The numeracy and reading sections compare student performance to proficiency scales that describe expected student performance, based on the number of years of schooling. A proficiency scale for writing ability is not, however, currently available, although one will be created and the PILNA 2021 writing results will be compared to it.

For now, average writing performance in PILNA 2021 is compared to writing performance over previous PILNA cycles. This gives an indication of how writing performance is trending over time, but it does not show whether writing performance is at the level Pacific stakeholders expect it to be.

As shown in the Year 4 writing performance section, the average writing score for year four students appears to be increasing. The average writing score for a year four student in 2015 was 442.48 (SD = 95.49), in 2018 it was 463.31 (SD = 95.05), and in 2021 it was 483.90 (SD = 49.22). With year four girls scoring higher on average than year four boys in writing performance in 2015, 2018 and 2021, girls are more likely to be meeting writing performance expectations than are boys.