For parents and carers

What is PIRLS?

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, known as “PIRLS”, is an international comparative study that assesses and compares the reading performance of pupils at about age 10, or P5 in Scotland, every five years across over 60 countries by IEA. By participating in PIRLS26 your child is contributing to improvements to education in the UK and beyond.

More information can be found on the IEA’s PIRLS website

What does PIRLS involve?

For your child, the PIRLS assessment involves participating in:

  • An interactive onscreen assessment covering reading.
  • A background questionnaire asking about their life, school and learning experiences.

No prior preparation or revision work is required for your child to be able to complete the assessment.

Parents/carers will be asked to complete a questionnaire on their child’s home and school life, to help contextualise the achievement for each child.

What are the benefits of PIRLS?

Participating in PIRLS offers a range of benefits both for pupils, and more broadly for education in the UK.

  • Your child will contribute to a study that helps us better understand our education system.
  • Your child will have experience of representing Scotland in an international study and receive a certificate for doing so.
  • Your child will be able to practise external assessment skills through a ‘low stakes’ online assessment.
  • Your child will have the opportunity to practise their reading skills through an interesting and innovative online assessment.

Data Privacy & Personal Data

Results of individual schools or pupils will not be published. Pupil and school identities will remain confidential. In the questionnaire, pupils are encouraged to give honest answers. However, pupils may refrain from answering any question/s they do not wish to respond to.

For more info on data privacy, see our notices