# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Formative Assessment | NSW Curriculum | NSW Education Standards Authority

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Formative assessment is a process that involves the ongoing use of information about students’ knowledge, understanding and skills to target teaching and address student learning needs. Formative assessment provides teachers and students with opportunities for feedback throughout teaching and learning and provides evidence about progress to inform the next steps in learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Why formative assessment works

Understanding the science behind learning and memory can help teachers understand why formative assessment is an effective teaching technique. An ongoing cycle of formative assessment supports both the correction and strengthening of new learning.

Insight into knowledge and ability to correct

Formative assessment involves checking knowledge and understanding throughout the learning process, showing students and teachers what has been learned and what areas needs more work. Children often overestimate their current knowledge, and formative assessment helps to ensure that teachers and students have a good idea of the learning progress that has been made, without relying on potentially misleading impressions.

Making sure that students understand what has been taught before moving on to the next concept also means that misconceptions can be corrected before becoming a relatively stable long-term memory. When learning is new, it is much easier to change and update than a longstanding idea (you can think of old information as becoming somewhat rigid). This is why it is important to provide feedback to address misconceptions as quickly as possible.

Students may experience stress during formal tests, which can impair their ability to access and express memories and give an inaccurate impression of their learning. The informal, non-threatening nature of formative assessment can give a more accurate estimation of students' current abilities to guide the next steps in teaching.

Improving memory

Regular formative assessment improves memory for learned information through what scientists call the testing effect. Being asked to mentally retrieve information has been demonstrated to lead to better retention than by merely re-reading the information, as the brain has been better prepared for later recall.

When students recall information during formative assessment, they need to search through memory, and may activate ideas that can lead to more or stronger connections with the target information or create new or more efficient routes to it. With these better connections, students will be increasingly likely to remember that information in the future. Students are also likely to perform better in summative tests, especially those conducted under conditions they are familiar with.

Effective across a variety of contexts

Formative assessment has a strong evidence base that meets our highest standards of evidence. To understand whether formative assessment is effective across different contexts, the Australian Education Research Organisation conducted a review of 138 studies. The review found that formative assessment is an effective teaching practice across a variety of contexts and for different subgroups of students. Studies conducted across various locations suggest that formative assessment:

has a positive impact on student achievement in mathematics, reading, writing, social science and foreign languages

works for primary and secondary students

benefits students with and without additional learning needs.

Because of this, formative assessment is likely to work in most contexts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In formative assessment, you gather and interpret information about student learning as it is happening in your classroom. It helps you to adapt your teaching to meet student needs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
NAPLAN Persuasive Writing Marking Guide_2026

# data[].attributes.body
Please note: this is an example only.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Understanding your NAPLAN Report | Sonic Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
To see what we provided for visually impaired students in 2016, go to NAPLAN special print paper tests.

ACARA does not provide access to the NAPLAN tests after 2016. These tests are used for other projects related to the continued improvement of the National Assessment Program. ACARA notes the decision of the Acting Information Commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim, in the Marty Ross decision in support of its position. See our copyright information.

﻿

Year 3

NAPLAN 2016 Year 3 paper test answers (PDF 147 KB)

Year 5

NAPLAN 2016 Year 5 paper test answers (PDF 145 KB)

Year 7

NAPLAN 2016 Year 7 paper test answers (PDF 149 KB)

Year 9

NAPLAN 2016 Year 9 paper test answers (PDF 150 KB)

Year 3

NAPLAN 2015 final test, language conventions, Year 3 (PDF 645 KB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, numeracy, Year 3 (PDF 3 MB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, reading magazine, Year 3 (redacted image of face page 4) (PDF 6.9 MB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, reading, Year 3 (PDF 310 KB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, writing prompt (Years 3 5 only) (PDF 4.9 MB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, writing, Year 3 (PDF 121 KB)

NAPLAN 2015 Year 3 paper test answers (PDF 146 KB)

Year 5

NAPLAN 2015 final test, reading magazine, Year 5 (PDF 8.4 MB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, writing prompt (Years 3 5 only) (PDF 4.8 MB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, numeracy, Year 5 (PDF 2.9 MB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, writing, Year 5 (PDF 125 KB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, reading, Year 5 (PDF 344 KB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, language conventions, Year 5 (PDF 641 KB)

NAPLAN 2015 Year 5 paper test answers (PDF 145 KB)

Year 7

NAPLAN 2015 final test, reading magazine, Year 7 (PDF 11.3 MB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, writing prompt - The Best (Years 7 9 only) (PDF 4.2 MB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, numeracy (calculator), Year 7 (PDF 1.8 MB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, numeracy (non-calculator), Year 7 (PDF 2.2 MB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, reading, Year 7 (PDF 334 KB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, writing, Year 7 (PDF 120 KB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, language conventions, Year 7 (PDF 662 KB)

