NAPLAN marking criteria
VELS level
Audience
Supports reader’s understanding and begins to
engage and persuade reader through
language choices.
Text structure
Text contains an introduction, a body and
conclusion.
Meets the needs of audiences by
including appropriate background
information. (3)
Adapts writing to suit the audience
and purpose. (3)
Produces a variety of texts for
different purposes using structures
and features of language
appropriate to the purpose,
audience and context of the writing.
(4)
Uses appropriate structures to
achieve some organisation of the
subject matter. (2)
Extends knowledge of the structure
of a variety of text forms (such as
persuasive texts). (5)
Expresses a point of view providing
some information and supporting
detail. (3)
Writes arguments that states and
justifies a personal viewpoint. (5)
Identifies the main issues in a topic
and provides supporting detail and
evidence for opinions. (5)
Selects content, form and
vocabulary depending on the
purpose of writing. (2)
Explores the power of language and
the ways it can influence roles and
relationships and represent ideas,
information and concepts. (5)
Ideas
Persuasive devices
Vocabulary
Cohesion
Paragraphing
Sentence structure
Punctuation
Ideas are elaborated and presented as
general, rather than personal. They contribute
effectively to the writer’s position.
Effectively uses a range of persuasive devices,
including an anecdote, statistics, evidence and
examples and rhetorical questions. Makes
direct appeal to the audience (don’t get me
wrong; surely you will agree? Did you know?),
and begins sentence with But for rhetorical
purposes. Some ineffective use, for example;
the emphatic but ambiguous concluding
sentence (Animals in cages are wrong!).
Sustained and consistent use of precise words
and word groups (factory farmed, gnawing,
starved conditions, concrete cage, evidence,
free-ranged).
Meaning is clear on first reading and the text
flows well. Some word associations, but also
some repetition (eg. starved, someone). Uses
a range of connectives (we can see; this is
because, I wonder if …Most of the time, surely,
let me continue, even in the circus …). Uses
correct referring words (animals don’t
understand if they have abused…).
All paragraphs are focused on one idea or set
of like ideas.
Sentences are varied and mostly correct, with
a few errors (eg. Most of the time it’s an
accident because animals are wild attack and
when they think they are in danger.).
All sentence punctuation correct and correct
use of contractions, exclamation and question
Uses a range of vocabulary and
selects for precise meaning. (4)
Experiments with techniques to
influence others, including
vocabulary. (5)
Identifies and uses different parts of
speech, including nouns, pronouns,
adverbs, comparative adverbs and
adjectives, and uses appropriate
prepositions and conjunctions. (4)
Controls tenses and subject-verb
and noun-pronoun agreement. (5)
Writes texts containing logically
ordered paragraphs that express
opinions and includes ideas and
information about familiar topics. (3)
Uses a variety of sentence
structures. (4)
Uses capital letters, full stops and
question marks correctly. (2)
marks, commas to separate clauses and
phrases, capitals within sentences.
Error in possessive apostrophe (woman’s
instead of women’s).
Spelling
Correct spelling of simple words, common
words (with minor slip: wishs) and at least ten
difficult words.
Uses punctuation to support
meaning, including exclamation
marks and quotation marks, and
accurately uses full stops, commas
and question marks. (3)
Uses punctuation accurately,
including apostrophes. (4)
Proofreads and corrects spelling
errors. (5)