Proficiency levels: NAP-Civics and Citizenship 2024

For the NAP–Civics and Citizenship (NAP-CC) assessments, proficiency scores are grouped into 6 proficiency levels ranging from below 1 (containing the least difficult items) to 5 (containing the most difficult items) each representing an equal range of student ability/item difficulty on the scale.

The NAP-Civics and Citizenship 2024 proficiency scale and descriptions are shown below:

Level scale range Proficiency level description 

Level 5

 Students working at Level 5 demonstrate precise knowledge and understanding of the workings of Australian democracy and the contexts in which it has developed. In general, they evaluate civic actions and recognise the potential for ambiguity in contested civics and citizenship concepts.

Level 4

 Students working at Level 4 recognise the interaction between governmental policies and processes, and actions of civil and civic institutions and the broader community. They explain the benefits, motivations and outcomes of institutional policies and parliamentary processes. They demonstrate familiarity with the precise discipline-specific vocabulary associated with civics and citizenship and history content and concepts, both through interpreting text and in written responses. They show an understanding of the conflicts surrounding certain historical events.

Level 3

 Students working at Level 3 demonstrate knowledge of specific details of Australian democracy such as referendums and election processes. They demonstrate an understanding of the importance of First Nations Australian cultures. They make connections between the processes and outcomes of civil and civic institutions. They demonstrate awareness of the common good as a potential motivation for civic action. Students working at Level 3 demonstrate awareness that civic processes can be explained and justified in relation to their broader contexts, including the historical context.

Level 2

Students working at Level 2 demonstrate knowledge of core aspects of the Australian democracy. They demonstrate awareness of the connection between fundamental principles (such as fairness) and their manifestation in rules and laws. They demonstrate awareness that citizenship rights and responsibilities are collective as well as individual. They make simple evaluations of given mechanisms of civic action.

Level 1

Students working at Level 1 demonstrate knowledge of broad features of the Australian democracy. They recognise the cultural significance of the land to Indigenous Australians and that cultural attitudes and values can change over time. They demonstrate familiarity with simple mechanisms of community engagement and how civic actions inform and influence change.

Below Level 1

Students working at below Level 1 demonstrate knowledge of the notion of fairness and recognise some basic human rights. They demonstrate familiarity with basic aspects of democratic processes and legal systems, and some familiarity with generalised characteristics of Australian identity.



For selected item response descriptors that illustrate the nature of the civics and citizenship content and cognitive processes, which students can make use of when answering questions at the level, please refer to Table 3.1 of the NAP-Civics and Citizenship 2024 Public report (PDF 6.1 MB)

In addition to developing the civics and citizenship literacy proficiency scale, proficient standards were established for both Year 6 and Year 10. For the NAP sample assessments, proficient standards represent points on the proficiency scale that represent a challenging but reasonable expectation for typical Year 6 and 10 students to have reached by the end of each of those years of study. Students need to demonstrate more than minimal or elementary skills to be regarded as having reached the standard appropriate to their year level.

The Year 6 and Year 10 NAP-CC proficient standards were set in 2004. The proficient standard for Year 6 was set at Level 2 on the civics and citizenship proficiency scale. The proficiency standard for Year 10 was set at Level 3 on the civics and citizenship proficiency scale.