Table CRT5.1 shows the Papua New Guinea distribution of grade five reading scores against the PILNA reading proficiency scale. This scale converts a student’s reading performance into a level ranking from zero to eight. The expected minimum reading performance for grade five students is proficiency level five, see below. Pacific stakeholders expect these students to reach or exceed this proficiency level.

The average performance of grade five students in Papua New Guinea in reading was 509.68 (SD = 58.16). This corresponds to proficiency level five on the PILNA reading proficiency scale (level five is assigned to scores 487.5–512.5). On average, grade five students in Papua New Guinea are meeting the minimum expected standard in reading.

The average reading score does not tell us the whole story. The proportion of students who are meeting the minimum expected standard is also important. This is shown in Table CRT5.1. Approximately 66% of grade five students in Papua New Guinea were performing at or above the minimum expected level in reading (levels 5–8) but about 34% students did not meet this level (levels 0–4). This shows that approximately two thirds of the grade five students assessed in 2021 are meeting the minimum expected standard and approximately one third are not. Also shown in Table CRT5.1, is the significant proportion of grade five students who scored at level seven (23%), the second highest level on the reading scale.

Across the region, approximately 53% of grade five students performed at or above the expected proficiency level in reading, compared to approximately 66% in Papua New Guinea.  This means that a larger proportion of grade five students (13% more) were performing at or above the expected level in reading than those in the region.