The 2026 NAPLAN results from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) show that grammar and punctuation is the area where Australian students need the most support in English. Around 44% of Year 3 and Year 9 students are working below the Strong proficiency level. Spelling is the strongest area from Year 5 onwards, reading dips in the high school years, and girls outperform boys in writing at every year level. NAPLAN 2027 will be held from Wednesday 10 March to Monday 22 March 2027, early in Term 1, so the school holidays are one of the best times to build literacy skills at home.
This guide covers the 2026 English results nationally and for every state and territory. It explains what the results mean for your child and offers practical ways to support their reading and writing over the holidays.
Looking for maths? See our guide to the NAPLAN 2026 numeracy results by state.
How NAPLAN measures English skills
NAPLAN tests literacy in four areas: reading, writing, spelling, and grammar and punctuation. The last two are grouped together as conventions of language. Each student's result is reported in one of four proficiency levels: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs additional support.
Students at the Strong level are meeting challenging but reasonable expectations for their year level. Students at the Developing level are working towards those expectations. Because NAPLAN's scale was reset in 2023, results can be compared from 2023 onwards. For a closer look at what each level means for your child, see Is My Child Behind? NAPLAN Proficiency Levels Explained.
The national picture
The table below shows the share of Australian students in the Developing or Needs additional support levels, meaning below the Strong level, in each English domain in 2026.
| Australia: below Strong, 2026 | Year 3 | Year 5 | Year 7 | Year 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 32.2% | 27.2% | 31.5% | 36.2% |
| Writing* | 23.9% | 32.6% | 35.9% | 38.4% |
| Spelling | 36.2% | 28.3% | 25.8% | 26.9% |
| Grammar and punctuation | 44.0% | 35.2% | 38.2% | 44.2% |
Source: ACARA, NAPLAN National Results 2026. *ACARA advises caution when interpreting 2026 writing results (see below).
ACARA's commentary reports that differences in average scores since 2023 were negligible across all domains and year levels. These gaps are stable, but they aren't closing on their own.
Grammar and punctuation: the biggest gap, and a widening spread
Grammar and punctuation has the highest share of students below the Strong level at every year level. In Year 9, 44.2% of students are below Strong, the highest share of any English domain at any year level.
Look a little closer and there's a second story: results in grammar and punctuation are spreading out. More students are reaching the top level, but more are also in the lowest level:
| Grammar and punctuation, Australia | 2023 Exceeding | 2026 Exceeding | 2023 Needs additional support | 2026 Needs additional support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 3 | 8.6% | 11.0% | 13.3% | 16.3% |
| Year 7 | 13.8% | 17.6% | 10.6% | 15.4% |
| Year 9 | 13.5% | 15.9% | 12.9% | 15.6% |
Source: ACARA, NAPLAN National Results 2023 and 2026
The rise in Year 7 students needing additional support in grammar and punctuation happened in every reported state and territory. ACARA considers overall changes in average scores negligible, but this pattern suggests some students are pulling ahead while others are falling further behind.
Grammar and punctuation matter across every subject, from science reports to history essays, and they carry more weight in high school assessments. They're also skills that respond well to short, regular practice. Our grammar and punctuation tutoring page covers how we support this area.
Reading dips in high school
Reading is relatively strong in primary school: 27.2% of Year 5 students are below the Strong level. By Year 9 that rises to 36.2%. High school texts are longer and more complex, and they ask students to infer meaning, compare perspectives and analyse how language works, not just follow a story. Many children also read less for pleasure as they get older, which reduces the practice that builds comprehension. See our reading comprehension tutoring page for more.
Spelling is the strongest area
From Year 5 onwards, spelling is one of the strongest literacy domains, with around 70% or more of students at Strong or above. In Year 7, 24.1% of students reached the Exceeding level. Year 3 is the exception: 36.2% of Year 3 students are below the Strong level, which reflects how much early readers are still developing phonics and word knowledge. Our spelling and vocabulary and phonics and early reading pages explain how we help.
Girls outperform boys in writing
The share of students in the Exceeding level for writing was higher for girls than boys at every year level, and the gap grew with age: 9.6% compared with 6.5% in Year 3, rising to 27.5% compared with 16.1% in Year 9. In Year 9, girls' average writing score was 591.4, compared with 553.3 for boys.
A note on writing results. ACARA has flagged that a technical issue affected many Year 5, 7 and 9 students who sat the writing test on 11 March 2026. National results were found to be minimally affected, but ACARA advises caution when interpreting them. The gender pattern above is consistent with previous years.
