What does NAPLAN grammar and punctuation assess?
The Conventions of Language test assesses knowledge of written Standard Australian English. Grammar and punctuation come after spelling. Official questions use several response types, which you can explore on the public demonstration site.
The 12 questions here focus on explaining a choice. They are original, untimed activities that families and teachers can use without an account. Some punctuation tasks allow more than one valid revision; the answer gives a model and explains why it works.
Official guidance: NAP: What’s in the tests · NAP: Public demonstration tests
Verb agreement and pronoun questions
Find the subject and the verb
Choose the verb: “The basket of apples is / are on the bench.”
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is
The singular subject is “basket”. The phrase “of apples” describes the basket and does not make the subject plural.
Choose the verb form: “The cyclists have already ride / ridden home.”
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ridden
“Have” takes the past participle “ridden” to form “have ridden”. “Ride” is the base form.
Choose the pronoun: “Mia and I / me carried the table.”
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I
The coordinated phrase is the subject. “I” is the subject form; comparing “I carried the table” helps check it.
Complete sentences and clause questions
Explain how the parts connect
Which is a complete sentence? A: “Although the rain had stopped.” B: “Although the rain had stopped, the field was still wet.”
Show answer and explanation
B.
“Although” introduces a dependent clause. Sentence B adds the main clause “the field was still wet”, completing the thought.
Choose the connective: “The path was slippery, so / because we walked slowly.”
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so
Walking slowly is the consequence of the slippery path. “So” expresses that relationship in this sentence.
Identify the relative clause: “The jacket that Noor borrowed was blue.”
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that Noor borrowed
This clause describes which jacket is meant. It sits inside the main clause “The jacket was blue”.
Apostrophes, possession and contractions
Distinguish ownership from a shortened phrase
Choose “its” or “it’s”: “___ a good day for a walk.”
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It’s
The sentence means “It is a good day for a walk.” The contraction takes an apostrophe. A capital letter starts the sentence.
Add an apostrophe for one sister: “My sisters bicycle is red.”
Show answer and explanation
My sister’s bicycle is red.
The owner is the singular “sister”, so add apostrophe + s.
Add an apostrophe: “The childrens lunches are ready.”
Show answer and explanation
The children’s lunches are ready.
“Children” is already plural and does not end in s. Add apostrophe + s to show possession.
Commas, sentence boundaries and direct speech
Help a reader follow the meaning
Add a comma: “After the final bell rang the students packed their bags.”
Show answer and explanation
After the final bell rang, the students packed their bags.
The comma marks the end of the introductory dependent clause.
Repair the comma splice using two sentences: “The gate was locked, we used another entrance.”
Show answer and explanation
The gate was locked. We used another entrance.
Both parts are main clauses. A full stop separates them, and a capital W starts the second sentence. A semicolon or a suitable conjunction could be used in a different revision.
Punctuate the spoken words: “Lena said we should leave now.” Keep “Lena said” as the reporting clause.
Show answer and explanation
Lena said, “We should leave now.”
Quotation marks enclose the spoken words. The speech begins with a capital and its full stop sits inside the closing quotation mark. Single quotation marks are also a valid convention.
Use the same skill in a piece of writing
After a question, ask the learner to write a different sentence that uses the same feature. For example, change “basket of apples” to “tray of seedlings” and explain why the singular verb still fits.
For editing, choose one paragraph from the learner’s writing. Check sentence boundaries first, then a specific focus such as verb agreement or possession. Explain the revision’s effect rather than counting punctuation marks.
Choose language practice for the learner’s year
The year guides include additional language examples alongside reading, writing and numeracy. Begin with the current year and adapt support to the work you see. A year label does not replace teacher judgement about a particular skill.
Frequently asked questions
Are grammar and punctuation a separate NAPLAN test?
They are the second section of Conventions of Language, following spelling. Official reports show grammar and punctuation as an assessment area separate from spelling.
Are the questions and answers free?
Yes. The 12 original exercises and their explanations are available on this page without an account. They are short practice activities, not a full official paper.
Is a comma always used where the reader pauses?
A pause alone is not a reliable punctuation rule. Consider the sentence structure and the relationship between its parts. Explain what the comma separates or clarifies.
Can a punctuation question have more than one correct revision?
Some editing tasks can. Read the instruction carefully and check that the chosen revision is grammatical and preserves the intended meaning. Our answers explain a model response.
Check the official guidance.
Reviewed by TestHero on . Official facts are drawn from the sources below. Examples, prompts and learning suggestions are original TestHero material.
TestHero is an independent practice product. Practice results are not official NAPLAN scores. Check the school and current official guidance for administration details.