What Ponder’s built-in practice covers in Year 9, set by set, with the content descriptions each set is tagged with.
In Year 9, Ponder has 19 practice sets: 6 in maths (pythagoras and trigonometry; binomials, index laws and simple interest; scientific notation and comparing data; and more), 5 in English (nominalisation, word choice and sentence effects; perspective, voice and symbolism; summarising, quoting and referencing; and more) and 5 in science (reactions, atoms and energy; body control, reproduction and the carbon cycle; waves, the atom and radioactivity; and more), plus HASS, wellbeing and study skills. Sets are tagged with Australian Curriculum v9.0 content descriptions, and every question has hints that guide rather than give the answer.
Free check: see what is going well in Year 9 maths or English, and what to practise next →
Ladders, kites and the Cartesian plane: right-angled triangles at work.
For parents: By the end of Year 9, your child should be able to use Pythagoras’ theorem and trigonometry in right-angled triangles, and find gradient, midpoint and distance between points.
AC9M9M03solve spatial problems, applying angle properties, scale, similarity, Pythagoras’ theorem and trigonometry in right-angled trianglesAC9M9A03find the gradient of a line segment, the midpoint of the line interval and the distance between 2 distinct points on the Cartesian planeA right-angled triangle has shorter sides of 9 cm and 12 cm. How long is the hypotenuse?
Expand and factorise quadratics, use index laws and work out interest.
For parents: By the end of Year 9, your child should be able to use index laws with variables, expand and factorise simple quadratics, and work out simple interest.
AC9M9A01apply the exponent laws to numerical expressions with integer exponents and extend to variablesAC9M9A02simplify algebraic expressions, expand binomial products and factorise monic quadratic expressionsAC9M9A04identify and graph quadratic functions, solve quadratic equations graphically and numerically, and solve monic quadratic equations with integer roots algebraically, using graphing software and digital tools as appropriateAC9M9A05use mathematical modelling to solve applied problems involving change including financial contexts; formulate problems, choosing to use either linear or quadratic functions; interpret solutions in terms of the situation; evaluate the model and report methods and findingsExpand and simplify (x + 4)(x + 3).
Write huge and tiny measurements neatly, then compare two sets of results.
For parents: By the end of Year 9, your child should be able to write very large and very small numbers in scientific notation, and compare two sets of data.
AC9M9M02solve problems involving very small and very large measurements, time scales and intervals expressed in scientific notationAC9M9ST03represent the distribution of multiple data sets for numerical variables using comparative representations; compare data distributions with consideration of centre, spread and shape, and the effect of outliers on these measuresThe Sun is about 150 000 000 km from Earth. Write this distance in scientific notation.
Pick marbles with and without replacement, then wrap boxes and tins.
For parents: By the end of Year 9, your child should be able to list outcomes with and without replacement, estimate probabilities from data, and find the surface area of prisms and cylinders.
AC9M9P01list all outcomes for compound events both with and without replacement, using lists, tree diagrams, tables or arrays; assign probabilities to outcomesAC9M9P02calculate relative frequencies from given or collected data to estimate probabilities of events involving “and”, inclusive “or” and exclusive “or”AC9M9M01solve problems involving the volume and surface area of right prisms and cylinders using appropriate unitsA bag has 3 red and 2 blue marbles. One marble is picked, put back, and then a second marble is picked. What is the probability that both are red?
Pronumerals, writing and substituting into expressions, and solving simple equations.
For parents: Across Years 7 to 9, your child learns to use letters for unknown numbers, substitute into expressions, and solve simple equations.
AC9M7A01recognise and use variables to represent everyday formulas algebraically and substitute values into formulas to determine an unknownAC9M7A03solve one-variable linear equations with natural number solutions; verify the solution by substitutionAC9M8A01create, expand, factorise, rearrange and simplify linear expressions, applying the associative, commutative, identity, distributive and inverse propertiesWhich expression means “5 more than a number n”?
