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

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)
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 the data (CSV, 654B)
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    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

    Editions of this page: