The short answer
Purpose: a time-ordered text that narrates events to engage, entertain and emotionally move the reader.
Structure: orientation (scene and characters) → complication (a problem needing a response) → resolution.
Total: 47 marks — one fewer than persuasive, because Paragraphing is scored 0–2.
The genre-specific criterion: Character & Setting, worth 0–4.
What the task actually asks
A narrative prompt gives a topic or idea and invites your child to write a story. The scaffolding is consistent: they're told they can use an idea from the page or their own, then prompted to think about the characters and where they are, the complication or problem to be solved, and how the story will end.
Those three "think about" points aren't decoration — they map directly onto the Text Structure criterion. A child who addresses all three has, by definition, written a complete narrative.
The three-part structure
1. Orientation
Sets the scene, introduces the characters, and gives the reader enough context to follow what comes next. It doesn't need to be long — a strong opening can orient the reader in two or three sentences.
The most common weakness is starting mid-event with no orientation at all, which limits Text Structure to a low score.
2. Complication
This is the heart of the story. A complication presents a problem to be solved, introduces tension, and requires a response — it drives the story forward. A sequence of events without a problem is a recount, not a narrative, and recounts score low on Text Structure regardless of how well written they are.
This is the single most important distinction for parents to understand: "we went here, then we did this, then we went home" is not a story.
3. Resolution
The problem is resolved, or the story reaches an ending that satisfies the reader. Resolutions don't have to tie everything neatly — in more sophisticated writing, a general sense of ending is enough, and the strongest pieces often include a short phase after the climax where the character reflects.
Weak endings are explicitly named in the marking guide: "I woke up and it was all a dream", "they lived happily ever after", or a character simply dying. These read as tacked-on and cap Text Structure at 2.
Character & Setting: the criterion worth 4 marks
This is the criterion unique to narrative. Importantly, a story can score well by developing either character or setting strongly — some stories are character-driven with sketchy settings, others build atmosphere with minimal character detail. Both can reach the top.
The fastest improvement: most children sit at 1 or 2 because they name a character and move on. Moving to 3 simply requires showing how a character feels or reacts, or describing a place using more than one sense. That's a teachable habit, not a talent.
Plot devices that lift the score
At the top of Text Structure, markers look for effective plot devices used in an appropriate structure. Devices explicitly recognised include:
- Foreshadowing and flashback
- Cliffhangers and red herrings
- A twist, or a coda that reflects after the climax
- Circular or parallel plots — ending where the story began
For Ideas at the highest level, markers reward stories that explore a recognisable theme rather than just events. Recognised sub-genres include the heroic quest, the whodunnit, good versus evil, and overcoming the odds.
Where marks are actually lost
- Writing a recount instead of a story. No complication means no narrative, and Text Structure suffers immediately.
- "It was all a dream." The most common weak ending, and one the marking guide names directly.
- Characters who are only named. A name is worth 1 mark; a reaction or feeling is worth 3.
- No paragraphs. Narrative Paragraphing is only worth 2 marks, but a wall of text scores zero — and one correct break earns the first mark.
- Overusing "then". "Then… then… and then…" signals weak Cohesion. Swapping in later, meanwhile, just as or although lifts it.
- Repeating "said". Vocabulary rewards precise words — whispered, muttered, hissed — and it's worth 5 marks.
Practise narrative writing free
25 narrative prompts in a NAPLAN-style format, plus AI feedback scoring all 10 criteria including Character & Setting. No signup.
Get the free prompts →How to help at home
- Ask "what goes wrong?" Before your child writes, have them say the problem out loud. If there isn't one, it's a recount.
- Two senses for the setting. What can the character see and hear? It's the quickest route from 2 to 3 on Character & Setting.
- Replace three "saids". A five-minute exercise that directly lifts Vocabulary.
- New paragraph when the scene or speaker changes. Simple, mechanical, and worth real marks.
- Plan the ending first. Most weak resolutions happen because the child didn't know where they were heading.
Frequently asked questions
Does my child have to finish the story?
A complete narrative scores best, but longer sophisticated pieces may resolve one complication and open another rather than concluding neatly — that's still recognised at the top level. What hurts is stopping mid-event because time ran out.
Can they write about anything?
They must connect to the topic on the prompt page. If a marker is certain the topic wasn't used at all, Ideas is capped at 1 mark out of 5 — however creative the story.
Is dialogue important?
It helps. Convincing dialogue is one of the features that lifts Character & Setting to the top score, and it creates natural opportunities for correct speech punctuation.
What if they get persuasive instead?
Then they must write persuasively — the genre is set by the prompt. See our persuasive writing guide.