Availability of high-quality school education
Published:
11 September 2024
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Data on the scores of 15 year old pupils in the UK and internationally in reading, maths and science, over time.
Summary main findings
In 2022, UK pupils scored above the international average for OECD countries in reading, maths and science at age 15.
In both the UK and OECD countries, scores in reading and maths were lower in 2022 compared with 2018. Scores in science did not change significantly.
Pupils in the UK have scored at or above the OECD average since the early 2000s.
By year
Visualisation
Average pupil attainment score in reading, maths and science, over time (UK and OECD average, 2003 to 2022 for reading and maths, 2006 to 2022 for science)
Click or tap on legend items to toggle visibility
Data
| Year | Mathematics | Reading | Science | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
International Average (OECD) |
UK |
International Average (OECD) |
UK |
International Average (OECD) |
|
| 2022 | 489 | 472 | 494 | 476 | 500 | 485 |
| 2018 | 502 | 487 | 504 | 485 | 505 | 487 |
| 2015 | 492 | 485 | 498 | 489 | 509 | 489 |
| 2012 | 494 | 488 | 499 | 492 | 514 | 496 |
| 2009 | 492 | 492 | 494 | 490 | 514 | 498 |
| 2006 | 495 | 490 | 495 | 485 | 515 | 495 |
| 2003 | 508 | 499 | 507 | 494 | No data | No data |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
About the data
Data source
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2003 to 2022 mathematics, reading and science assessments
Time period
2003 to 2022
Geographic area
UK
What the data measures
The data shows the performance of 15 year old students in maths, science and reading in the UK, over time. It also shows the international average, measured in OECD countries.
Things you need to know
Due to small sample sizes in the UK, the OECD advises against comparisons between the UK and other countries for the year 2003. There is no data available for the science assessment in 2003.
The data is an alternate measure of opportunities for high-quality school education. It evaluates education systems by their performance and compares them internationally.
PISA scores do not have a maximum or minimum. Instead, they are scaled so that the average score is around 500 points and one standard deviation is around 100 points. Read more about PISA 2022 results.
Type of data
Survey data
Full report
Read more in State of the Nation 2024 on GOV.UK.
Download the data
Download full dataset (CSV, 6KB)
This file contains the following variables:
- Indicator code
- Indicator name
- Area name
- Time period
- Age
- Category type
- Category
- Value
- Unit
- Value note
Page history
Publication release date:
11 September 2024