NAPLAN Writing Prompts: Free Practice and How They Are Marked

NAPLAN writing is one piece of writing in one sitting. Your child will not know until the day whether it is a story (narrative) or an argument (persuasive). So the best practice is short, regular, and covers both. Below you will find free prompts for each year, how the writing is marked, and a plan for the time on the day.

How the writing test works

• One prompt, one piece of writing. The prompt gives a topic and, often, a picture or a few questions to get ideas started.
• The text type is a surprise. ACARA reveals on the day whether it is narrative or persuasive.
• Two prompts per year. Years 3 and 5 get one prompt, and Years 7 and 9 get a different one.
• Time. 40 minutes in Year 3, on paper. 42 minutes in Years 5, 7 and 9, typed on a screen.

Narrative prompts to practise

A good narrative has someone the reader cares about, a problem, and an ending that settles it. Each prompt below is a title with a nudge. Your child can take the story anywhere, as long as it stays on the topic.

Years 3 and 5

1. The Door at the End of the Hall. It has always been locked. Today it is open. What is behind it?
2. The Wrong Bag. A character picks up a bag that is not theirs. What is inside, and who does it belong to?
3. The Day the Power Went Out. Everything stops. What happens next, and who helps?
4. A Message in the Sand. Someone finds words written on the beach. Who wrote them, and why?
5. The Pet That Could Talk. Only one person can hear it. What does it want them to know?

Years 7 and 9

1. The Last Train. A character misses it. The night that follows changes something for them.
2. What the Photo Didn’t Show. A photo looks happy. Tell the story of what was happening just outside the frame.
3. The Choice. A character must choose between two people or two paths. Show what it costs them.
4. Static. A radio, a phone or a screen gives a message that should not be possible.
5. Borrowed Time. A character has one hour to fix a mistake.

Persuasive prompts to practise

A persuasive piece takes a clear side, gives reasons with examples, and ends by bringing the reader back to its view. Your child can agree, disagree, or take a careful middle position, but it must be clear.

Years 3 and 5

1. Every school should have a class pet. Do you agree?
2. Children should choose what is for dinner one night a week.
3. Homework should be banned in primary school.
4. It is better to live near the beach than in the city.
5. Every child should learn to swim at school.

Years 7 and 9

1. Phones should be allowed in class for learning.
2. The voting age should be lowered to 16.
3. Sport should count towards school results.
4. Online friendships are as real as face-to-face ones.
5. Schools should start at 10 am.

How NAPLAN writing is marked

Markers score each piece on ten criteria. Nine are the same for both text types. The fourth one changes: character and setting for a narrative, persuasive devices for a persuasive piece. A narrative is marked out of 47 and a persuasive piece out of 48.

Two things follow from this. First, a 0 means there is nothing to mark, for example a piece that is off topic. Staying on the prompt matters. Second, about a third of the marks are for sentences, punctuation and spelling, so a quick check at the end is worth real marks.

A plan for the time

1. Plan for about 5 minutes. Narrative: who, where, what goes wrong, how it ends. Persuasive: your side and two or three reasons.
2. Write for about 30 minutes. One paragraph per stage of the story, or one per reason.
3. Check for the last 5 minutes. Capital letters, full stops, spelling of the words used most.

A finished short piece beats a long one that stops in the middle. Help your child practise ending on time.

How to use these prompts at home

• Alternate the types. One narrative, then one persuasive, so neither is a surprise on the day.
• Time it sometimes, not always. A few timed pieces build pace. Untimed pieces build ideas.
• Give one thing to fix. After each piece, pick one criterion from the table above. One clear goal works better than a page of corrections.

Practise with marked feedback

Our NAPLAN-style practice tests for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 each include a timed writing task. It comes back marked on the ten criteria above, with your child’s own sentences quoted as the reason for each mark and one thing to do differently next time.

To be clear about what this is: our prompts and our marking descriptions, following ACARA’s published criteria and score ranges. It is not a predicted NAPLAN score or band, and nothing here is endorsed by ACARA.

If you only want a quick check, the free Year 5 writing checker needs no account: paste a paragraph and get feedback on spelling, grammar and clarity.

What’s next

Pick your child’s year to start: Year 3, Year 5, Year 7 or Year 9. For the other tests, see what NAPLAN past papers are free, and what is missing.