IGNITE practice tests and resources: official samples and study materials

IGNITE practice resources fall into three groups: official sample materials from ACER, structured drills and workbooks from Australian publishers, and the weekly materials used inside a guided programme such as the one offered by Braintree Coaching Australia. This page sets out what to use at each stage of the year, where to find verified materials, and how many full mock papers a child typically completes before the real sitting. For the broader picture — schools, eligibility and the single-application process — start with our IGNITE program preparation hub, then return here to plan the practice itself.

Where can we get the official IGNITE sample materials?

The most reliable starting point is the sample material published by the test administrator, ACER. These materials match the format, question style and difficulty of the real sitting, whereas third-party samples vary widely in quality and are best used as supplementary practice once the official baseline is set. Confirm first which paper your target school uses, because Glenunga International and Aberfoyle Park sit the ACER HAST while The Heights sits the dedicated ACER IGNITE assessment.

• Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) publishes the official HAST and IGNITE test information, component descriptions and sample questions. ACER builds and marks both papers, so its samples are the closest indicator of real question style and difficulty.
• The Department for Education, South Australia publishes the official policy on Special Interest schools and the IGNITE programs, including eligibility and the application framework for the three schools.
• The ACER IGNITE application portal at igniteassessment.acer.org carries the candidate information for each school's scheduled assessment. Because applications and dates are set there rather than on a single school site, confirm the details before buying any resource.

Sit an ACER sample under timed conditions early in the year as a diagnostic. Mark it carefully, identify the two weakest components, and use the result to shape the first three to four months of practice. A diagnostic that is not reviewed is wasted practice — set aside ninety minutes to mark and discuss it before the next attempt.

What kinds of practice materials does an IGNITE candidate actually need?

A complete IGNITE preparation kit covers four kinds of material: component-specific drills, full-length mock papers, vocabulary and writing rubrics, and a mistake-tracking log. Each addresses a different gap, and none replaces the others.

Material	Purpose	Frequency
Component-specific drills (reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, abstract reasoning)	Building accuracy on individual question types.	Daily, 20–30 minutes per session.
Full-length timed mock papers	Practising stamina, pacing and transitions across a 2–3 hour session.	Weekly in months 4–8; twice weekly in the final mocks phase.
Vocabulary lists with context sentences	Lifting reading comprehension and written expression scores.	20 new words per week throughout the plan.
Writing prompts with rubrics	Improving structure, vocabulary and timing under a timed write.	One timed write per week.
Mistake log	Identifying recurring errors and stopping them recurring.	After every drill or mock paper.

The single most important entry on this list is the mistake log. A student who reviews every wrong answer — and writes the type of mistake (not just the question) into a running list — improves significantly faster than one who simply sits more papers without review.

How many practice papers should a child sit?

A typical IGNITE preparation plan includes ten to fourteen full-length mock papers across nine to twelve months. The number matters less than the pacing: cluster mocks too early and the child plateaus; leave them too late and there is no time to act on the patterns.

1. Months 1–4 (foundations). One full-length paper early as a baseline (an ACER sample), and one more at the end of month four. The goal in this phase is accuracy under building conditions — not yet full pace.
2. Months 4–8 (component practice). One full-length paper every two to three weeks (about three to four papers in this phase), plus two timed component papers each week. Review every paper carefully before sitting the next.
3. Final 8 weeks (full mocks). One full-length paper roughly every two weeks under real conditions — timed, scored, no notes — tapering in the final fortnight. No new mock papers in assessment week.

A child who sits twelve mocks with thorough review reliably outperforms one who sits twenty-five without it. The review is where the marks are made. For a fuller week-by-week build-up, see our IGNITE preparation strategies. Because the IGNITE assessment shares its architecture with the national HAST paper, the practice-material advice in our HAST practice tests and resources guide applies directly to IGNITE candidates too.

What should we look for in a paid IGNITE question bank?

Paid third-party question banks vary considerably in quality. Before committing budget, check a bank against four criteria:

• Difficulty matched to the real test. Compare a sample question to the official ACER material. If the third-party questions are noticeably easier or harder — particularly in mathematical reasoning and abstract reasoning — the bank will not predict real performance.
• Solutions that explain the reasoning, not just the answer. Look for solutions that name the inference in a reading passage, the step in a maths problem or the transformation rule in an abstract reasoning item.
• Coverage across every component the child will sit. A bank that skips Written Expression leaves a quarter of the paper unprepared.
• Access through to the sitting. Confirm the access window covers the run-up to the scheduled ACER date.

Official sample materials from ACER, combined with a structured weekly routine, are sufficient for most families. A paid bank is a supplement, not a substitute for reviewing every mistake.

How should writing and abstract-reasoning practice fit in?

Written Expression responds fastest to deliberate practice but is the most often neglected. One timed write of 25 to 30 minutes per week, marked against a clear rubric covering ideas, organisation, language and conventions, lifts writing scores faster than any other single intervention. Plan first — five minutes of planning produces a stronger piece than the same time spent writing without a plan — and alternate weeks between creative and discursive forms, since neither child nor parent knows which the paper will set.

Abstract Reasoning rewards methodical practice with rotation, reflection, sequence and matrix puzzles, and it is often the component that separates strong general students from the very top of the high-ability cohort. Two 25-minute timed drill sessions a week in the component-practice phase, plus one mixed-pattern session, build cross-pattern recognition. When marking, ask the child to name the rule for every item — right or wrong — because only a named rule generalises to the next item.

What does this mean for preparation?

Start with the official ACER sample materials, build a weekly routine of component drills, vocabulary and one timed write, then add full-length mocks at the pace of the three-phase plan. Pair this page with our IGNITE assessment format guide to understand what each component measures and how results are scored, and with our IGNITE preparation strategies to see how these resources fit into a full timeline. Above all, confirm with the target school — through the ACER portal — which paper it uses and when it sits the assessment.