Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative estimate she has made of levels of (a) literacy and (b) numeracy with European countries in the last five years.

​​England participates in several studies that compare reading and mathematics for school-aged pupils internationally. These studies are the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The department took part in the most recent iterations of all three studies: PISA 2022, PIRLS 2021, and TIMSS 2019.

​​The latest results from PISA show that, while the pandemic affected the study, England was among the highest performing European countries participating in the study and performed significantly above the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average in both reading and mathematics.

​​The latest results from PIRLS showed that England achieved an average score of 558. This is statistically significantly higher than both the International Median score of 520, as well as the European Median score of 524, though not significantly different to England’s scores in most previous PIRLS cycles. It is not possible to compare results to Northern Ireland because of differences in the assessment period, whilst Scotland and Wales did not participate in the study. England’s PIRLS 2021 national report can be found: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pirls-2021-reading-literacy-performance-in-england.

​​The latest results from TIMSS showed that between 1995 and 2019, the mathematics performance of Year 5 and Year 9 pupils in England has improved, with England achieving its highest ever score in mathematics at Year 5.

​​Further information on the studies can be found at the following links: https://www.oecd.org/pisa/, https://timssandpirls.bc.edu/.

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