NAPLAN Narrative Writing: What Markers Look For in Year 5 and Year 7

Narrative NAPLAN writing trips up students who are good at persuasive writing. There's no clear structure to follow, no list of techniques to deploy, and the prompts can range from a single image to an unusual opening sentence.

But NAPLAN markers aren't looking for a perfect short story. They're looking for a piece of writing that demonstrates control, originality, and engagement. Here's what that means in practice.

The Three Things Narrative Markers Prioritise

1. Orientation → Complication → Resolution: The story needs a discernible shape. Something needs to happen and matter.
2. A distinct narrative voice: Not literary complexity — just a consistent, genuine sense of a storyteller. The reader should feel a presence behind the words.
3. Ideas that feel chosen: The best NAPLAN narratives make an unexpected choice — an unusual setting, an unexpected character, a complication that surprises. Predictable stories score lower.

The Opening: Don't Begin at the Beginning

The most common narrative mistake: starting the story too early. "One day, I woke up and decided to go to the park. I got dressed and had breakfast..." by which point the marker has already lost interest.

Band 6+ narratives begin in the middle of something — a moment of tension, an image, a line of dialogue, a decision. The reader is dropped into the story and finds their footing as they read.

Complication: Something Has to Matter

A NAPLAN narrative without a genuine complication scores in the Band 4–5 range regardless of how well it's written. The complication doesn't need to be dramatic — it needs to create stakes. Something needs to be uncertain, threatened, or discovered.

Common complication failure: a list of events happens, but none of them creates a problem that needs to be solved. "We went to the fair. We rode the rides. We had ice cream. It was fun." That's a recount, not a narrative.

Resolution: Earn the Ending

Band 5 endings: "And then everything was fine." or "I learnt an important lesson that day."

Band 6+ endings return to the story's central question and give a specific answer. If the character was afraid of something at the start, the ending addresses that fear — either resolved, deepened, or complicated. The reader should feel that the ending was earned, not just reached.

Vocabulary in Narrative: Show, Don't Decorate

Many students have been told that narratives need "descriptive language" — and they respond by inserting adjectives everywhere. "The beautiful, golden, warm sunshine sparkled brightly on the glistening, clear water." This is the opposite of what markers want.

Precise narrative language does specific work: it creates atmosphere, reveals character, or advances plot. "The sun sat low and mean on the horizon" tells you something. "The beautiful sun shone brightly" doesn't.

Practising Narrative: Three Exercises

1. Opening lines: Write five different first sentences for the same story prompt. Then choose the strongest and write the next three sentences. This builds the habit of planning openings before committing.
2. Complication cards: Write the words "but then" on a card and keep it visible during practice. Every story draft must have at least one "but then" moment.
3. Ending first: Write the last paragraph of your story before the first. Then write the beginning that earns that ending.