English results by state and territory
The two tables below show the share of students below the Strong level in grammar and punctuation, the weakest domain nationally, and in reading.
| Grammar and punctuation: below Strong, 2026 | Year 3 | Year 5 | Year 7 | Year 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 44.0% | 35.2% | 38.2% | 44.2% |
| ACT | 38.7% | 29.8% | 32.6% | 38.3% |
| New South Wales | 39.9% | 31.9% | 34.9% | 42.1% |
| Northern Territory | 68.0% | 60.1% | 64.2% | 66.9% |
| Queensland | 51.2% | 41.2% | 43.6% | 49.2% |
| South Australia | 50.2% | 40.1% | 42.7% | 49.1% |
| Tasmania | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| Victoria | 38.1% | 30.5% | 34.7% | 41.5% |
| Western Australia | 48.4% | 37.4% | 39.0% | 41.0% |
| Reading: below Strong, 2026 | Year 3 | Year 5 | Year 7 | Year 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 32.2% | 27.2% | 31.5% | 36.2% |
| ACT | 25.7% | 21.1% | 24.0% | 27.8% |
| New South Wales | 29.7% | 25.8% | 29.3% | 35.3% |
| Northern Territory | 58.2% | 52.8% | 55.7% | 58.6% |
| Queensland | 39.1% | 31.2% | 37.7% | 43.3% |
| South Australia | 36.5% | 30.3% | 35.6% | 41.5% |
| Tasmania | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| Victoria | 25.7% | 22.3% | 26.6% | 31.5% |
| Western Australia | 36.6% | 30.4% | 32.6% | 30.6% |
Source: ACARA, NAPLAN National Results 2026
As with numeracy, ACARA tests each state's results for both statistical significance and the size of the difference. For most states and domains in 2026, results are classed as close to the national average. The exceptions are noted in each section below. Changes since 2023 within each state are small, so treat them as signposts rather than trends.
New South Wales
NSW students are strong in spelling. 28.3% of Year 7 students reached the Exceeding level, the highest share of any state or territory. Writing is improving at the top end too, with the share of Year 9 students in Exceeding rising from 18.0% in 2023 to 22.1%.
Grammar and punctuation is the area to watch. 42.1% of NSW Year 9 students are below the Strong level, and the share of Year 7 students needing additional support rose from 9.7% to 13.5%. Reading also dips in high school, with 35.3% of Year 9 students below Strong. Both skills feed directly into HSC English, where close reading and precise written expression drive results. Find out more about English tutoring for Sydney and NSW students.
Victoria
Victoria recorded the highest share of Year 9 students in the Exceeding level for writing of any state or territory, at 25.4%, up from 19.3% in 2023. The share of Year 9 students below Strong in writing also fell, from 34.0% to 31.4%. Year 3 spelling improved, with the share below Strong dropping from 35.0% to 31.0%.
Victorian students share the national pattern in grammar and punctuation. 41.5% of Year 9 students are below the Strong level, and the share of Year 7 students needing additional support rose from 8.1% to 12.7%. For students heading towards VCE English, the text response and analysis skills built in Years 8 to 10 rely heavily on confident grammar and clear sentence structure. Our VCE and HSC English support page covers this in more detail, and you can find out more about English tutoring for Melbourne and Victorian students.
Queensland
Queensland shows encouraging signs in writing. The share of Year 5 students below Strong fell from 42.0% in 2023 to 39.2%, and more Year 9 students reached Exceeding, up from 16.7% to 18.2%.
Grammar and punctuation and reading are where Queensland students need the most support. More than half of Year 3 students (51.2%) are below the Strong level in grammar and punctuation, and 21.0% are in the Needs additional support level, up from 16.4% in 2023. In reading, 43.3% of Year 9 students are below Strong. ACARA classes Queensland's Year 3 spelling and Year 7 writing results as below the national average. Strong foundations in early literacy make a real difference in the lead-up to QCE English. Find out more about English tutoring for Brisbane and Queensland students.
South Australia
South Australian writing improved at the top end. The share of Year 9 students in the Exceeding level rose from 15.4% in 2023 to 19.8%, and the share of Year 7 students below Strong fell from 42.2% to 39.8%.
Reading is the area to watch. The share of students below Strong rose slightly at every year level since 2023: from 32.6% to 36.5% in Year 3, 25.8% to 30.3% in Year 5, 32.1% to 35.6% in Year 7, and 37.5% to 41.5% in Year 9. Grammar and punctuation is also a priority, with around half of Year 3 and Year 9 students below Strong. These skills matter as students move towards SACE, which includes a literacy requirement. Find out more about English tutoring for Adelaide and SA students.
Western Australia
Western Australia's high school reading results are among the strongest in the country. Only 30.6% of Year 9 students are below the Strong level, compared with 36.2% nationally. Year 9 writing also improved, with the share below Strong falling from 38.5% in 2023 to 35.2%.
That matters in WA, because students may prequalify for the WACE literacy and numeracy standard through their Year 9 NAPLAN reading, writing and numeracy results. The prequalification point sits within the Strong level, though, so a student can be at Strong without yet meeting the WACE standard. Confident reading and writing in Years 7 and 8 set students up well for Year 9 NAPLAN.
Younger WA students need more support. 48.4% of Year 3 students are below Strong in grammar and punctuation, and the share of Year 3 students in the Exceeding level for writing fell from 7.3% to 3.0%. Find out more about English tutoring for Perth and WA students.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory showed small improvements in spelling and writing in the high school years. The share of Year 9 students below Strong in spelling fell from 51.7% in 2023 to 48.7%, and more Year 9 students reached Exceeding in writing, up from 9.0% to 11.3%.