NAPLAN 2015 Year 7 paper test answers (PDF 153 KB)

Year 9

NAPLAN 2015 final test, reading magazine, Year 9 (PDF 17.6 MB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, writing prompt - The Best (Years 7 9 only) (PDF 4.2 MB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, numeracy, Year 9 (calculator) (PDF 1.8 MB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, numeracy, Year 9 (non-calculator) (PDF 1.9 KB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, writing, Year 9 (PDF 121 KB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, reading, Year 9 (PDF 336 KB)

NAPLAN 2015 final test, language conventions, Year 9 (PDF 640 KB)

NAPLAN 2015 Year 9 paper test answers (PDF 155 KB)

Year 3

NAPLAN 2014 Year 3 paper test answers (PDF 147 KB)

Year 5

NAPLAN 2014 Year 5 paper test answers (PDF 148 KB)

Year 7

NAPLAN 2014 Year 7 paper test answers (PDF 155 KB)

Year 9

NAPLAN 2014 Year 9 paper test answers (PDF 156 KB)

Year 3

Year 5

NAPLAN 2013 Year 5 paper test answers (PDF 149 KB)

Year 7
NAPLAN 2013 Year 7 paper test answers (PDF 152 KB)
Year 9

NAPLAN 2013 Year 9 paper test answers (PDF 156 KB)

NAPLAN 2012 final test, writing prompt, all year levels (PDF 2.3 MB)

Year 3

NAPLAN 2012 Year 3 paper test answers (PDF 142 KB)

Year 5

NAPLAN 2012 Year 5 paper test answers (PDF 142 KB)

Year 7

NAPLAN 2012 Year 7 paper test answers (PDF 149 KB)

Year 9

NAPLAN 2012 Year 9 paper test answers (PDF 149 KB)

Schools provide special print paper tests to visually impaired students who are unable to access NAPLAN online and who use similar large-print resources as part of their everyday class activities. These paper tests do not simply have their font size enlarged, they are reformatted in accordance with the latest guidelines on printing for students with disability.

Special print paper tests come in the following formats for all years and domains:

black and white

large print - font sizes 18 and 24 on A4

large print - font sizes 18, 24 and 36 on A3.

See below for some examples of the black-and-white and large-print tests that ACARA provides:

NAPLAN 2016, language conventions test, Year 3, large print (PDF 152 KB)

NAPLAN 2016, language conventions test, Year 9, black and white (PDF 465 KB)

NAPLAN 2016, numeracy test, Year 5, black and white (PDF 2.2 MB)

NAPLAN 2016, reading test, Year 5, large print (PDF 15.3 MB)

NAPLAN 2016, writing test, Year 7, large print (PDF 4 MB)

﻿

﻿

Webpage feedback

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To see what we provided for visually impaired students in 2016, go to NAPLAN special print paper tests. ACARA does not provide access to the NAPLAN tests after 2016. These tests are used for other projects related to the continued improvement of the National Assessment Program.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Free APA Citation Generator | Verified by Experts | Scribbr

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Scribbr’s free APA Citation Generator creates accurate APA citations in seconds. Recommended and trusted by students and teachers worldwide.

# data[].attributes.body
Please see as a reference and check for APA7th edition formatting.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Assignment 1 Details_Writing prompt and sample writing_TP2

# data[].attributes.headline
Reading the NAPLAN Individual Student Report

# data[].attributes.subject
Reading the NAPLAN Individual Student Report

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Reading the NAPLAN Individual Student Report

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Referencing & Citation

When writing assignments, reports, research papers or theses, you must acknowledge quotations, information and ideas taken from other authors through a bibliography or list of references.

The Library has developed guides for the citation styles most commonly used within the University. Use of these guides is supported in the University Referencing Styles Guidelines.

Before starting your work, it is important to first consult your unit learning guide, lecturer, or tutor for the preferred citation style for each subject you undertake.

These citation style guides are designed to cover the most commonly asked citation and referencing questions. Further support is available.

RefQuest: An interactive, monster-fighting game to assist with learning about different referencing styles and when to use them.

To assist in managing references and applying citation styles, try one of these tools recommended by the Library.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Use the Library's guides for the citation styles most commonly used within the University.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waterways, skies, islands and sea Country across Australia. We pay our deepest respects to First Nations cultures and Elders past and present. We endeavour to continually value and learn from First Nations knowledges and educational practices.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teacher and student resources to help assess and address the needs of EAL/D students and support their learning.