How do pupils in Germany compare in international maths and science tests?

German fourth-grade pupils scored in the middle range of the latest league table in the 'Timss' (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) comparative tests.

The online tests take place every four years and aim to provide education policymakers with international comparisons.

As in the previous results, children at school in Asia, including those from Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Taipei and Hong Kong, performed significantly better than other countries in the tests.

In Europe, primary school pupils from England, Poland and Lithuania were far ahead in the ranking.

The tests were carried out last year. A total of almost 360,000 pupils around the age of 10 from about 60 countries and regions, including 22 EU countries, took part in the segment aimed at primary pupils. In Germany, 4,400 fourth-graders put their skills to the test.

Pupils had to complete tasks in the areas of maths, geometry, biology, physics and chemistry.

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There has been some alarm about children's classroom skills across Germany in recent years. In last year's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), students achieved some of their lowest scores ever in core subjects like literacy, mathematics and science. 

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It led to action from politicians, with the Startchancenprogramme launched this year. It will see Germany's national and state governments investing €20 billion in selected schools over the next 10 years. 

Meanwhile, Bavaria earlier this year passed a 'PISA Initiative' aiming to address poor results by introducing extra German and maths lessons.

But unlike recent school performance comparisons, the Timss study does not show any alarming drops in performance.

Fourth graders in Germany scored an average of 524 points in maths, which is not significantly different from the previous survey in 2019, where pupils scored an average of 521 points.

To give an idea of how German pupils compare, children in Singapore led the ranking with a score of 615, while pupils in England scored 552.

The study shows skills could be improved in German classrooms.

According to the findings, 25 percent of fourth-graders reach the lowest competence level in maths. At best, they have "elementary mathematical knowledge", the study states, which means they can only solve simple problems.

"Learning maths at secondary level will cause considerable difficulties for this group of pupils," the study states.

At the upper end of the scale, however, there's a positive development: the proportion of children who achieve advanced results in maths has risen from 6 to 8.3 percent compared to the previous study.

In science, fourth-graders in Germany achieved an average of 515 points, which is slightly lower compared to the 2019 survey (518 points).

Leading in science were pupils in Singapore (with a score of 607), South Korea (583), Chinese Taipei (573) and Turkey (570), with England coming fifth, with an average score of 556.

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'Education system must do justice to diverse society'

The study indicates that participants may have been affected by the Covid restrictions.

But Cem Özdemir, German Minister of Education and Research, said he was pleased to see the pandemic had not led to a drop in performance.

According to Özdemir, results in maths and science are "good news and a success for the dedicated teachers in Germany who did their best during the pandemic-related school closures".

He added: "It is thanks to them that the performance does not show a general Covid effect."

Özdemir said the survey shows how educational success is still dependent on social background.

He pointed out there are significant differences in performance between children with and without a migration background.

"As a country of immigration, we cannot afford this and must do even more to ensure that the education system does justice to our diverse immigration society," said Özdemir.