Currently Empty: $0.00
NAPLAN comes around early in the school year, and for many WA families it arrives before anyone has fully settled into the new term. This guide covers the 2027 dates, what each test looks like, how results are reported, and how to prepare your child calmly without turning February into a cram season.
NAPLAN 2027 dates
The national testing window for NAPLAN 2027 is Wednesday 10 March to Monday 22 March 2027. Your child’s school sets the exact day for each test within that window, so check the school newsletter or ask the classroom teacher in Term 1. Catch-up sessions are run within the window for students who are away.
In Western Australia, Term 1 starts at the beginning of February, which means NAPLAN falls only five or six weeks into the school year. That timing is the main reason gentle preparation over the summer and early Term 1 helps more than last-minute practice.
Who sits NAPLAN?
All students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit NAPLAN. In WA that means two primary years (3 and 5) and two high school years (7 and 9), since Year 7 is the first year of secondary school here.
What is tested
There are four test areas:
- Reading – understanding, interpreting and making inferences from a range of texts.
- Writing – a single extended piece written in response to a prompt (narrative or persuasive).
- Conventions of language – spelling, grammar and punctuation.
- Numeracy – number, algebra, measurement, geometry, statistics and probability, with a calculator allowed for part of the Year 7 and 9 test.
NAPLAN is completed online, except the Year 3 writing test, which is still done on paper. The online tests are adaptive: as your child answers, the test adjusts the difficulty of later questions to find the level they are working at. That is why two children in the same class can see quite different questions.
How results are reported
Since 2023, results are reported against four proficiency levels for each test area:
- Exceeding – well above the expected standard for that year level.
- Strong – meeting challenging but reasonable expectations.
- Developing – working towards the expected standard.
- Needs additional support – not yet meeting the minimum expected standard, and the school should provide extra help.
Your child’s individual report comes through the school later in the year. It is a snapshot of one day, not a final judgement. The most useful thing you can do with it is compare it with what the teacher is seeing in class and look for patterns, for example strong reading but weaker numeracy, or good number skills but gaps in measurement.
Does NAPLAN matter for GATE or selective schools?
No. In WA, entry to Gifted and Talented secondary programs is based on the separate Academic Selective Entrance Test (ASET), not NAPLAN. NAPLAN does not decide class placement or school entry, although some schools use it alongside other information to plan support. If your child is heading towards GATE, see our GATE and ASET preparation program.
How to prepare without stress
The skills NAPLAN measures are built over years, not weeks. Good preparation looks like strong everyday learning plus a little familiarity with the test format.
1. Read every day, and talk about it
Ten to fifteen minutes of reading a day, followed by one or two questions (“Why do you think she did that?”, “What clue told you it was winter?”), builds the inference skills the reading test rewards.
2. Write short pieces regularly
Once a week, give your child a prompt and fifteen minutes to plan and write. Focus on a clear beginning, middle and end for narratives, or a clear opinion with two or three reasons for persuasive writing. Praise structure and vocabulary before worrying about spelling.
3. Keep number facts fluent
Quick recall of times tables and number facts frees up thinking time for multi-step problems. A few minutes a day of practice is far more effective than a long weekly session.
4. Try the official practice tests
The national NAPLAN public demonstration site lets students try the online format, including the question types and on-screen tools. One or two practice sessions are enough to remove the surprise factor.
5. Keep the tone low-key
Children pick up on adult anxiety. Describe NAPLAN as “a check-up that helps teachers see what to teach next”, keep normal routines in the week of the test, and make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and breakfast.
When extra help makes sense
If a previous NAPLAN report showed “Developing” or “Needs additional support” in an area, or your child’s teacher has raised a gap, targeted help in the months before the test can make a real difference. The aim is to fix the underlying skill, not to drill test questions.
At EduLift in Piara Waters we run small-group classes of up to six students for Years 1–12, aligned to the WA curriculum. Our NAPLAN preparation program covers reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, and our Years 1–3 and Years 4–6 Maths and English classes build the same skills all year round.
Not sure where your child is at? Book a free trial class and we will show you which skills to focus on before March.
