Test content and Assessment framework

The test has been designed to reflect the contexts in which aspiring teachers are likely to exercise personal literacy and numeracy: personal and community, schools and teaching, and further education and professional learning. All the personal literacy questions and the majority of personal numeracy questions are set within one of these three contexts.

Literacy

In the literacy test, about two-thirds of the questions are based on reading texts, and one-third assess technical skills of writing. The reading test is structured around three processes: 

  • access and identify
  • integrate and interpret
  • evaluate and reflect.

A number of text types are used as stimulus for the reading questions:

  • procedural, regulatory and technical
  • descriptive, informative and persuasive
  • narrative.

The content of the technical skills of writing assessment comprises four areas:

  • syntax and grammar
  • spelling
  • word usage
  • text organisation.

Numeracy

In the numeracy test, there will be questions on three content areas:

  • number and algebra
  • statistics and probability
  • measurement and geometry.

An on-screen calculator will be supplied for most of the numeracy questions, but a few questions will need to be answered without a calculator. Please view the Prepare - Test taking strategy page for more information on the functions of the on-screen calculator.

The personal numeracy test has a focus on the active aspect of numeracy, giving most weight to questions that require candidates to use their numeracy skills: that is, to apply mathematics to solve appropriate real-world problems.

Three numeracy processes are used to categorise numeracy items:

  • identifying mathematical information and meaning in activities and texts
  • using and applying mathematical knowledge and problem solving processes
  • interpreting, evaluating, communicating and representing mathematics.

Assessment Framework

You can also view the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students Assessment Framework for more information about the test.