NAPLAN Writing Practice Prompts for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 (2026)

The best way to prepare for the NAPLAN writing test is practice — and lots of it. But finding realistic, NAPLAN-style prompts isn't always easy.

This guide gives you 30+ practice prompts across all four NAPLAN year levels and both text types (narrative and persuasive), plus tips on how to use them effectively.

How NAPLAN Writing Prompts Work

On test day, students receive a single prompt and must write either a narrative or a persuasive text — they don't get to choose. The text type is announced on the day.

• Narrative: A story, usually with a stimulus image or an opening line
• Persuasive: An argument for or against a position, often with a statement to agree or disagree with

Students have 40–42 minutes to plan, draft, and review their writing. There's no minimum word count, but longer, well-developed responses typically score higher.

Narrative Writing Prompts

Narrative prompts ask students to write a story. They often include a visual stimulus (an image) or a written stimulus (an opening sentence or situation). The prompts below include both types.

Year 3 Narrative Prompts

Year 3 students are expected to write a simple story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Characters, settings, and a basic problem-solution structure are the main focus.

• Write a story about finding something unexpected in your school bag.
• Look at the picture of a door left open in a forest. Write a story about what is on the other side.
• It was the strangest birthday present she had ever received. Write the story.
• Write a story about a day when everything went wrong — and then suddenly right.
• The lights went out at exactly midnight. Write a story about what happened next.
• Write a story about a child who discovers they have an unusual talent.
• Your character finds a map in an old book. Write the story of what they do next.

Year 5 Narrative Prompts

Year 5 students are expected to show more developed characterisation, more sophisticated vocabulary, and stronger use of language techniques.

• Write a story about a friendship that was tested.
• The letter arrived on a Tuesday, and nothing was ever the same again. Write the story.
• Write a story about someone who had to make a very hard choice.
• Look at the image of a lighthouse in a storm. Write a story set in this place.
• Write a story where the most important character never speaks.
• It was the last day of something. Write the story.
• Write a story about a mistake that turned out to be a good thing.
• The door handle was cold. Too cold. Write a story about what was waiting on the other side.

Year 7 Narrative Prompts

By Year 7, markers expect more sophisticated storytelling — complex characters, subtext, non-linear structure where appropriate, and stronger control of language.

• Write a story about a moment when someone realised they had been wrong about another person.
• Write a story told from two different points of view.
• The photograph had been in the drawer for forty years. Write the story of how it got there — and what happened when it was found.
• Write a story about loyalty — and what it cost.
• Begin your story with: "The last thing I expected was the truth."
• Write a story where the setting is as important as any character.
• Write a story about something that happened in five minutes that changed everything.
• The crowd cheered — but not for the reasons anyone expected. Write the story.

Year 9 Narrative Prompts

Year 9 students are expected to demonstrate sophisticated narrative craft — distinctive voice, deliberate structural choices, complex themes, and controlled use of literary techniques.

• Write a story that explores the idea that things are not always what they appear.
• Write a story in which silence is the most powerful force.
• A character must choose between what is right and what is easy. Write the story.
• Write a story about a moment of connection between two people who have nothing in common.
• Begin: "She had always known this moment would come. She just hadn't expected it to feel like this."
• Write a story told entirely through what is left unsaid.
• Write a story about the last person who believed in something.

Persuasive Writing Prompts

Persuasive prompts ask students to argue a position. At higher levels, students are expected to acknowledge and counter the opposing view.

Year 3 Persuasive Prompts

• School should start later in the morning. Do you agree?
• Every student should have a pet at school. Write to convince your principal.
• Kids should be allowed to choose what they eat for lunch. Do you agree?
• Homework should be banned. Write a persuasive piece giving your view.
• Reading is more important than sport. Do you agree or disagree?

Year 5 Persuasive Prompts

• Screens should be banned from bedrooms for children under 12. Do you agree?
• All students should learn a musical instrument at school. Write to persuade your principal.
• Sport should not be compulsory at school. Do you agree?
• Children learn more from outdoor experiences than from classrooms. Do you agree?
• Schools should have a four-day week. Write a persuasive piece.

Year 7 Persuasive Prompts

• Social media does more harm than good for young people. Do you agree?
• Competitive sport teaches children valuable life skills. Write a persuasive piece.
• Schools should not give ranks or grades — only written feedback. Do you agree?
• Animals should not be kept in zoos. Write a persuasive piece.
• The best education happens outside the classroom. Do you agree?

Year 9 Persuasive Prompts

• The pressure to achieve academically is damaging a generation of young Australians. Do you agree?
• Artificial intelligence will do more harm than good in education. Write a persuasive piece.
• Individuals have a greater responsibility for the environment than governments do. Do you agree?
• The skills young people need for the future cannot be taught in a traditional school. Write a persuasive piece.
• Fame and success are no longer the same thing. Do you agree?

How to Use These Prompts Effectively

1. Simulate test conditions

Set a timer for 40 minutes. No breaks, no looking things up. This builds the time-management skills your child will need on the day.

2. Plan before writing

Spend the first 5 minutes planning. A quick dot-point plan (3–5 ideas) dramatically improves structure, cohesion, and the quality of ideas — all separately scored criteria in NAPLAN.

3. Mark against the NAPLAN criteria

When your child finishes, review their work against the 10 NAPLAN marking criteria:

• Audience awareness
• Text structure
• Ideas
• Persuasive devices (or character/setting for narrative)
• Vocabulary
• Cohesion
• Paragraphing
• Sentence structure
• Punctuation
• Spelling

4. Use AI marking for instant feedback

Pasting your child's response into Kids Writing gives you instant rubric-based feedback against all 10 NAPLAN criteria — the same framework human markers use. It's like having a practice marker available 24/7.

5. Practise both text types equally

Since students don't know which type they'll face, make sure your child is comfortable with both narrative and persuasive writing. A common mistake is over-preparing one and neglecting the other.

6. Review and revise

After the timer goes off, spend 10 minutes reading back through the piece. Encourage your child to look for:

• Sentences that start the same way (vary them)
• Overused words (replace with more precise vocabulary)
• Ideas that aren't fully developed (add a detail or example)
• Punctuation errors (especially apostrophes and commas)

What Markers Look For (Quick Reference)

Both text types reward: specific vocabulary, varied sentence length, strong paragraph structure, and accurate spelling and punctuation.

Related Guides

• NAPLAN Writing Test: What Parents Need to Know — the 10 criteria explained
• NSW Selective School Writing Test Guide — preparing for Year 7 entry
• What Is Rubric-Based Marking? — how criteria-based scoring works
• 5 Common Writing Mistakes Kids Make — and how to fix them