The short version. Prompts are the easy part — you can find hundreds online. What almost nobody explains is that a marker is not reading for a good story. They are scoring ten separate things, and a child who knows which four matter most in a particular task can pick up marks a better writer misses.
What the marker is actually scoring
NAPLAN writing is marked against ten criteria, each scored separately. For Year 3 narrative they are: Audience, Text Structure, Ideas, Character and Setting, Vocabulary, Cohesion, Paragraphing, Sentence Structure, Punctuation and Spelling. Persuasive writing swaps Character and Setting for Persuasive Devices.
Two of those surprise most parents:
- Paragraphing is a criterion on its own. A child who writes one unbroken block loses a mark they could have had for pressing Enter three times.
- Ideas beats vocabulary. A simple word used precisely scores better than a long word used loosely. "The dog was enormous" does more than "the dog was gargantuan" if the child is not sure what gargantuan means.
The prompts below each name the criteria that task gives the most room to earn.
Five narrative prompts
1. The door at the bottom of the garden
One morning you find a door in the fence that was never there before. Write what happens when you open it.
What earns marks here: Character and Setting — the marker wants to know what is on the other side in enough detail to picture it. Text Structure — a beginning that sets up the door, a middle that goes through it, and an ending that returns. Ideas — one surprising thing beats three ordinary ones.
The trap: children spend the whole time describing the door and never open it. Tell them the door is the first sentence, not the story.
2. The last one on the bus
The bus is empty except for you. It is going somewhere it has never gone before.
What earns marks here: Cohesion — the story has to move somewhere, so time words like then, after a while, at last do real work. Audience — a feeling the reader can share. Sentence Structure — a short sentence after a long one creates the jolt this prompt wants.
The trap: ending with "and then I woke up". Markers see it constantly and it costs marks under Text Structure, because it undoes the whole thing.
3. The thing in the box
A parcel arrives with your name on it. Nobody knows who sent it.
What earns marks here: Ideas — the contents are the whole test. Vocabulary — precise words for what it looks, sounds and smells like. Paragraphing — a new paragraph when the box opens is a free mark.
The trap: listing everything in the box. One object, described well, scores higher than ten named.
4. The day the power went out
Everything electrical stops working for one whole day. Write about that day.
What earns marks here: Text Structure — a day has a natural shape, so use it. Character and Setting — how the house feels different in the dark. Cohesion — morning, afternoon, night gives the marker a structure to reward.
The trap: writing a list of what stopped working. A marker wants one moment inside the day, not an inventory.
5. Someone left a note
You find a folded note in your school bag. It is not your handwriting.
What earns marks here: Punctuation — a note means quotation marks, and this prompt hands your child an easy chance to show them. Ideas — what the note says matters more than who wrote it. Audience — build a little suspense before revealing it.
The trap: revealing the note in the first line. Hold it for a paragraph.
Five persuasive prompts
6. Homework should be banned
Do you agree? Write to convince your principal.
What earns marks here: Persuasive Devices — a rhetorical question, a fact, a strong closing line. Text Structure — say your position in the first sentence, three reasons, then say it again. Audience — writing to a principal is not writing to a friend.
The trap: "because it is boring" is an opinion, not a reason. Markers reward a reason with something behind it.
7. Every school should have a garden
Convince your school council to plant one.
What earns marks here: Ideas — three different kinds of reason (learning, food, looking after something) beat three versions of one. Cohesion — firstly, as well as this, most importantly signpost the argument. Paragraphing — one reason per paragraph.
8. Children should choose what they learn
Should students pick their own subjects? Argue your case.
What earns marks here: Persuasive Devices — addressing the other side ("Some people say…") is one of the strongest moves available to a Year 3 writer. Sentence Structure — varied lengths keep an argument moving.
The trap: writing only what the child wants. A marker rewards an argument, not a wish list.
9. Zoos do more good than harm
Do you agree or disagree? Explain why.
What earns marks here: Ideas — this one has genuine arguments on both sides, which is what makes it good practice. Vocabulary — words like protect, endangered, natural habitat earn their place. Audience — a confident voice throughout.
10. The best invention ever made
What is it, and why? Convince your reader.
What earns marks here: Text Structure — name the invention immediately, then defend it. Persuasive Devices — one vivid example does more than three general claims. Spelling — a child who picks an invention they can spell is making a sensible strategic choice, and that is allowed.
How to use these at home
- Set 26 minutes. That is the real NAPLAN writing time — 5 to plan, 20 to write, 1 to check. Practising to time matters more than practising often.
- Plan on paper first. Five minutes of jotting produces a better structure than diving in, and Text Structure is a whole criterion.
- Read it aloud afterwards. Children hear missing full stops they cannot see.
- Do not correct everything. Pick the one criterion with the most room to improve and work on that alone next time.
Get it marked against all ten criteria, free. Your child can type any of these prompts into BrightStar and get a score for each criterion with one specific thing to improve — the same criteria a NAPLAN marker uses. Try the writing practice →
Common questions
How long should a Year 3 NAPLAN response be?
There is no required length and no marks for volume. A well-structured piece of 150–200 words scores better than 400 rambling ones. Markers score what is there, not how much.
Will my child know whether it is narrative or persuasive?
Yes — the paper says which, and every child in the country gets the same one on the day. That is why practising both matters: you cannot know in advance which it will be.
Does handwriting count?
Year 3 NAPLAN writing is done on paper, and while handwriting is not one of the ten criteria, a marker has to be able to read it. Illegible words cannot be scored for spelling.
Is it worth practising the same prompt twice?
Yes, and it is underrated. The second attempt is where a child applies the feedback from the first, and that is when the criteria stop being abstract.
Written by Naveen, a parent in Sydney who built BrightStar as a free NAPLAN practice tool for his daughter. All content is checked against ACARA’s published marking guides. Spotted something wrong? Tell me.