NAPLAN pen and paper return proposed to tackle literacy decline

7News Just In · Oct 31, 2026 · 2m

Australian education ministers are meeting to address declining literacy standards, with proposals to return NAPLAN writing tests to pen and paper format across all year levels. Currently only Year 3 students complete the test with pen and paper, while older students use computers. Neuroscientists argue that handwriting helps embed information more effectively than typing, whilst concerns exist about digital inequality and an entire generation potentially losing essential handwriting skills.

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