NAPLAN 2026 — Parent Preparation Guide
NAPLAN (National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy) is sat by Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 every March. Here's everything you need to know to help your primary school child feel confident and prepared.
Year 3 NAPLAN Guide
The first NAPLAN sits in Year 3. Learn what's covered, how results are used, and how to practice Numeracy and Literacy at home without adding stress.
Read the Year 3 guide →🎯Year 5 NAPLAN Guide
Year 5 NAPLAN is more demanding than Year 3. Understand the changes, the adaptive test format, and the best ways to build your child's confidence over Term 1.
Read the Year 5 guide →What is NAPLAN?
NAPLAN stands for the National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy. It's a nationwide standardised test run by ACARA (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority) each March. The tests assess where students are in their literacy and numeracy development relative to national benchmarks — not to rank children against each other.
Since 2023, NAPLAN has moved to an adaptive online format. This means the difficulty of questions adjusts based on a student's answers — early correct answers lead to harder questions, and vice versa. This gives a more precise picture of each child's ability.
Results are returned in June/July and include proficiency levels — Exceeding, Strong, Developing, or Needs additional support — rather than raw scores.
What does NAPLAN test?
Numeracy
Number and algebra, measurement and geometry, statistics and probability. Calculators are not permitted in Year 3 or 5.
Reading
Comprehension across a range of text types — informational, narrative, persuasive. Multiple-choice and short-response questions.
Writing
Students produce a piece of persuasive or narrative writing. Marked on ideas, structure, vocabulary, paragraphing, spelling and grammar.
Language Conventions
Spelling, grammar and punctuation assessed via targeted questions. Vocabulary in context is also assessed.
Practice NAPLAN-style questions daily
Aurvio includes adaptive NAPLAN-style questions for Numeracy and Literacy. Your child practices at the right difficulty level — automatically.
Start free →