How Writing is Marked in NAPLAN

The NAPLAN writing test plays a key role in assessing students’ ability to write clearly, accurately, and purposefully in Standard Australian English. Each year, students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 are asked to produce a piece of writing in response to a given prompt. But how is this writing assessed? Here’s a closer look at the marking process behind the NAPLAN writing test.

The Writing Task

Students are provided with a writing prompt, which may be either:

• a narrative (telling a story), or

• a persuasive text (arguing a point of view).

The prompt is the same for all students in the same year level, though Year 3 students complete their test on paper, while Years 5, 7, and 9 complete the test online.

The text type (narrative or persuasive) is not revealed until test day, so preparation should focus on building a strong foundation in writing skills across both text types.

How the Writing is Assessed

Each student’s writing is marked against a nationally consistent rubric known as the NAPLAN Writing Marking Guide.

The writing is evaluated across 10 criteria, which focus on both the structure and mechanics of writing, as well as creativity and purpose.

The 10 marking criteria are:

1. Audience – how well the writing engages the reader.

2. Text structure – overall organisation and flow of the text.

3. Ideas – relevance, quality, and development of ideas.

4. Character and setting (for narrative) or persuasive devices (for persuasive) – effectiveness of specific writing techniques.

5. Vocabulary – word choice and appropriateness.

6. Cohesion – how well the text connects ideas and flows logically.

7. Paragraphing – use of paragraphs to organise writing.

8. Sentence structure – variety and correctness of sentence patterns.

9. Punctuation – correct and effective use of punctuation marks.

10. Spelling – accuracy of spelling across the text.

Each criterion is scored on a scale of 0 to 6, depending on year level and text type.

The Marking Process

1️⃣ Trained Markers

• Writing tests are marked by trained assessors who have undergone intensive training in using the national marking guide.

• Markers across all Australian states and territories receive the same training and use the same rubric, ensuring consistency in marking.

2️⃣ Double Marking

• To maintain quality and fairness, many writing samples are double-marked by two different assessors.

• If scores vary significantly, a third marker is used to resolve discrepancies.

3️⃣ Quality Assurance

• The marking process is supported by ongoing quality assurance checks.

• Senior markers and team leaders supervise marking and conduct regular checks to ensure consistent application of the marking guide.

Why This Matters

The writing test gives students an opportunity to demonstrate essential writing skills that are vital for school and life beyond the classroom.

For teachers, parents, and education authorities, the results:

• Provide insights into students’ writing strengths and areas for improvement.

• Support targeted teaching and learning strategies.

• Help track writing progress over time.

Key Points to Remember

• No text type choice: Students must write to the text type revealed on test day.

• Multiple prompts may be used within each year level, but all are of similar difficulty.

• Preparation should focus on building writing skills, not memorising responses.

• Markers follow a consistent national rubric to ensure fairness and accuracy.

Conclusion

The NAPLAN writing test provides a robust measure of students’ ability to communicate effectively in writing. Through a structured and consistent marking process, every effort is made to ensure that results are fair, reliable, and meaningful for students, teachers, and parents alike.