Year 9 NAPLAN practice tests
Free NAPLAN practice tests for Year 9: reading, language conventions, numeracy and writing, set out like the real online test. Each one marks itself and explains every answer, and prints as a paper test with an answer key. Year 9 is the last NAPLAN. The reading texts argue a case, the numeracy reaches algebra, ratio and scientific notation.
Want more? Australian teachers sell full NAPLAN practice packs, reading magazines and writing units for Year 9.
NAPLAN resources for Year 9
What is in the Year 9 NAPLAN practice tests
101 questions I wrote for Year 9, and two writing prompts. Each test has two sets that fit in a lesson and a full practice test with both. Every one can be done online, where it marks itself, or printed as a paper test with an answer key.
| Test | Practice here | Real test |
|---|---|---|
| Year 9 reading | 32 questions | 65 minutes |
| Year 9 language conventions | 34 questions | 45 minutes |
| Year 9 numeracy | 35 questions | 65 minutes |
| Year 9 writing | 2 prompts | 42 minutes |
Year 9 NAPLAN reading
4 texts of different kinds, each with its own questions, and the text stays beside the question the way it does in the real test.
- The Glasshouse, narrative
- Cities That Cook, explanation
- Votes at Sixteen, speech
- Review: Saltwater Kids, book review
The questions cover:
- Finding information (3 questions)
- Inferring (6 questions)
- Word meaning and language (6 questions)
- Author's purpose (5 questions)
- Text structure (5 questions)
- Main idea (2 questions)
- Evaluating ideas (5 questions)
Year 9 NAPLAN language conventions
Spelling comes first, then grammar and punctuation, as in the real test. Two of the Year 9 questions:
The medicine had no ___ on her cough.
- affect
- effect
Answer: effect. Effect is the noun here: the result.
Which sentence is the active voice version of 'The proposal was rejected by the committee'?
- Rejected by the committee was the proposal.
- The committee rejected the proposal.
- The committee was rejecting.
- The proposal had been rejected.
Answer: The committee rejected the proposal. In the active voice, the doer (the committee) comes first and does the action.
- Spelling (11 questions)
- Homophones (4 questions)
- Punctuation (4 questions)
- Apostrophes (3 questions)
- Grammar and tense (6 questions)
- Word classes (3 questions)
- Sentences and clauses (3 questions)
Year 9 NAPLAN numeracy
The real test has a short section with no calculator, then an online calculator for the rest. These questions can all be done without one. Two of the Year 9 questions:
Evaluate 3 + 4 × (6 − 2)²
Answer: 67. Brackets: 4. Power: 16. Multiply: 64. Add: 67.
A phone costs $800. Its price rises by 15%. What is the new price?
Answer: $920. 15% of $800 is $120, and $800 + $120 = $920.
- Number and place value (2 questions)
- Number operations (6 questions)
- Fractions, decimals and percentages (5 questions)
- Patterns and algebra (7 questions)
- Ratio and rates (3 questions)
- Measurement and time (5 questions)
- Shapes, angles and position (3 questions)
- Data and chance (4 questions)
Year 9 NAPLAN writing
Students are given one prompt on the day, narrative or persuasive, and 42 minutes. Year 9 types. There is one of each here, with a timer and the ten marking criteria:
- Left Behind (narrative). Everyone else has gone. You are the only one left, and you know why. Write a story that begins or ends with these words: "Everyone else has gone."
- Sixteen and Online (persuasive). Australia now requires many social media platforms to stop people under 16 from having an account. Is sixteen the right age? Write to persuade an audience of adults who make decisions about young people.
Year 9 NAPLAN past papers
The real Year 9 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 9 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.
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 9 NAPLAN
How long is the Year 9 NAPLAN test?
There are four Year 9 tests: writing 42 minutes, reading 65, conventions of language 45 and numeracy 65. They are sat on different days inside the test window, which in 2027 is Wednesday 10 March to Monday 22 March.
Is Year 9 NAPLAN done online or on paper?
Online, all four tests. Year 9 students type their writing.
Are these Year 9 practice tests free?
Yes. All 101 Year 9 questions and both writing prompts are free, with no login. Each set marks itself and explains every answer, and answers stay on the student's own screen.
Where can I find Year 9 NAPLAN past papers?
ACARA has released the real Year 9 NAPLAN papers from 2008 to 2016, with answers, on acara.edu.au. It has not released any test since 2016, so there are no Year 9 past papers from the online test. Those papers were sat on paper and the test is now online, so use them for the questions and something like these practice tests for the format.
Are these real NAPLAN questions?
No. Real NAPLAN questions are kept secure. I wrote these to match the formats of the online test and pitched them at the Australian Curriculum for the year. The score is not a NAPLAN proficiency level.