NAPLAN strategies for reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy
Practical strategies for each NAPLAN domain, from text evidence and writing planning to proofreading and numerical estimation.
Domain strategies should support real literacy and numeracy, not replace them with test tricks. Practise the following actions on unfamiliar material.
Reading
Use headings, labels and text structure to locate the relevant area, then prove the answer with words or features from the text. For inference, combine clues without adding unsupported assumptions.
Writing
Identify the prompt, audience and purpose. Plan a clear progression before drafting, select precise details and leave time to revise meaning as well as spelling. A coherent response is stronger than a collection of memorised phrases.
Conventions of language
Read the whole sentence before choosing a spelling, punctuation or grammar answer. Use meaning and syntax: a word that looks familiar may still be wrong in context. During proofreading, check one feature at a time.
Numeracy
Translate words into a diagram, table or equation, write units and estimate. Use the calculator only where the assessment permits and where it improves execution; it cannot choose the operation or detect a misunderstood question.
Online habits
Practise scrolling, selecting, reviewing and using provided tools on the official demonstration site. Read all content in tabs, panels or diagrams before answering.