NAPLAN Year 5 Online Preparation, Tips & Free Practice Questions – 2025
What Is NAPLAN Year 5 Exam?
The NAPLAN Year 5 exam is a literacy and numeracy test given to Australian students in the fifth year of their schooling. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment, and Reporting Authority (ACARA) manages the National Assessment Program (NAP), which provides the NAPLAN literacy and numeracy exam to all students in years 3, 5, 7, and 9.
Students first take the ACARA NAPLAN exam in year 3, so those in year 5 should be familiar with the NAPLAN test. However, it is still important for students to prepare for the ACARA NAPLAN test using NAPLAN practice tests and other online practice resources.
The exam’s content will focus on material the student has learned throughout the year, and just like the Year 3 exam, it will cover topics in writing, reading, language conventions, and numeracy. The main difference between the year 5 NAPLAN test is that the content is more difficult and appropriate to a student in year 5 and that the ACARA NAPLAN test is done entirely online.
NAPLAN Year 5 Test Sections:
Writing
Students in year 5 must start on the writing NAPLAN test on the first day of the exam. They will have 42 minutes to respond to a given prompt with either a narrative or a persuasive essay. Like year 3, year 5 students will receive images with their prompt, suggestions of characters and objects to include, and reminders for creating the best piece possible for the exam. Be sure to look up NAPLAN practice tests and other NAPLAN preparation materials to see examples of prompts they may give students.
Sample Question:
Imagine if a character went to a magical place. Write a narrative (story) about their adventure.
You can use the following characters and objects, or you can make up your own:
- Characters
- A child
- An adult
- A dog
- A witch
- Objects
- A rainbow
- A magic wand
- A broom
- A castle
While writing the story, think about:
- How the character got to the magical place
- Who they met there
- What they did
Remember to:
- Edit your work for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
- Write in full sentences.
- Make sure the story follows a logical sequence.
Reading
The second part of the ACARA NAPLAN test is the reading exam. The NAPLAN year 5 test will include several passages students must read and answer questions about. Students will receive a magazine with about six stories, and each question on the test will relate back to one of the stories.
The questions will ask about specific facts that were presented in the text, as well as about conclusions that you can draw. Questions will also be asked about the author’s intent and what certain word choices imply.
The entire exam will take about 50 minutes to complete. ACARA NAPLAN practice tests are great resources to rehearse your timing to ensure you can complete the exam within the time limit. There are other online NAPLAN preparation materials students may find helpful as well.
Sample Question:
Sara couldn’t believe that Johnny took her pencil! (paragraph 2).
The exclamation point (!) at the end of this sentence shows that sara is
- Happy
- Excited
- Angry
- Sad
Answer: C
Language Conventions
In addition to reading, students must show their understanding of language conventions. They will have 45 minutes to answer spelling, grammar, and punctuation questions. The questions will ask students to identify sentence errors, select the correct missing word, and identify grammatically correct sentences.
Sample Question:
Which sentence contains a word that is missing a capital letter?
- My dog sandy is excited to go to the park.
- I went to the school auditorium with my friends.
- My brother is five years older than me.
- There was a horse on the side of the road.
Answer: A
Numeracy
The last section of the NAPLAN test is numeracy. Year 5 students will have 50 minutes to answer questions that assess their mathematical skills, including basic numeracy, pattern identification, basic calculations, and interpreting charts and graphs. Like the year 3 exam, the year 5 exam will consist of several images to help the students better understand and visualize the concepts they are being tested on. Check out ACARA NAPLAN practice tests to see examples of the different question types.
Sample Question:
Ben has 15 twenty-five cent coins. How much money does he have altogether?
- $3.25
- $3.50
- $3.75
- $4.00
Answer: C
How to Prepare for the NAPLAN Year 5 Test?
Like with other standardized tests, students sometimes feel anxious ahead of the NAPLAN year 5 exam. NAPLAN preparation, such as NAPLAN practice tests, can help calm those nerves, prepare the students for the exam, and ensure they do well.
There are many online practice resources to prepare for the NAPLAN exam, such as online practice tests, study guides, previous exams, and answer keys. Running through NAPLAN practice tests is a great way to rehearse timing and better understand what will be on the exam. NAPLAN practice tests will also help boost the students’ confidence for test day because they allow them to run through the entire exam as if it were the actual ACARA NAPLAN test.
In addition to online NAPLAN practice tests, students should stay current on their schoolwork throughout the year. The exam’s content will consist of what they are learning each day. Staying on top of homework and understanding the material taught in class is a great way to prepare for the ACARA NAPLAN year 5 exam.