Year 7 NAPLAN Reading

Year 7 NAPLAN Reading Prep

Practise with two different text types — a narrative and a persuasive piece — and answer questions that test inference, analysis and comparison skills.

Exam Tips for Year 7 Reading

1. Compare texts — the test often includes multiple text types. Think about how they differ in purpose, audience and technique.

2. Identify techniques — look for metaphor, simile, repetition, rhetorical questions and emotive language.

3. Use evidence — always refer back to specific words or phrases in the text to support your answer.

4. Read all four options carefully — the "best" answer may be different from a "good" answer. Pick the most complete or precise option.

Text 1

Narrative

The Crossing

The river had risen overnight. Where yesterday there had been a lazy stream barely covering Kai's ankles, there was now a surging brown torrent that roared between the banks like a wounded animal. He stood at the edge and felt the spray against his face, cold and sharp.

"We can't cross that," Priya said flatly, dropping her pack on the mud. She sat on a rock and pulled her hat low over her eyes, as though the problem might disappear if she simply refused to look at it.

But Kai was already scanning the riverbank upstream, squinting through the grey morning light. Fifty metres away, the skeleton of an old bridge jutted from the water — three concrete pylons, the deck long since washed away. Between the pylons, the current seemed to break and slow.

"If we use a rope between those pylons," he said, more to himself than to Priya, "we could wade across in the gaps where the water slows." He did not mention the obvious risk. He did not need to. They both knew that the only alternative was a two-day detour through terrain that offered no shelter and no water.

Text 2

Persuasive

Why Every School Needs an Outdoor Education Program

Too many Australian students spend their school days confined to classrooms, sitting under fluorescent lights, staring at screens. Is it any wonder that youth anxiety rates have soared to record levels? Our children are disconnected from the natural world — and it is harming them.

Research from the University of Melbourne found that students who participated in regular outdoor education programs showed a 23% improvement in resilience scores and significantly lower rates of stress compared to those who did not. These are not small gains. They are transformational.

Outdoor education teaches skills that no textbook can provide: teamwork under pressure, risk assessment, problem-solving with limited resources, and the quiet confidence that comes from overcoming a genuine physical challenge. These are precisely the qualities that employers say are lacking in today's graduates.

It is time for every school in Australia to make outdoor education a compulsory part of the curriculum. The evidence is overwhelming. The benefits are undeniable. Our students deserve better than four walls and a whiteboard.

Key Concepts Summary

●Narrative techniques: Simile, contrast, imagery and dialogue build tension and reveal character.
●Persuasive techniques: Rhetorical questions, emotive language, statistics and expert opinion build a convincing argument.
●Comparing texts: Consider purpose, audience, structure and techniques when comparing different text types.
●Use evidence: Always refer to specific words or phrases when answering — "the text says..." or "this is shown by..."

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