NAPLAN key terms

The person or group a piece of writing is aimed at. Writers adjust tone, word choice and detail depending on whether readers are children, teachers, experts or the general public.

The reason a text is written, such as to persuade, inform, entertain or explain. Purpose shapes structure, vocabulary and how much evidence the writer includes.

A group of sentences about one main idea, marked by a line break or indentation. Well-built paragraphs usually open with a topic sentence and stay focused.

The sentence that states the main idea of a paragraph, usually placed first. It signals what the rest of the paragraph will explain, describe or argue.

The way sentences and paragraphs hold together so a text reads smoothly. Cohesion comes from linking words, repeated key terms and a logical order of ideas.

A word or phrase that links ideas, such as however, therefore, in addition or on the other hand. Connectives show relationships like contrast, cause or sequence between sentences.

Writing that tells a story with characters, setting, a problem and a sequence of events. Narratives often build tension and end with some kind of resolution.

The time and place in which a story happens. Details of setting can create mood and influence what characters are able to do.

The techniques a writer uses to build a character, including description, actions, speech and what others say. Strong characterisation shows personality rather than simply listing traits.

The point in a story where the main conflict is settled and loose ends are tied up. It usually follows the climax and can leave the reader with a final impression.

Writing that aims to convince readers to accept a viewpoint or take action. It typically uses a clear position, supporting reasons, evidence and emotive or evaluative language.

Reviewing a draft to fix errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure. Editing comes after planning and drafting, and before the final proofread.

An early version of a piece of writing that is later revised and improved. Drafting lets a writer get ideas down before polishing wording and structure.

A final careful check of a text for surface errors such as typos, missing words and punctuation slips. It is the last stage before a piece is submitted.

The central point a text or section is built around. Identifying it helps readers separate essential information from supporting detail.

A fact, example or description that backs up the main idea. Supporting details make an argument or explanation convincing rather than vague.

A conclusion a reader reaches by combining clues in the text with background knowledge. The answer is not stated directly but is strongly suggested by the evidence.

Information in the surrounding words or sentences that helps a reader work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Clues may be definitions, examples, contrasts or restatements.

A word with a similar meaning to another word, such as big and large. Synonyms are useful for recognising paraphrased ideas in comprehension questions.

A word with an opposite meaning to another word, such as hot and cold. Antonyms often appear in contrast clues that reveal a word's meaning.

A distinction between statements that can be checked and shown true or false, and statements that express beliefs or feelings. Recognising the difference helps readers judge how reliable a text is.

Reading quickly to locate a specific piece of information, such as a date or name, without reading every word. The eyes move rapidly over the text looking for key terms.

Reading quickly to get a general sense of a text's topic and structure. Readers often skim headings, first sentences and conclusions before reading closely.

A word that names a person, place, thing or idea, such as teacher, city, pencil or freedom. Nouns can be common or proper, and singular or plural.

A word that expresses an action or a state of being, such as run, think or is. Verbs change form to show tense and must agree with their subject.

A word that describes or gives more information about a noun, such as tall, ancient or friendly. Adjectives can often be compared using -er and -est or more and most.

A word that modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb, often telling how, when or where. Many adverbs end in -ly, such as quickly, rarely and outside.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person. A singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.

The form of a verb that shows when an action happens, such as past, present or future. Consistent tense keeps a piece of writing clear and easy to follow.

A word used in place of a noun, such as he, she, it, they or them. Pronouns must refer clearly to the noun they replace so readers are not confused.

A group of words containing a subject and a verb. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, while a dependent clause cannot.

A group of words punctuated as a sentence but missing a subject, a verb or a complete thought. Fragments are usually corrected by joining them to a nearby sentence.

An error in which two independent clauses are joined only by a comma. It is fixed by adding a conjunction, using a semicolon or splitting the sentence.

A punctuation mark used to show possession, as in the dog's bowl, or to mark a contraction, as in don't. Its placement changes meaning in plural possessives.

Marks such as full stops, commas, question marks and quotation marks that organise written text and clarify meaning. Correct punctuation shows where sentences and ideas begin and end.

One of two or more words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings, such as their, there and they're. Choosing the right one is a common spelling test point.

The value a digit has because of its position in a number. In 4,382 the 3 is worth 300 because it sits in the hundreds column.

A number that represents part of a whole, written as one number over another, such as three quarters. The bottom number shows how many equal parts the whole is divided into.

A number written using a decimal point to show parts of a whole, such as 2.75. The digits after the point represent tenths, hundredths and so on.

A fraction or ratio expressed as a number out of one hundred, shown with the percent sign. Fifty percent means fifty parts in every hundred.

Replacing a number with a nearby value that has fewer digits, based on the next digit. If that digit is five or more, the number rounds up.

Finding an approximate answer by rounding numbers or using mental strategies. Estimation is useful for checking whether a calculated answer is reasonable.