Teenagers in England are soaring ahead of peers abroad in international tests – but those in Wales and Scotland are falling behind.

A new worldwide study of pupils' performance in maths, reading and science reveals a growing performance gap between the four nations of the UK.

Wales was the worst performer, with Welsh teenagers almost two years behind their English counterparts in the three subjects.

In the global standardised tests, British 15-year-olds as a whole were in the top ten for all three subjects for the first time since 2006.

However, this was driven by strong test scores by pupils in England, who made up around 85 per cent of entries to the tests and significantly outperformed pupils in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In science the UK is now eighth in the world having jumped seven places, beaten only by the academic powerhouses of the East as well as Estonia in Europe. All four countries in the UK saw their science scores rise.

In maths and reading Britain clinched tenth in both, having risen four and three places in the rankings respectively. However, where England had rising tests scores, the other UK nations had their scores fall.

Today, the results have ignited another standards row, with the Tories saying England's standout performance proved their 2010 to 2014 reforms to toughen up the curriculum had worked. 

The tests, taken last summer, were sat only a year after the Conservatives lost power. During the Tory government, English testing moved towards rigorous, knowledge-rich curriculums and away from coursework.

Despite soaring results, the new Education Secretary Lucy Powell has previously suggested she might scale back some of these reforms, leading to accusations she is wishing to 'bring back stupid'.

Today, Tory education spokesman Laura Trott said: 'Lucy Powell seems intent on leading a campaign of national sabotage against our education system. It is bonkers to undo reforms that have raised standards and helped children.'

The international study, undertaken every three years by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), compares the success of different countries' schooling systems.

More than 760,000 pupils across 91 countries and economies took part in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests.

In terms of overall raw scores, Britain saw a rise for science, no change for reading and a small decrease for maths, though was less severe than in other nations.

The difference in performance between the four UK nations is part of a long-running trend and has previously been attributed to education being controlled by each country's devolved governments.

In England, standards were made more rigorous after 2010 under reforms introduced by the Tories, and pioneered by former education secretary Michael Gove.

At GCSE, the grading system was overhauled to introduce more differentiation at the top, and course content was made tougher. End of year exams were prioritised for secondary school pupils, rather than coursework or modular assessment.

And grade inflation was brought under control, with the regulator Ofqual ordered to ensure consistent standards from year to year. 

In primary schools, the curriculum for the Year 6 SATs was bolstered, meaning children needed to know a higher level of maths and grammar.

The reforms followed years of grade inflation under New Labour, which led to accusations the ministers of the time were 'dumbing down' education.

Last month, Ms Powell referred to the Gove reforms in an opinion piece where she wrote: 'We can no longer ignore that too many [children] get left behind or are turned off by an education system that's become too single-minded.

'Nor can we ignore the modern economy, or societal demands to take a fresh look at what we are teaching our children and whether we are equipping them for their life ahead.

'The one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn't suit all children. For some it's become a straitjacket. A straitjacket that has left too many being branded a failure – again and again – instead of being able to realise their potential.'   

The Government has since clarified that it wants to make vocational education just as important as academic, and does not intend to lower standards.

However, Ms Trott said: 'The Education Secretary claims there has been an "over focus on academic outcomes." But that focus, driven by cross-party reforms and the work of brilliant teachers, has helped make English pupils among the top ten performing groups of students in the world for reading, maths and science.

'Lucy Powell seems intent on leading a campaign of national sabotage against our education system. It is bonkers to undo reforms that have raised standards and helped children. In Scotland and Wales where the same reforms were not enacted, pupils have fallen back in the international rankings, recording their worst results in maths and reading.

'Focusing on academic outcomes increases opportunity. It beggars belief Labour want to reduce standards. In doing so, the most disadvantaged will be worst hit as they will lose out on the most opportunity.'

Further analysis of England's data released by the Department for Education (DfE) also revealed there is a wide gender gap in science attainment for the first time in recent history.

Girls scored on average 509, compared with 522 for boys – a gap of 13 points. By contrast, there was no large difference between girls' and boys' science scores in England in 2022, 2018 or 2015.

The analysis found the gap was driven by boys doing better in science, while girls' performance remained static.

In maths, boys were further ahead than girls – part of a long-running trend. Between 2015 and 2025, the gap widened from 12 points to 26 points respectively.

Professor Mary Richardson, of the UCL Institute of Education, who authored part of the study, said pupils in UK nations had done well in reading 'despite the international trend of declining performance'.

'In science and maths, we also saw good performances, particularly for pupils in England and Northern Ireland, where scores were above the international average,' she added.

However, she said: 'With all of these things, the detail is what matters and whilst the UK nations did well and performed, generally, above the OECD average, there are still challenges that are very likely the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and which continue to sustain lower performance outcomes for those who are socially disadvantaged.

'We are also concerned that the gap between genders in terms of performance is persistent and we need to explore further, why this is happening and what should be done to address it.'

Ms Gould said: 'Today’s results are testament to the hard work of teachers and pupils across the country, with the UK continuing to perform strongly in reading, maths and science.

'We are determined to build on these positive results and go further so all young people leave school with strong literacy and numeracy. And we want to take on the areas where England performs less well - how far pupils feel like they belong and value school. The next leap forward will come from pupils engaged and excited to be at school.

'Countries like Estonia show that academic excellence can go hand in hand with high-quality vocational routes. Our reforms will build on England’s strong academic foundations so future generations not only perform well, but feel connected to school and excited about where their education can take them.'

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'We should always be cautious about over-interpreting international comparisons between nations at different stages of education policy development.

'But these results are nevertheless an opportunity to celebrate the excellent work taking place in England's schools, at times, seemingly against the odds.

'That these findings continue to be broadly positive, is testament to the professionalism, expertise and dedication of the school workforce.'

The UK first took part in PISA in 2000, but the OECD only compares data from 2006 onwards.

In addition to the tests, the study also collected questionnaire data to discover the 'context in which students learn'.

In England, 5,619 15-year-old pupils from 183 schools took part, with Pearson delivering the study on behalf of the DfE and the analysis undertaken by Oxford and UCL.