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.

  1. Summary main findings
  2. Mathematics
  3. Science
  4. Reading
  5. About the data
  6. Download the data

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)

Click or tap on legend items to toggle visibility

Data

Average pupil attainment score for 15 year olds in maths, by parents’ education level (UK and OECD average, 2022)
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 the data (CSV, 180B)

    • 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)

    Click or tap on legend items to toggle visibility

    Data

    Average pupil attainment score for 15 year olds in science, by parents’ education level (UK and OECD average, 2022)
    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 the data (CSV, 180B)

    • 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)

    Click or tap on legend items to toggle visibility

    Data

    Average pupil attainment score for 15 year olds in reading, by parents’ education level (UK and OECD average, 2022)
    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 the data (CSV, 180B)

    • 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

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