NAPLAN – Writing test
- What do students do in the NAPLAN Writing test?
- What is a genre or text type?
- What type of writing has been required in previous NAPLAN tests?
- What is changing in the 2011 and 2012 NAPLAN Writing test?
- What is persuasive writing?
- Why is the form of writing different in 2011 and 2012 from previous years?
- Are all students expected to do the same Writing task?
- How long have teachers had to prepare for the change to a persuasive writing task?
- What support has been available to teachers to help them understand the requirements of the persuasive Writing test?
- How will the persuasive text be marked? Will it be marked differently to a narrative text?
- Is the persuasive task more difficult than the narrative task?
- Who approved the change of genre for 2011 and 2012?
What do students do in the NAPLAN Writing test?
Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are provided with a ‘prompt’ – an idea or topic – and asked to write a response of a particular text type (genre).
What is a genre or text type?
Students are taught to write a variety of different text types. There are three main groups of text types, sometimes called genres. These are imaginative, information and argument (also known as persuasive).
Imaginative texts are texts that involve the use of language to represent, recreate, shape and explore human experiences in real and imagined worlds. they are also referred to as sub-genres and include, for example, fairytales, anecdotes, novels, plays, poetry, personal letters and illustrated books.
Information texts are texts that involve the use of language to represent ideas and information related to people, places, events, things, concepts and issues. They include, for example, recounts, reports, descriptions, biographies, explanations, transactional texts, news articles and features.
Argument texts are texts that systematically present a point of view or seek to persuade an audience. They include, for example, arguments, formal essays, letters to the editor, advertisements, documentaries, interviews and reviews.
What type of writing has been required in previous NAPLAN tests?
In the 2008, 2009 and 2010 NAPLAN Writing tests, students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 were required to write a particular type of narrative, a story. In the 2011 and 2012 tests students are required to complete a persuasive writing task.
What is changing in the 2011 and 2012 NAPLAN Writing test?
In the 2011 NAPLAN Writing test, students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will write a persuasive text instead of a narrative.
What is persuasive writing?
Persuasive writing requires the writer to convince the reader of his or her point of view or opinion. For example, a student may be asked whether reading books or watching TV is better. The student’s answer would present his or her opinion on this topic and would include reasons for that opinion. In writing the text, the student is attempting to persuade the reader to agree with his or her opinion.
Why is the form of writing different in 2011 and 2012 from previous years?
Narrative writing (tested in 2008, 2009, and 2010) is just one area of the curriculum. Persuasive writing and other non-narrative forms of writing are used increasingly as students progress through school. Testing non-narrative writing means that NAPLAN is testing a broader range of what is taught in the curriculum. It also means that there is not a disproportionate focus given to one area.
Are all students expected to do the same Writing task?
Yes. The Writing task and topic will be the same for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Older students will address the topic at a higher level.
How long have teachers had to prepare for the change to a persuasive writing task?
All states and territories knew since June 2010 that the NAPLAN 2011 Writing task will be a persuasive piece. Principals were asked to communicate this change to their schools and teachers will support their students so that they are familiar with this form of writing before the NAPLAN tests in May 2011. The 2012 writing task is also a persuasive writing piece.
What support has been available to teachers to help them understand the requirements of the persuasive Writing test?
Test authorities in the states and territories will assist schools to help them prepare their students to undertake the different form of writing in the NAPLAN 2010 test. While persuasive writing is being tested nationally for the first time in 2011, it is an established part of the school curriculum and teachers will already be using resources to teach it.
How will the persuasive text be marked? Will it be marked differently to a narrative text?
Persuasive writing will be marked in a way that closely parallels the marking of narrative writing. Assessment rubrics for both narrative and persuasive writing include common criteria, which will assist in comparing results from the different forms of writing. However, persuasive writing and narrative writing also have some criteria that are unique to each form. For example, persuasive writing assesses rhetorical techniques whilst narrative writing assesses the development of character and setting. The key focus skills for both rubrics are available for comparison here.
Is the persuasive task more difficult than the narrative task?
The persuasive task may be more or less difficult than the narrative task, depending on the skill levels of the group of students assessed. Psychometricians take this into account when they analyse the data. This data analysis process, known as equating, enables students’ writing abilities to be placed on the same Writing scale, regardless of the type of writing assessed from year to year.
This equating process occurs with every NAPLAN test. Tests may vary in difficulty from year to year, but students’ results are reported comparably from year to year because equating takes the relative difficulties of different tests in the same domain into account.
Who approved the change of genre for 2011 and 2012?
Education ministers from all states and territories agreed in April 2010 that the NAPLAN Writing task will be persuasive in 2011.