Where to find the official NAPLAN writing marking guides
NAP publishes separate narrative and persuasive marking guides, including scored examples and annotations. Trained official markers apply the relevant rubric. Start with those publisher resources when you need the category descriptions and scoring details.
This page gives a plain-language introduction and original suggestions for reviewing practice. It does not reproduce the official scored scripts or assign an official mark to a learner’s draft.
Official guidance: NAP: What’s in the tests · NAP: Official narrative writing marking guide (PDF) · NAP: Official persuasive writing marking guide (PDF)
The 10 writing criteria, explained for practice
The names below come from the official guides. The questions are TestHero learning suggestions, rather than quotations from the scoring descriptors. Read the actual narrative or persuasive guide when making a rubric judgement.
| Criterion | A useful question to ask |
|---|---|
| Audience | What does the reader need to understand, feel or consider, and does the response help them do it? |
| Text structure | Do the opening, development and ending organise this story or argument clearly? |
| Ideas | Which central idea has been developed, rather than only mentioned? |
| Character and setting / Persuasive devices | For a story, do actions and details develop the people and place? For an argument, do language choices support the attempt to convince? |
| Vocabulary | Are words precise and suitable for the meaning, rather than elaborate for their own sake? |
| Cohesion | Can the reader follow references and connections between ideas across the response? |
| Paragraphing | Do paragraph breaks help organise changes in the story or stages of the argument? |
| Sentence structure | Do the sentences express the intended relationships clearly and accurately? |
| Punctuation | Do the marks clarify sentence boundaries and other intended relationships? |
| Spelling | Are the words the writer has chosen spelled accurately? |
Official guidance: NAP: Official narrative writing marking guide (PDF) · NAP: Official persuasive writing marking guide (PDF)
How narrative and persuasive marking differ
The shared criterion names are interpreted for the text type. A story’s structure develops a situation and what changes; an argument’s structure helps a reader follow and evaluate a position. The same checklist cannot tell you everything about both forms.
The form-specific criterion is character and setting for narrative, and persuasive devices for persuasive writing. Develop the feature for a purpose: a character’s action can reveal a motive, while a comparison can make an argument’s consequence clearer. Simply naming a character or adding a rhetorical question does not explain how well the whole response works.
Official guidance: NAP: Writing test FAQs
Original narrative example: develop an action
From a general statement to a revealing detail
First draft: “Kai was worried. He waited for the bus.” Revised: “Kai checked his watch for the third time and tightened his grip on the ticket. Around the corner, a bus engine rumbled.”
What does the revision let the reader infer?
Show answer and explanation
Kai is anxious about waiting or reaching his destination.
Repeatedly checking the watch and gripping the ticket give the reader actions to interpret, instead of only the label “worried”.
What would you check in the rest of the story?
Show answer and explanation
Why the journey matters and whether Kai’s later actions and the ending develop that concern.
An effective opening detail needs a connection to the rest of the narrative. This excerpt alone cannot be assigned a complete-response rubric score.
Original persuasive example: explain a reason
From an opinion to a developed connection
First draft: “A shaded play area is better. Everyone would like it.” Revised: “A shaded play area would let students use the space when the sun is strong. For example, a class could read outdoors without sitting in direct sunlight. Providing shade would make the area useful for more than games.”
How is the reason developed?
Show answer and explanation
The revision names a benefit, gives a possible use and explains how that use supports the proposal.
The reader can follow the link between shade and a more useful space. The example is a possible scenario rather than an invented study.
What could the writer consider next?
Show answer and explanation
A practical concern such as the cost or location, and a response that keeps the argument consistent.
Addressing a relevant concern can develop the argument. This is a teaching suggestion, not a promise of a particular mark.
A useful way to review a practice response
When a teacher is using the rubric, compare the full response with the official descriptors and annotated examples. A home checklist can support a discussion, but counting long words, paragraphs or devices is not a substitute for that judgement.
- Read the whole response for its purpose and connection to the prompt.
- Name a feature that works and point to the words that demonstrate it.
- Choose one significant focus, such as an undeveloped reason or a confusing reference.
- Ask for a revision, then explain how it changes the reader’s understanding.
- Return to sentence accuracy and spelling after considering the whole piece.
Frequently asked questions
Are the writing criteria the same for every NAPLAN year?
The official narrative and persuasive marking guides are used across the NAPLAN years. Consult the relevant guide and complete response; a short example is not enough to determine an official mark.
How many criteria are used for NAPLAN writing?
Each form has 10 criteria. Nine names are shared, and the form-specific criterion addresses character and setting for narrative or persuasive devices for persuasive writing.
Does a longer response automatically score better?
Length alone does not explain how well a response develops ideas, organises them or uses language. Read the official descriptors and review what the writing actually achieves.
Can this checklist calculate an official NAPLAN score?
No. The practice questions and revision examples support learning. They do not calculate an official scale score or proficiency level.
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.
- NAP: What’s in the tests
- NAP: Writing test FAQs
- NAP: Official narrative writing marking guide (PDF)
- NAP: Official persuasive writing marking guide (PDF)
TestHero is an independent practice product. Practice results are not official NAPLAN scores. Check the school and current official guidance for administration details.