NAPLAN 2025 – YEAR 3 and Year 5

NAPLAN NOTES for Parents

• Key Dates - 12–24 March
• Download the 2025 NAPLAN Testing Window Infographic 

Send your child’s 3.5mm Jack Headphones to school now for testing (no Bluetooth Headphones please)

• Contact your child’s teacher if you wish to withdraw your child from the NAPLAN Testing
• Soon we will conduct a practice test, online, in order to test the network capabilities of our school devices and to explore and become familiar with the online testing environment (these tests are not marked or scored)
• Visit the public demonstration site to view the online test environment (more information below)

NAPLAN INFORMATION for FAMILIES 

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year.   It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake.

What’s in the tests

Reading

In the English learning area of the Australian Curriculum, students develop language and literacy skills and then apply these skills across a full range of learning areas. The NAPLAN reading tests measure literacy proficiency across the English learning area in line with the Australian Curriculum: English.

These tests focus on the reading of written English.  Knowledge and interpretation of language conventions in context are also an important part of reading and are drawn upon in many reading questions.

In the tests, students are provided with a range of texts that illustrate different writing styles. Students read the texts and answer related questions. The tests contain multiple-choice and technology-enhanced questions such as drag-and-drop and hot-text.

Typically, students are able to engage with more complex texts as their reading comprehension skills improve. As there is a very wide range of reading ability levels at each school year level, the texts range from short and simple to longer and more complex.

Writing

The Australian Curriculum: English requires students to be taught a variety of forms of writing. The 3 main text types (previously called genres) taught are imaginative writing (including narrative writing), informative writing and persuasive writing. In the writing test, all students receive the same text type or genre of writing task regardless of whether they are a Year 3 student doing the test on paper or a student in Year 5, doing the test online.

In the writing test, students are provided with a ‘writing stimulus’ (also called a ‘prompt’ – an idea or topic) and asked to write a response in a particular text type. Different prompts are used depending on the testing day and student year level. These writing prompts target the full range of student capabilities expected of students from Years 3 to 9.

Assessing the writing task

Students’ writing is marked by assessors who have received intensive training.  Test administration authorities in each state and territory are responsible for the marking of the writing tests within their jurisdictions.   All markers across Australia use the same marking criteria, receive the same training and are subject to the same quality assurance measures.

Conventions of language

The conventions of language tests assess spelling, grammar and punctuation. Literacy knowledge and skills are essential to effective communication across all learning areas. However, the tools of language, including the conventions of language, are explicitly developed in the English learning area. Therefore, the content assessed in the conventions of language tests is aligned to the Australian Curriculum: English.

The conventions of language tests focus on the use and knowledge of written standard Australian English. These skills are essential to the development of reading and writing. The content of the tests complements the writing tests where spelling, grammar and punctuation are explicitly assessed in context. However, students’ understanding of the conventions of language is also necessary for reading. The tests contain multiple-choice, text entry and technology-enhanced questions such as drag-and-drop and hot-text.

Numeracy

The NAPLAN numeracy tests measure the achievement of students in numeracy, including mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding as outlined in the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics. The numeracy tests assess the proficiency strands of understanding, fluency, problem-solving and reasoning across the 3 content strands of mathematics: number and algebra, measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability.

The numeracy tests contain multiple-choice, text entry and technology-enhanced questions such as drag-and-drop and hot-text.

NAPLAN tests are delivered in an Online environment

NAPLAN tests are designed to provide precise results and are engaging for students. The tests are tailored (or adaptive) which means that each test presents questions that may be more or less difficult depending on a student’s responses. This helps students remain engaged with the assessment.

Tailored testing allows a wider range of student abilities to be assessed and measures student achievement more precisely. A student’s overall NAPLAN result is based upon both the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly.

Your child should not be concerned if they find questions challenging; they may be taking a more complex test pathway.

All Year 3 students will continue to complete the writing assessment on paper in 2025.

What can I do to support my child?

