In a recent international literacy study comparing the reading ability of 9 and 10-year-olds across 43 countries, England achieved fourth place, an improvement from joint eighth place in the previous assessment. This advancement placed English pupils ahead of high-performing nations like Finland and Poland. Singapore claimed the top spot in the rankings, followed by Hong Kong in second place and Russia in third.
Despite the rise in ranking, England’s average score remained nearly unchanged from the previous assessment in 2016, hovering around 558 compared to 559. This stability contrasted with several other countries that experienced notable drops in their scores, attributed to widespread education disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Out of the 43 countries assessed, only 11, including England, managed to avoid substantial declines in their scores during the Pirls 2021 assessment.