More than half of NT students in every year level are still working towards the expected level across English domains, and ACARA classes NT results as substantially below the national average. These results need context. The NT has a unique mix of urban, regional and very remote schools, many children speak more than one language, and participation is lower than elsewhere in Australia. For families a long way from in-person support, flexible online learning can help children build reading and writing skills at home. You can check NT school term dates to plan around the holidays.
Australian Capital Territory
The ACT recorded the strongest reading results in the country. Its Year 9 reading result is the only state-level English result in 2026 that ACARA classes as above the national average. 25.4% of Year 3 students reached the Exceeding level in reading, the highest share of any state or territory, and only 27.8% of Year 9 students are below Strong.
The ACT also made gains in early literacy. The share of Year 3 students below Strong in grammar and punctuation fell from 43.4% to 38.7%, and in spelling from 38.3% to 33.7%. Even so, 38.3% of Year 9 students are below Strong in grammar and punctuation. Many capable ACT students would also benefit from extension in writing, where the share of students at Exceeding is similar to the national average. Find out more about online tutoring for ACT students.
Tasmania
Tasmania's 2026 achievement results were not reported. ACARA determined that participation was too low to support valid reporting, with between 58% and 70% of students sitting at least one test depending on year level. Tasmanian parents can use their child's individual NAPLAN report, school report and conversations with their teacher as the best guide to how they're tracking. Find out more about online tutoring for Tasmanian students.
Why NAPLAN 2027's timing matters
The NAPLAN 2027 test window runs from Wednesday 10 March to Monday 22 March 2027, only five to six weeks after most students return to school. With a busy first term, there's little time to revisit the previous year's skills. As we explain in our numeracy results guide, NAPLAN measures skills built over time, so steady practice beats cramming, and the summer holidays are the ideal window. Our free NAPLAN practice tests can also help your child get familiar with the question styles before test day.
Holiday literacy ideas by year level
Short and regular works best, around 15 to 20 minutes a few times a week.
Heading into Year 3: Read aloud together every day and let your child read to you. Practise sounding out unfamiliar words, and notice how sentences begin with capital letters and end with full stops or question marks. Year 3 writing is still done on paper, so some handwriting practice helps too.
Heading into Year 5: Encourage a variety of reading, such as novels, non-fiction and kids' news. Practise commas in lists, apostrophes for contractions and ownership, and organising ideas into paragraphs.
Heading into Year 7: Build narrative writing and persuasive writing skills with a clear structure. When talking about books, ask why the author made certain choices, not just what happened.
Heading into Year 9: Focus on persuasive writing that uses evidence and varied sentence structures. Practise more advanced punctuation such as colons and semicolons, and read longer, more challenging texts to build the stamina and inference skills Year 9 reading requires.
For every year level: Students don't know in advance whether the NAPLAN writing task will be persuasive or narrative, so practise both. Most of all, keep reading enjoyable. Children who read regularly build vocabulary, grammar and comprehension almost without noticing. Our NAPLAN English and literacy page has more on preparing without the pressure.
How Kinetic Education helps
Kinetic Education is an Australian online tutoring company, founded in 1993 and based in Frankston, Victoria. It has supported more than 100,000 families across every state and territory. Our online English tutoring covers Foundation to Year 12, aligned to the Australian Curriculum. It's built around the areas where the NAPLAN data shows students need the most help.
Learning tailored to your child's level. We identify your child's English skills and build a personalised weekly learning plan around the level they're ready for. That means earlier gaps in spelling, grammar or reading are revisited instead of skipped.
Short, interactive lessons. Our English Wiz tutorials break each concept into clear steps using pictures, animations, text and audio. Activities include typing, click-and-drag and missing words or letters, with instant feedback and explanations. Short lessons fit easily into the holidays and make regular practice realistic.
Real tutor feedback on writing. Each family is assigned an Australian-based tutor who holds a current Working with Children Check. Your tutor oversees your child's learning plan and progress. They can also set extra writing tasks and give feedback on planning, structure, grammar, punctuation and clarity, the exact skills behind the biggest gaps in the 2026 results. You'll receive a weekly progress report and regular calls from your tutor.
Support for different learners. Kinetic Education supports children who need to catch up, those ready for extension, and neurodivergent learners, including children with dyslexia and dysgraphia.
Rewards that keep kids motivated. Children earn points for every activity and swap them for real rewards, including gift cards from Smiggle, Myer and WISH.
Kinetic Education is the #1 ranked provider in Tutoring & Kids Programs on ProductReview.com.au, with category awards in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Tutoring starts from $29 a week for the family, and new families can start with 2 weeks free.
Related articles
- NAPLAN 2026 Results by State: What They Mean for Your Child's Maths
- Is My Child Behind? NAPLAN Proficiency Levels Explained
- NAPLAN Results Are Out: Why a Single Score Doesn't Define Your Child
- What Is NAPLAN? A Complete Parent Guide to NAPLAN Testing
Sources
- ACARA, NAPLAN National Results, including the 2026 NAPLAN National Results Commentary and national results dataset
- National Assessment Program, NAPLAN key dates
- National Assessment Program, What's in the tests
- School Curriculum and Standards Authority (WA), Prequalification through NAPLAN