Students are not expected to study for NAPLAN. You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is a part of their school program and reminding them to simply do their best. Some explanation of NAPLAN is useful to help students understand and be comfortable with the format of the tests; however, it is not necessary for parents/carers to do this. Teachers will ensure students are familiar with the types of questions in the tests and will provide appropriate support and guidance. 

Take a look at the Tests

The public demonstration tests show the types of questions students will answer and the functionalities that are available in NAPLAN tests.  The following links will take you to these test examples. 

After clicking on the link below, choose the type of test you would like to see and then select “Standard Test”.  Continue to click the “next” button until the example test appears.  Even if prompted, you do not need a PIN to access this public demonstration site just click “next”. 

YEAR 3

YEAR 5

Participation in NAPLAN

NAPLAN is for all Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students.   All students have the opportunity to participate in the National Assessment Program.  To support all students to participate in the testing, adjustments are available for students with disability who have diverse functional abilities and needs.

Aspley State School teachers and administration will work with parents/carers and students to identify, on a case-by-case basis, reasonable adjustments required for individual students with disability to access NAPLAN.   Adjustments should reflect the support normally provided for classroom assessments.    We will make contact with families of students that have been identified as requiring adjustments to participate in the testing. 

Parent / Caregiver Withdrawals From NAPLAN

NAPLAN tests are a routine part of the school calendar.  However, students may be withdrawn from the testing program by their parent/carer for reasons such as religious beliefs or philosophical objections to testing. This is a matter for consideration by individual parents/carers in consultation with the school.  A formal application in the manner specified by the relevant test administration authority must be received by the principal prior to testing. 

If you are considering withdrawing your child from the NAPLAN tests this year, please make contact with your child’s teacher and discuss your decision.  Classroom teachers will then be able to provide access to the withdrawal of consent forms required by the school.   The Notification of Parent/Caregiver Forms must be completed and received by the school Administration by Tuesday 11 March 2025.

Curriculum News

Prep A

Prep A has settled into classroom routines and we are immersed in exploring a range of stories for our English unit. We have been identifying and drawing characters, recalling story events, discussing what we like about the story and making personal connections. We have also been learning to blend and segment words and read and write using our s,a,t,p,i,n sounds and graphemes.

1A

In English, students in 1A have enjoyed listening to stories including ‘Alexander’s Outing’ and ‘Just Jack’. We have been sharing our opinions and describing the characters using interesting adjectives. As part of our Mathematics unit, we completed a ‘Write the Room’ activity where students searched for positional language pictures and words around the classroom. In Science, students are exploring different materials and their properties. We had fun making a paper cup and testing its strength and durability using marbles and water!

2A

In English 2A have been busily reading stories and writing character descriptions.  We have been exploring how images and language features build and shape the depiction of characters. We have been learning about simple and compound sentence structures and using these in our writing.  We are trying to be 5 Star Writers remembering capital letters, punctuation, neat handwriting, word spaces and to re-read our writing so it makes sense.  Here are a few of our interesting stories.

3A

3A have started the year on a positive note. We have welcomed two new students and everyone is working well. In English we have begun studying 4 short stories; Fire, Cyclone, Drought and Flood by Jackie French and Bruce Whately. We have discussed language features such as similes and personification used by the author to make the stories more interesting. The students will create and deliver a multimodal presentation to review and express an opinion of one of the books.

4A

In Year 4 English, we have embarked on our new Version 9 curriculum. In this exciting new topic, students will view and analyse a range of imaginative texts, with a key focus on short films. Their review will be presented orally. Students will analyse the story, characters, and themes, and describe how visuals and sounds help tell the story. They will also share their opinions, explaining why they would recommend the short film to their peers.

Critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills will be at the forefront as students analyse and review the animation. We have been looking at key features of a review and topic specific vocabulary needed for the task. Using the strategy of ‘close reading’ has been especially useful in becoming familiar with the criteria needed for a film review. So yes, if your child comes home and says that they are watching movies at school, that is 100% correct!