Darllenwch y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg
International assessments play an important role in helping us understand how well learners in Wales are developing key skills, and how our education system compares with others around the world. They provide high‑quality, independent evidence that supports our national mission to raise standards and improve outcomes for all learners.
Over the coming years, Wales will participate in two major international studies involving Year 5 learners for the first time:
- PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) 2026.
PIRLS measures reading literacy among Year 5 learners and provides deep insight into how children develop essential reading skills.
- TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) 2027.
TIMSS assesses learners’ mathematics and science knowledge, offering internationally comparable insight into these foundational subjects.
With PIRLS taking place in May and June this year, the rest of this blog provides a closer look at Wales’s preparations for the 2026 cycle and what schools can expect.
TIMSS and PIRLS are not intended to drive the curriculum or teaching, but they will provide valuable insights to help us understand how best to support our learners to succeed.
PIRLS 2026: Strengthening Our Understanding of Reading in Wales
Improving literacy remains one of our highest priorities in Wales. To truly understand how well our learners are progressing, and how we can support them even better, we need robust, comparable evidence that benchmarks Wales’ performance against international standards. That’s why Wales confirmed its participation in PIRLS 2026 (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), a major global study of reading literacy in Year 5 learners.
PIRLS offers something we cannot generate alone: high-quality, internationally benchmarked insight into how our learners are developing essential reading skills at a key stage in their education. With reading underpinning success across the curriculum, the evidence PIRLS provides will play an important role in helping us strengthen teaching and learning where it matters most.
Delivering PIRLS 2026 in Wales
We have appointed Pearson Education to administer the PIRLS 2026 assessments in Wales. Their role includes working closely with participating schools to support planning and ensure the assessments run smoothly. They are providing direct guidance and practical support to school coordinators and will act as the main point of contact for schools throughout this period.
PIRLS is a stratified randomly sampled study, which means schools are selected to ensure a balanced mix from across Wales representing different geographical areas, school sizes, and both English and Welsh-medium settings. We have now completed school recruitment for the 2026 cycle, and we are grateful to all schools who have agreed to take part.
Approximately 4,000 Year 5 pupils from around 150 primary schools are expected to take part when the main study is conducted in May and June 2026.
A targeted communication strategy is already underway to support schools. This includes:
- Early confirmation of assessment dates and Test Administrators
- Regular updates via the PIRLS 2026 website, which anyone can visit to find the latest information about the study.
- Follow-up calls and emails to schools
- Tailored outreach for settings that need additional support
Our aim is to make participation as smooth and supportive as possible.
Hearing from learners, parents/carers and teachers
PIRLS is not only about test scores. To build a full picture of reading experiences in Wales, learners, parents/carers, teachers and headteachers will be invited to complete questionnaires which will explore reading habits, attitudes, and learning environments.
We are also working closely with Children in Wales to ensure learners have a voice in this process. Their input will help us understand how we can support children to feel confident, prepared and positive about taking part in the study.
PIRLS 2026 is a significant opportunity, not simply to measure reading, but to better understand how we can help every learner in Wales develop strong literacy skills for the future.
The wider international picture: TIMSS 2027
While PIRLS is our immediate focus, taking part in TIMSS 2027 also represents a significant opportunity to gain internationally comparable insight into how learners are developing essential maths and science knowledge.
Recruitment for TIMSS 2027 will begin in the new academic year and around 150 schools across Wales will be selected at random to take part. If your school is invited to join the sample, we would really appreciate your support in participating. Your involvement will help ensure Wales has high-quality, representative evidence on learners’ mathematics and science skills.