Skills at age 15
Published: 11 September 2024
Data on the scores of 15 year old students in the UK and internationally in reading, maths and science, by the highest education level of their parents.
Summary main findings
Data for 2022 shows that there is a link between pupils’ scores in science, maths and reading at 15 years old and their parents’ education level. This is the case both in the UK and internationally.
Pupils in the UK scored above the international average for OECD countries when compared with pupils whose parents had the same qualification level.
In both the UK and OECD countries, pupils whose parents had a ‘level 1’ qualification (educated to primary school level) had lower scores than pupils whose parents had a ‘level 7’ qualification (master’s degree).
Mathematics
Visualisation
Average pupil attainment score for 15 year olds in maths, by parents’ education level (UK and OECD average, 2022)
Data
Education level | United Kingdom | OECD |
---|---|---|
Level 1 | 413 | 406 |
Level 2 | 446 | 420 |
Level 3.3 | 472 | 444 |
Level 3.4 | 490 | 461 |
Level 4 | 484 | 462 |
Level 5 | 489 | 470 |
Level 6 | 519 | 494 |
Level 7 | 520 | 506 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
Science
Visualisation
Average pupil attainment score for 15 year olds in science, by parents’ education level (UK and OECD average, 2022)
Data
Education level | United Kingdom | OECD |
---|---|---|
Level 1 | 426 | 418 |
Level 2 | 446 | 427 |
Level 3.3 | 481 | 455 |
Level 3.4 | 497 | 472 |
Level 4 | 498 | 476 |
Level 5 | 496 | 483 |
Level 6 | 532 | 508 |
Level 7 | 533 | 519 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
Reading
Visualisation
Average pupil attainment score for 15 year olds in reading, by parents’ education level (UK and OECD average, 2022)
Data
Education level | United Kingdom | OECD |
---|---|---|
Level 1 | 447 | 414 |
Level 2 | 457 | 423 |
Level 3.3 | 483 | 442 |
Level 3.4 | 500 | 463 |
Level 4 | 492 | 468 |
Level 5 | 497 | 475 |
Level 6 | 525 | 500 |
Level 7 | 527 | 508 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
About the data
Data source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2022 mathematics, reading and science assessments
Time period
2022
Geographic area
UK and OECD countries
What the data measures
The data shows the performance of 15 year old students in maths, science and reading in the UK, by the highest education level of their parents. It also shows the international average, measured in OECD countries.
Things you need to know
Data is shown for the following qualification levels, based on the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED):
- level 1: primary education
- level 2: lower secondary (went to secondary school but got lower than GCSE level)
- level 3.3: upper secondary with no direct access to tertiary education
- level 3.4: upper secondary with direct access to post-secondary education
- level 4: post-secondary non-tertiary education (for example, a higher education access course)
- level 5: short-cycle tertiary education (below degree level and at least 2 years – for example, a level 4 apprenticeship)
- level 6: bachelor’s degree or equivalent
- level 7: master’s degree or equivalent
Data is not included for pupils whose parents had a level 8 qualification (doctoral degree). This is due to the small size of this group.
Average PISA scores are scaled so that the mean average for OECD countries is around 500 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, 7KB)
This file contains the following variables:
- Indicator code
- Indicator name
- Area name
- Time period
- Age
- Category type
- Category
- Category type2
- Category2
- Value
- Unit
- Value note
Page history
Publication release date:
11 September 2024