Choices: 5n · n + 5 · n − 5 · 5 − n
Discounts, class surveys and percentage increase, in dollars and cents.
For parents: Across Years 7 to 10, your child learns to work out discounts, percentage increases and decreases, and compare amounts as percentages.
AC9M7N06use the 4 operations with positive rational numbers including fractions, decimals and percentages to solve problems using efficient calculation strategiesAC9M7N09use mathematical modelling to solve practical problems, involving rational numbers and percentages, including financial contexts; formulate problems, choosing representations and efficient calculation strategies, using digital tools as appropriate; interpret and communicate solutions in terms of the situation, justifying choices made about the representationAC9M8N05use mathematical modelling to solve practical problems involving rational numbers and percentages, including financial contexts; formulate problems, choosing efficient calculation strategies and using digital tools where appropriate; interpret and communicate solutions in terms of the situation, reviewing the appropriateness of the modelWhat is 25% of $80?
Turn actions into ideas, weigh word choices and break sentence rules on purpose.
For parents: By the end of Year 9, your child should be able to turn actions into ideas (nominalisation), weigh how word choice sets tone, and vary sentences for effect.
AC9E9LA06understand how abstract nouns and nominalisation can be used to summarise ideas in textAC9E9LA08analyse how vocabulary choices contribute to style, mood and toneAC9E9LA05identify how authors vary sentence structures creatively for effects, such as intentionally using a dependent clause on its own or a sentence fragmentNominalise the verb to complete the sentence.
A house for sale and a lemon tree: read how voice and symbol carry what nobody says.
For parents: By the end of Year 9, your child should be able to analyse how voice, symbolism and perspective shape a story and what it says about people and places.
AC9E9LE05analyse the effect of text structures, language features and literary devices such as extended metaphor, metonymy, allegory, symbolism and intertextual referencesAC9E9LE01analyse the representations of people and places in literary texts, drawn from historical, social and cultural contexts, by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authorsAC9E9LE04analyse texts and evaluate the aesthetic qualities and appeal of an author’s literary styleFrom whose perspective is the story told?
Choices: First person, by Nonna’s grandchild · First person, by Nonna · Third person, by an all-knowing narrator
Summarise an extract about the Dog Fence, then quote, paraphrase and cite it properly (from a made-up practice source).
For parents: By the end of Year 9, your child should be able to summarise a text, quote and paraphrase it, and reference sources correctly.
AC9E9LY05use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring, questioning and inferring to compare and contrast ideas and opinions in and between textsAC9E9LA09understand punctuation conventions for referencing and citing others for formal and informal purposesAC9E9LY04analyse the organisation of ideas in paragraphs and extended texts, and evaluate its impact on meaningWhich is the best one-sentence summary of the extract?
Choices: The Dog Fence was built to protect sheep from dingoes, but it has also changed ecosystems on either side. · The Dog Fence is about 5,600 kilometres long. · Dingoes are dangerous animals that should be kept out of every state.
Spot and use the tools persuasive writers rely on: emotive words, evidence, rhetorical questions and more.
For parents: Across Years 7 to 10, your child learns to spot persuasive techniques such as emotive words, evidence and rhetorical questions, and explain their effect.
AC9E7LY03analyse the ways in which language features shape meaning and vary according to audience and purposeAC9E9LY03analyse and evaluate how language features are used to represent a perspective of an issue, event, situation, individual or groupAC9E10LY03analyse and evaluate how language features are used to implicitly or explicitly represent values, beliefs and attitudes“Don’t you want a cleaner, safer park for your children?” Which technique is this?
Choices: Statistics · Expert opinion · Rhetorical question · Anecdote
Similes, metaphors, personification and onomatopoeia, and what they add to a text.
For parents: Across Years 7 to 9, your child learns to recognise similes, metaphors, personification and onomatopoeia, and explain what they add to a text.
