NAPLAN test window
Where possible, schools may arrange for individual students who are absent at the time of testing to complete missed tests at another time during the relevant testing window. See Catch-up sessions.
The NAPLAN online test window is nine days. Day 1 is a Tuesday and day 9 is the Friday of the following week.
The writing test must be scheduled within a two-day test window and schools must schedule writing from the first day of the appropriate two-day test window, with the second day used only if there are technical or logistical limitations. For Year 5, the writing window is day 1 and 2. For Years 7 and 9, the writing window is day 2 and 3.
The tests need to be taken in a specific order. Individual students are not permitted to sit the online tests after day 9.
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Test
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Scheduling requirements
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Duration
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Test description
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Writing
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Year 3 students do a paper-based writing test (on day 1 only)
Year 5 must start on day 1 (schools must prioritise completion of writing across days 1 and 2 only)
Years 7 and 9 must start on day 2 (schools must prioritise completion of writing across days 2 and 3 only)
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Year 3: 40 minutes
Year 5: 42 minutes
Year 7: 42 minutes
Year 9: 42 minutes
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Students are provided with a ‘writing stimulus’ (sometimes called a ‘prompt’ – an idea or topic) and asked to write a response in a particular genre (narrative or persuasive writing)
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Reading
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To ensure online schools are able to complete NAPLAN tests within the nine-day testing window, Years 7 and 9 students can start with reading on day 1; however, writing must start on day 2 as the writing test takes priority over any rescheduled reading tests from
day 1
To be completed before the conventions of language test
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Year 3: 45 minutes
Year 5: 50 minutes
Year 7: 65 minutes
Year 9: 65 minutes
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Students read a range of informative, imaginative and persuasive texts and then answer related questions
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Conventions of language
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To be completed after the reading test
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Year 3: 45 minutes
Year 5: 45 minutes
Year 7: 45 minutes
Year 9: 45 minutes
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This test assesses spelling, grammar and punctuation
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Numeracy
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To be completed after the conventions of language test
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Year 3: 45 minutes
Year 5: 50 minutes
Year 7: 65 minutes
Year 9: 65 minutes
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This test assesses number and algebra, measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability
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