Year 3 NAPLAN Writing

Year 3 NAPLAN Writing Prep

Practise planning, drafting and checking a piece of writing under timed conditions — just like on test day.

Exam Tips for Year 3 Writing

1. Plan first — spend a few minutes jotting down your characters, setting or main points before you start writing.

2. Stick to the topic — read the prompt carefully and keep every paragraph connected to it.

3. New idea, new paragraph — this makes your writing much easier for a marker to follow.

4. Leave time to check — re-read your writing at the end and fix any spelling or punctuation mistakes.

Note: NAPLAN Writing alternates between a narrative prompt (tell a story) and a persuasive prompt (argue an opinion) — you won't know which one until test day, so it pays to practise both.

What Year 3 NAPLAN Writing Tests

Text Structure

A clear beginning, middle and end that suits the type of writing.

Ideas

Interesting, relevant ideas that are developed rather than just listed.

Vocabulary

Choosing precise, interesting words instead of repeating simple ones.

Paragraphing

Grouping related sentences together and starting a new paragraph for each new idea.

Sentence Structure

Using a mix of simple and longer sentences so writing doesn't feel repetitive.

Punctuation & Spelling

Full stops, capital letters, commas — and spelling common and topic words correctly.

Key Concepts Summary

●Narrative: tell a story with a clear beginning, problem/event and ending.
●Persuasive: state your opinion clearly and back it up with reasons.
●Paragraphs: one main idea per paragraph, in a logical order.
●Vocabulary: swap plain words (good, said, big) for more precise ones (fantastic, whispered, enormous).
●Checking time: always save a few minutes at the end to re-read your work.