AC9E8LA02understand how layers of meaning can be created when evaluating by using literary devices such as simile and metaphorAC9E8LE05analyse how language features such as sentence patterns create tone, and literary devices such as imagery create meaning and effectAC9E9LA02understand how evaluation can be expressed directly and indirectly using devices such as allusion, evocative vocabulary and metaphor“The classroom was a zoo after lunch.” What kind of figurative language is this?
Choices: Simile · Metaphor · Personification · Onomatopoeia
Conservation of mass, balancing equations, efficiency, the carbon cycle and what is inside an atom.
For parents: By the end of Year 9, your child should be able to balance simple chemical equations, describe the carbon cycle, work out energy efficiency, and describe the atom.
AC9S9U03represent the carbon cycle and examine how key processes including combustion, photosynthesis and respiration rely on interactions between Earth’s spheres (the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere)AC9S9U05apply the law of conservation of energy to analyse system efficiency in terms of energy inputs, outputs, transfers and transformationsAC9S9U06explain how the model of the atom changed following the discovery of electrons, protons and neutrons and describe how natural radioactive decay results in stable atomsAC9S9U07model the rearrangement of atoms in chemical reactions using a range of representations, including word and simple balanced chemical equations, and use these to demonstrate the law of conservation of mass12 g of magnesium burns in oxygen to make 20 g of magnesium oxide. What mass of oxygen reacted, in grams?
Nerves versus hormones, negative feedback, strawberry runners and carbon on the move.
For parents: By the end of Year 9, your child should be able to compare how nerves and hormones control the body, describe reproduction in plants and animals, and trace the carbon cycle.
AC9S9U01compare the role of body systems in regulating and coordinating the body’s response to a stimulus, and describe the operation of a negative feedback mechanismAC9S9U02describe the form and function of reproductive cells and organs in animals and plants, and analyse how the processes of sexual and asexual reproduction enable survival of the speciesAC9S9U03represent the carbon cycle and examine how key processes including combustion, photosynthesis and respiration rely on interactions between Earth’s spheres (the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere)Which response is controlled mainly by the endocrine system (hormones), rather than by nerve impulses?
Choices: Pulling your hand away from a hot pan · Blood glucose falling back to normal over the hour after a meal · Blinking when a ball flies at your face
Silent space, the wave equation, the electromagnetic spectrum, half-life and Rutherford’s gold foil.
For parents: By the end of Year 9, your child should be able to describe how waves carry energy, the structure of the atom, and radioactive decay.
AC9S9U04use wave and particle models to describe energy transfer through different mediums and examine the usefulness of each model for explaining phenomenaAC9S9U06explain how the model of the atom changed following the discovery of electrons, protons and neutrons and describe how natural radioactive decay results in stable atomsAstronauts on a spacewalk need radios to talk, even when they are close together. Why can’t sound travel through the vacuum of space?
Choices: It is too cold in space for sound · Sound is blocked by sunlight · There are no particles to pass the vibrations along
The building blocks of life: cell parts, plant and animal cells, and using a microscope.
For parents: Across Years 8 to 10, your child learns to describe the parts of plant and animal cells and what they do, and how cells build tissues and organs.
AC9S8U01recognise cells as the basic units of living things, compare plant and animal cells, and describe the functions of specialised cell structures and organellesAC9S8U02analyse the relationship between structure and function of cells, tissues and organs in a plant and an animal organ system and explain how these systems enable survival of the individualWhich part of a cell controls its activities and holds its DNA?
Choices: Cell membrane · Cytoplasm · Nucleus · Vacuole
Balanced and unbalanced forces, friction, gravity and speed.
For parents: Across Years 7 to 9, your child learns to explain balanced and unbalanced forces, including friction and gravity, and how they change motion.
AC9S7U04investigate and represent balanced and unbalanced forces, including gravitational force, acting on objects, and relate changes in an object’s motion to its mass and the magnitude and direction of forces acting on itA book rests on a table without moving. Which statement about the forces on it is true?
