Northern Ireland literacy and numeracy results reveal major attainment gaps

Northern Ireland literacy and numeracy results show almost three in ten pupils in Northern Ireland are leaving primary school without reaching the expected standard, according to the first standardised assessment results of their kind published in more than 20 years.

The Northern Ireland literacy and numeracy results, published on Wednesday, provide a new picture of attainment across the education system and reveal particularly significant gaps among disadvantaged pupils.

More than 12,000 pupils in Years 4, 7 and 10 took part in assessments carried out by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) across a representative sample of 358 schools.

For the first time, pupils taking part across Northern Ireland completed the same assessments under the same conditions, with the tests marked externally.

Northern Ireland literacy and numeracy results

At the end of Key Stage 2, corresponding to the end of primary school, 27% of pupils were below the expected level in English literacy, while 26.9% were below the expected level in numeracy.

The figures mean around 73% of pupils reached or exceeded the expected standard in each subject.

The results show that difficulties remain into post-primary education.

By the end of Key Stage 3, 27.9% of pupils were below the expected level in English literacy, while the figure for numeracy increased to 32.2%.

At Key Stage 1, 20.4% of pupils were below the expected literacy standard and 22% were below the expected numeracy standard.

Stark gap for disadvantaged pupils

The assessments also reveal a significant difference in outcomes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

More than 40% of pupils entitled to Free School Meals were below the expected standard in both literacy and numeracy by the end of primary school.

By the end of Key Stage 3, more than half of pupils entitled to Free School Meals were below the expected standard in numeracy.

Education Minister Paul Givan said the findings provided an “important and honest picture” of Northern Ireland’s education system and warned that sustained action would be required to improve outcomes.

He said too many children were leaving primary school without the literacy and numeracy skills needed to thrive, describing the subjects as the foundation on which other learning is built.

Minister says reform is essential

Mr Givan said the results demonstrated why education must remain a priority across government and pointed to the Department of Education’s TransformED programme as part of its response.

The Minister said improvements would require sustained investment and evidence-based reform rather than short-term initiatives.

He also stressed the wider importance of literacy and numeracy, arguing that stronger skills can improve educational attainment, employability, attendance, behaviour and inclusion.

The Minister called for teachers, school leaders, support staff and government to unite behind an ambition that every child should leave school literate, numerate and prepared for their future.

First results of their kind in more than 20 years

The assessments establish a new baseline against which future literacy and numeracy performance in Northern Ireland can be measured.

The new system-level assessments were introduced for the 2025/26 academic year as an interim arrangement while the Department considers wider reform of statutory assessment.

They are intended to measure the performance of the education system as a whole rather than individual pupils or schools.

Results will not be published at individual pupil or school level.

The interim assessment arrangements are due to remain in place until the 2027/28 academic year.

Full literacy and numeracy results can be viewed at the Department of Education website