We are pleased to share the PISA 2025 Support Package for Scotland, developed by Education Scotland in collaboration with Scottish Government and the National Foundation for Educational Research. These support materials are designed to help schools prepare for their participation in the PISA 2025 assessment, which begins on 01 September 2025.
- Access the support package here: https://education.gov.scot/resources/programme-for-international-student-assessment-2025/
- See this BBC Bitesize page for learners and parents: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z7hvxg8
What is PISA?
Through September and October this year, around 3500 learners in 119 Scottish secondary schools will be participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The assessment is organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The assessment tests the performance of 15-year-olds in science, mathematics and English. Over 700,000 learners from 80+ countries will be taking part globally.
How do I know if my school is taking part in PISA?
If your school has been selected to take part in the PISA assessment, then your head teacher will have received a notification letter at the start of this year. Often a DHT is given the role as the school coordinator for the PISA assessment. It is important that science, English and mathematics teaching staff are aware of their school’s involvement as they have a key role to play in preparing learners for the assessment – helping them to understand what PISA is, why it is important, and familiarising them with the format of the questions and assessments. Science will be the main focus for PISA 2025, but there will also be questions to test performance in reading and mathematics.
Who is the PISA support package for?
The PISA support package is for school leadership teams and teachers of science, English and mathematics. There are also resources targeted at learners, parents and carers. The materials will be of general interest to other educators and decision-makers, as they provide insight into one of the world’s largest educational research studies.
What’s in the support package?
- Videos for teachers explaining what PISA is and what to expect in 2025.
- Recorded webinars for teachers which provide an insight into the PISA assessment and exemplar questions.
- Exemplar PISA questions for science, reading and mathematics.
- A PISA in depth podcast for educators.
Support for learners, parents and carers
The PISA support package also contains resources and videos for learners, parents and carers including:
BBC Bitesize page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z7hvxg8#zmnbtcw
Information leaflet: https://education.gov.scot/media/uwtoev1x/pisa-2025-learnerparent-and-carer-information-leaflet.pdf
Information videos:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P7OuFxQuN4
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOMOlpnKDnw
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzNWtwa6ivs
We would like to express our gratitude all the learners and staff involved in PISA 2025. Your support will provide us with valuable data to help us improve education in Scotland.
