At the year four level, a slightly higher proportion of girls than boys met or exceeded the expected proficiency level in reading: 63% of girls compared to 57% of boys.

At the year six level, 73% of girls performed at or above the expected proficiency level compared to 67% of boys.

Girls also had higher average reading scores than boys in both year four and year six.

Year four students in non-government schools performed better than year four students in government schools in reading. The difference in performance was about 14 points. 

Likewise in year six; students in non-government schools performed better than those in government schools. The difference in performance was about 29 points.

Year four and year six students in urban schools achieved higher scores than students in non-urban schools. The difference in performance was about 32 points in year four and 42 points in year six.

The coding of student responses in reading shows that students in Solomon Islands did well in interpreting simple phrases but struggled when asked to interpret information when there is competing text in the way. Students at both year four and year six struggled to make inferences, provide reasons for their responses, think critically about what they had read, and form an opinion or give a reason for a response.