Choices: There are no forces on it · The forces on it are balanced · The pull down is bigger than the push up · Only the table pushes on it
Interest, risk, the circular flow of the economy, and how steam power changed lives.
For parents: By the end of Year 9, your child should be able to explain how people and businesses manage money, risk and reward, and how the Industrial Revolution changed lives.
AC9HE9K01the role of Australia’s financial sector and its effect on economic decision-making by individuals, businesses and global marketsAC9HE9K02how economic decision-making involves the interdependence of consumers, businesses, the financial sector and governmentAC9HE9K05how individuals and businesses manage consumer and financial risks and rewardsAC9HH9K13the social, economic, political, technological and/or environmental causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution on Europe in the late 18th and 19th centuryAC9HH9K16the different perspectives and experiences of men, women and children during the Industrial Revolution, and their changing way of lifeYou put $500 in a savings account that pays 4% simple interest per year. How much interest do you earn in one year, in dollars?
Handle test stress, protect your sleep and know what to do about online bullying.
For parents: Across Years 7 to 10, your child learns to use a few ways to handle stress and protect their sleep, and know what to do about online bullying.
A general-capabilities set (no content-description codes).
Just before a test, your heart is racing and your mind feels jumbled. What is the most helpful thing to do?
Choices: Take a few slow breaths, breathing out for longer than you breathe in · Tell yourself you are going to fail · Skim every page of your notes one last time · Drink an energy drink for a boost
Use spaced and retrieval practice, plan your revision and decode command words.
For parents: Across Years 9 to 10, your child learns to plan revision using spaced and retrieval practice, and understand what exam command words ask for.
A general-capabilities set (no content-description codes).
Two students each spend 3 hours revising the same topic. Who is likely to remember more in the exam?
Choices: Jess, who revises for 3 hours straight the night before · Tom, who does six 30-minute sessions spread over two weeks · They will remember exactly the same, since the total time is equal
Each set has a few short questions. Every question follows the same five problem-solving steps, and the three hints line up with the first three steps, so help builds from a nudge to a worked example of a similar problem. The answer is never the first thing a learner sees.
| Step | The learner asks | A grown-up can ask |
|---|---|---|
| Understand | What is the question asking? | What is the question asking you to find? |
| Plan | How could I work it out? | What could you try first? Would a picture help? |
| Try | Have a go. A guess is a good start. | Have a go, and tell me what you’re thinking. |
| Check | Does my answer make sense? | How could you check that? |
| Reflect | What helped me? What would I do next time? | What helped you? What would you do next time? |
After each answer, Ponder explains why it’s right, or what to look at again. At the end of a set it celebrates the strategies the learner used, such as draw a picture, break it into parts and look for a pattern.
Under the Australian Curriculum v9.0, Year 9 maths covers number, algebra, measurement, space, statistics and probability. Ponder’s Year 9 maths sets practise pythagoras and trigonometry, binomials, index laws and simple interest, scientific notation and comparing data, compound probability and surface area and algebra basics. The full list of content descriptions is on the Australian Curriculum website.
Every state and territory teaches Foundation to Year 10 content from the Australian Curriculum, either directly or through its own version built from it (NSW and Victoria publish their own syllabuses). Ponder tags sets with v9.0 codes, so they line up with what is taught in every state, though schools order topics differently.
Yes. Open the Ponder app, choose the learner side, then pick a subject and a set. No account is needed while Ponder is in preview.
Not straight away. Each question has three hints that build from a nudge to a worked example of a similar problem. After an answer, Ponder explains why it’s right or what to look at again.
Content descriptions © Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2009 to present, unless otherwise indicated. They were downloaded from the Australian Curriculum website (accessed 27 September 2026) and were not modified, except that a few end early where the website shows a fraction or symbol as an image. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Ponder is not affiliated with or endorsed by ACARA.
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