Start with the right text type
NAPLAN has separate narrative and persuasive writing marking guides, each with ten criteria. The criteria consider the reader, organisation, ideas and language conventions. Narrative considers character and setting; persuasive considers persuasive devices. Read the relevant official guide and its annotated samples before interpreting a score.
For example, a narrative lesson about how a character responds to a problem calls for different evidence from a persuasive lesson about supporting a position. A single checklist for every genre can hide that difference.
What are the 10 NAPLAN writing criteria?
Nine criterion names appear in both guides. The tenth is character and setting for narrative, or persuasive devices for persuasive writing. The classroom questions below are our planning prompts, not the official score descriptors. Use the official guide to apply its category definitions and annotated examples.
| Criterion | Writing type | A question to investigate in the writing |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Both | What does this reader need to understand, and how does the writing help them? |
| Text structure | Both | How do the parts of the text support its purpose? |
| Ideas | Both | Which idea needs development, and what detail would help? |
| Character and setting | Narrative | What action reveals the character, and which setting detail matters to the scene? |
| Persuasive devices | Persuasive | How does this choice support the position and address this audience? |
| Vocabulary | Both | Which word conveys the intended meaning most precisely here? |
| Cohesion | Both | Can the reader follow the references and connections between ideas? |
| Paragraphing | Both | Why do these ideas belong together, and where does the focus change? |
| Sentence structure | Both | Do these complete sentences make the relationships between ideas clear? |
| Punctuation | Both | How does the punctuation help the reader interpret the sentence? |
| Spelling | Both | Which attempted spelling gives you a useful teaching question? |
Translate one criterion into a learning focus
Choose a focus that connects with your current teaching. For a persuasive paragraph, ask: “Can the reader connect this reason with an example?” Read a model paragraph, explain how it works and practise another together before students apply the idea in their own argument.
A useful focus is smaller than a complete marking category. Students need to understand the writing decision they are practising, rather than trying to improve every criterion at once.
Find evidence in the whole piece
Look at the passage in context. A new paragraph is helpful when it organises the ideas for the reader; adding a break mechanically after a fixed number of sentences may not help. Ask the student why those ideas belong together.
After a revision, discuss the effect and keep the original available. Later, use another comparable task to check whether the student applies the focus with less support. Consider genre, time, tools and teaching support when interpreting changes.
Keep the curriculum and official results distinct
NAPLAN writing criteria provide a language for assessing a particular written response. Your English program also draws on year-level curriculum content and achievement standards across reading, speaking, listening and other text types. A rubric total alone is not an Australian Curriculum grade.
Writing Boost uses the respective NAPLAN criteria for narrative and persuasive writing, with adaptations for other genres. Its AI-generated scores require teacher interpretation. They are not official NAPLAN results, predictions of proficiency levels or national benchmarks. Writing Boost is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ACARA.
