more sophistication and nuance in conventions as your child advances.
Year 7 Language Conventions Sample Question:
Q. Which sentence contains an apostrophe of contraction?
a) We spent the day at my friend Phil’s house.
b) Our neighbour’s dog is in the garden.
c) The television’s hard to hear with all the noise.
d) Penny’s parents let her stay up late.
📌 Language Conventions Tips:
- Play grammar and spelling games to make practice enjoyable. Anything from a mini spelling bee or Scrabble nights as a family activity!
- Daily reading compounds into more excellent vocabulary and understanding of how language works!
What is in NAPLAN Numeracy?
The tests assess understanding, fluency, problem-solving and reasoning across the curriculum content strands: number and algebra, measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability.
Years 3 & 5: Focuses on basic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and fractions. Here is a Year 3 numeracy sample question:
Q. A teacher gives 5 of her students 10 blocks each. Which of the following can be used to find how many blocks the teacher gave her students?
a) 5 + 10
b). 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5
c) 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10
d) 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10
Years 7 & 9: Students tackle more complex problems, including algebra, geometry, and data interpretation, and have both Calculator and No-Calculator sections.
📌 Years 3 and 5 Numeracy Tips:
- Regularly practising 10 minutes daily with interactive math games will keep your child engaged!
📌 Years 7 and 9 Numeracy Tips:
- Dedicating time weekly to complete 3-4 summary + extended-response textbook questions to get in the habit of approaching complex questions.
How can students prepare for NAPLAN?
Getting familiar with the format can ease stress. The NAPLAN website offers many practice questions and ‘Demonstration Tests’ that exactly match the online nature of the exam! KIS Academics has also compiled the sample and past year papers in this article!
If you feel your child may need directed support going into NAPLAN, private tutoring is a valid solution! Experienced tutors can help strengthen their skills and boost their confidence! KIS Academics has an esteemed set of experienced tutors who can make learning engaging and effective.
Conclusion
The NAPLAN is designed to allow parents and schools to see the learning progress of individual students and for the government to assess the quality of their education system. It is not designed to rank or grade your child in any way. As such, you do not need to go overboard with exam preparations.
However, some practice throughout the year and leading up to the exam will help develop your child's numeracy and literacy skills to ensure their learning is progressing. Good luck with NAPLAN, and remember, a little prep can go a long way. For more tips and resources, check out these KIS Academics articles:
FAQs
How much should my child prepare for the NAPLAN?
No two children are the same and everyone will have different strengths and weaknesses. To see the most improvement, identify areas of weakness in their learning and find support for your child to turn those weaknesses into strengths! The focus should be on improving their numeracy and literacy skills from their last NAPLAN result to ensure that their learning is progressing.
What is the best result my child can get in the NAPLAN?
Since 2023, NAPLAN results have changed to 4 proficiency standards, replacing the previous numerical NAPLAN bands. The highest result attainable is ‘Exceeding’, which means your child’s result greatly exceeds expectations at the time of testing.
Find out more about how to interpret results here.
Written by KIS Academics Tutor for Year 5-10 Maths and English + Year 11-12 Geography, Vatsal Ved. Vatsal is a medical student from Monash University who enjoys tutoring students! You can view Vatsal's profile here and request him as a tutor.
Want more personalized study guidance to help support your child's learning? A private tutor from KIS Academics can make the biggest difference!
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