There was not much difference in the proportion of girls and boys performing at or above the expected minimum proficiency level in reading in Papua New Guinea at both year levels. In terms of the distribution across proficiency levels, with grade three, 47% of girls were performing at or above the expected proficiency level, compared to 43% of boys. In grade five, 69% of girls performed at or above the expected proficiency level compared to 62% of boys. The proportions displayed by the girls and boys at both year levels is also evident in the mean scores, where there is consistency in performance with little variation.

The performance of grade three and grade five students in government and non-government schools show consistency with very little variation.

The grade three students in urban and non-urban schools show consistency in performance with very little variation. Grade five students in urban schools showed higher performance on average in reading than their counterparts in non-urban schools.

The coding of student responses in reading shows that students in Papua New Guinea did well in interpreting simple phrases but struggled when asked to interpret information where there is competing text in the way. Students at both grade three and grade five struggled to make inferences or to think critically about what they had read and form an opinion or give a reason for a response.