Year 5 NAPLAN: A Guide for Parents

NAPLAN tests the reading, writing, spelling, grammar and maths your child has been learning in class. In 2027 every school runs its tests between Wednesday 10 March and Monday 22 March. Schools start Year 5 writing on the first day, then fit the other three tests into their own timetable in a set order, so your child's teacher can tell you which days they are.

A story or a persuasive piece, typed in response to a topic. Which of the two is set is revealed on the day. Reading a mix of stories, information and persuasive texts, and answering questions on each. Spelling, with some words read aloud through headphones, then grammar and punctuation. Maths questions across number, algebra, measurement, space, statistics and probability.

Typing a piece of writing against the clock can be new for a child in Year 5. ACARA, the national authority behind NAPLAN, has a public demonstration site with sample tests at Year 5 level, where your child can see the screen and its tools and try typing a response before March. It's built for getting familiar with the tests rather than measuring how your child is going, so there's no score to aim for.

ACARA's advice for parents is that students aren't expected to study for NAPLAN, and that teachers make sure their class knows the types of questions. It doesn't recommend excessive preparation or coaching services.

Reading, conventions of language and numeracy are tailored tests, which means they adjust to your child as they go. Everyone in Year 5 starts with a similar set of questions, and your child's answers decide whether the next set is harder or easier. If your child comes home saying some questions were really hard, that can mean their first set went well.

NAPLAN has no pass or fail. Four tests give your child five results: reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. Each has a proficiency level, one of four descriptions of how the result compares with Year 5 expectations at the time of the tests:

• Exceeding: the result is above those expectations.
• Strong: the result meets expectations that are challenging but reasonable.
• Developing: your child is working towards the expectations.
• Needs additional support: your child isn't yet reaching the expected learning and is likely to need extra help to keep progressing.

The report also shows the average for Year 5 students across Australia, and short examples of the skills typical of each level.

If you still have your child's Year 3 report, it uses the same four levels. Strong in Year 3 numeracy includes comparing three-digit numbers, for example, while in Year 5 it includes ordering numbers beyond 10,000, so a child who gets Strong in both years may still be making progress.

Reports come home through your child's school later in the year, and the school will let you know when they're being sent.

When it arrives, you can choose Year 5 and your child's level for each result in our NAPLAN results explainer, which sets out what each level means and questions you could ask the teacher.

By the time the report comes home, your child's teacher will have seen months of their work. You can ask them how the results compare with what they see in class, and whether there's anything worth doing at home. A result of “Needs additional support” can be upsetting to read.

If the teacher sees what the report shows, such as difficulty with fractions or writing that stops after a few sentences, you can ask whether the school offers extra help, like small-group reading or maths sessions.

Tutoring can add to the school's help, for everyday schoolwork rather than NAPLAN practice. Our primary maths and primary English tutors work one-to-one, in person across Melbourne or online, and use your child's current schoolwork and teacher feedback so sessions stay connected to what's happening in class.

Alongside everything else you know about your child, the report is one more way to see what they're ready for in Year 6.

What if my child is away during the tests?

They may be able to catch up. Schools can arrange missed tests later in their schedule where possible, and a missed Year 5 writing test can be made up until the last day of the window, so it helps to tell the school as early as you can.

What if the computer stops working during a test?

ACARA says no student is disadvantaged if their device stops working. Your child can finish on another device or in a rescheduled session.

Does my child need to bring anything?

Possibly headphones. Some questions in the spelling, writing and numeracy tests include sound, and the school can tell you whether to send a pair.

What support is there for a child with disability?

The school can arrange adjustments, which are changes to how your child sits the tests or gives answers, such as alternative questions without audio. You can talk to the school about them well before March.

When is the next NAPLAN?

In Year 7. For a child in Year 5 in 2027, that's 14 to 26 March 2029, a few weeks into secondary school. Our Year 7 NAPLAN guide covers what changes then.

We checked these official sources on 6 November 2026.