Students stumped by 'confusing' NAPLAN writing question

NAPLAN literacy results have slipped, with "a substantial increase" in the number of students scoring a zero because they may have found the test confusing.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), which runs NAPLAN, is investigating problems with the writing question, Fairfax Media reports.

However, it is also suggested that the lower test scores might have come about because schools over-prepared.

One of the main criticisms of NAPLAN is that teachers coach students specifically for the test at the expense of the curriculum.

To counter the trend, ACARA this year decided not to reveal whether the writing task would involve a narrative or persuasive piece.

Students were asked to write a persuasive piece, using the prompt "which law or rule would you make better in your view".

ACARA chief executive Robert Randall concedes the question may have been confusing for some primary school students.

But he also says the results may indicate schools are teaching to the test and students performed poorly because they were wrongly prepared for a narrative piece.

News Corp Australia says students in Year 3 and Year 5 recorded the greatest decline in marks. However, writing performance has dropped in all years since 2011.