Year 5 NAPLAN writing prompts and practice
Two NAPLAN-style writing prompts for Year 5, one narrative (The Map) and one persuasive (Lunch Before Play), with a 42 minute timer and the ten marking criteria. Year 5 types its writing in the real test, so write on screen.
Want more? Australian teachers sell full NAPLAN practice packs, reading magazines and writing units for Year 5.
NAPLAN resources for Year 5
The Year 5 writing prompts
- The Map (narrative). While cleaning out a cupboard, you find an old map with a red cross drawn on it and a note that says "Do not go alone." Write a story about what happens next.
- Lunch Before Play (persuasive). Some schools make students eat their lunch before they are allowed to go out and play. Do you think this is a good rule? Write to persuade your principal.
Open a prompt for the 42 minute timer, a word count and the marking criteria, or print it. Year 5 types its writing in the real test, so typing is the better practice. Writing is not marked here: the criteria table is for the student to check their own work, and for you.
How NAPLAN writing is marked
Against ten criteria: audience, text structure, ideas, character and setting (narrative) or persuasive devices (persuasive), vocabulary, cohesion, paragraphing, sentence structure, punctuation and spelling. Narrative is out of 47 and persuasive out of 48. Students do not know which text type they will get, so practise both.
Year 5 NAPLAN past papers
The real Year 5 papers that ACARA has released are the paper tests from 2012 to 2016 and 2008 to 2011, free with answers on its website. Nothing has been released since 2016, so there is no Year 5 past paper from the online test. What is in those papers, how today’s test differs and how I would use them is on the NAPLAN past papers page.
More Year 5 NAPLAN practice
- Year 5 NAPLAN reading
- Year 5 NAPLAN language conventions
- Year 5 NAPLAN numeracy
- All Year 5 NAPLAN practice tests
Getting ready for NAPLAN 2027
NAPLAN 2027 runs from Wednesday 10 March to Monday 22 March 2027. The dates and what is new are in my NAPLAN 2027 guide, ideas for the weeks before are in NAPLAN practice resources, and what the report means is in understanding NAPLAN results.
Questions about Year 5 NAPLAN
How long is the Year 5 NAPLAN writing test?
42 minutes, on the first day of the test window. Year 5 students type their writing online.
Will the Year 5 NAPLAN writing task be narrative or persuasive?
Nobody knows until the day. Students are given one prompt, narrative or persuasive, so practise both. That is why each year here has one of each.
How is NAPLAN writing marked?
Against ten criteria: audience, text structure, ideas, character and setting (narrative) or persuasive devices (persuasive), vocabulary, cohesion, paragraphing, sentence structure, punctuation and spelling. The full table is under each prompt.