NAPLAN past papers for Year 3 and Year 5
ACARA’s last public NAPLAN papers for Year 3 and Year 5, linked to ACARA with the answers, and online practice in the NAPLAN Online style.
Checked against the ACARA page on 30 October 2026.
How the 2016 papers were timed
NAPLAN has been online since 2023 (Year 3 Writing is still on paper), so the 2016 papers practise the content, not the screen. ACARA does not publish papers after 2016.
| Section | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reading (Year 3 / Year 5) | – | 45 minutes (Year 3), 50 minutes (Year 5) |
| Language conventions | 40 min | Both year levels |
| Numeracy (Year 3 / Year 5) | – | 45 minutes (Year 3), 50 minutes (Year 5) |
Source: ACARA, checked 30 Oct 2026. More on the format: What is in the NAPLAN tests (ACARA) · NAPLAN practice tests.
Year 3, 2016
| Section | Time | Paper | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 45 min | Questions PDF Reading magazine PDF | Answer key PDF |
| Language conventions | 40 min | Questions PDF | Answer key PDF |
| Numeracy | 45 min | Questions PDF | Answer key PDF |
ACARA NAPLAN 2016 paper test (© ACARA). NAPLAN papers are © ACARA and licensed for personal use only, so we link to ACARA rather than copy them. The links open the publisher’s own copies. Source page, checked 30 Oct 2026.
Year 5, 2016
| Section | Time | Paper | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 50 min | Questions PDF Reading magazine PDF | Answer key PDF |
| Language conventions | 40 min | Questions PDF | Answer key PDF |
| Numeracy | 50 min | Questions PDF | Answer key PDF |
ACARA NAPLAN 2016 paper test (© ACARA). NAPLAN papers are © ACARA and licensed for personal use only, so we link to ACARA rather than copy them. The links open the publisher’s own copies. Source page, checked 30 Oct 2026.
Sit a full paper on screen, auto-marked
The real test is on a computer. These are our own papers, free with a Test Academy account: timed like the real sections, marked as soon as your child finishes, with an explanation for every question.
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Sit this paper online, auto-marked
Year 3 NAPLAN practice test 01
Our first Year 3 test, sat online in the NAPLAN Online style.
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Sit this paper online, auto-marked
Year 5 NAPLAN practice test 01
Our first Year 5 test, sat online in the NAPLAN Online style.
Also free: ACARA’s public demonstration site, which shows the real test screen.
How to use the NAPLAN past papers
ACARA's 2016 papers are the most recent NAPLAN tests it has made public. The skills they test have not changed; the way the test is sat has.
Use them for the content
Reading, language conventions and numeracy cover the same ground today. Sit one paper at a time under its printed time limit, mark it with ACARA's answers and go back over each miss together.
The Reading paper needs its magazine
The Reading questions refer to texts in a separate reading magazine. Open both PDFs before your child starts.
Then practise the online format
NAPLAN is now sat online, and the tests branch: the next part of the test depends on how a student is going. ACARA's public demonstration site shows the question types, and our online practice tests are timed and marked automatically.
Writing
Year 3 still writes on paper. ACARA publishes example narrative and persuasive prompts and the marking guides on its "What's in the tests" page.
What these papers are and are not
- ACARA does not provide NAPLAN papers after 2016, and its terms do not allow them to be uploaded elsewhere, so every link opens ACARA’s own copy.
- Writing prompts and marking guides are on ACARA’s "What’s in the tests" page.
FAQ
Where can I find NAPLAN past papers?
ACARA publishes the paper tests from 2008 to 2016, with answers. It does not release later tests. The links on this page open ACARA’s own copies of the 2016 Year 3 and Year 5 papers.
Are the 2016 papers still useful?
For the content, yes: the reading, language conventions and numeracy skills are the same. The format is not: NAPLAN is now sat online with adaptive (branching) tests, so practise on screen as well.