PISA: 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 2 by country

About this data

Indicator

PISA: 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 2

Source

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

Licence

CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

Coverage

55 places, 349 data points, 2000–2018

Last refreshed

07 August 2026

Percentage of 15-year-old students scoring higher than 407 but lower than or equal to 480 on the PISA reading scale. Readers at Level 2 can identify the main idea in a piece of text of moderate length. They can understand relationships or construe meaning within a limited part of the text when the information is not prominent by producing basic inferences, and/or when the text(s) include some distracting information. They can select and access a page in a set based on explicit though sometimes complex prompts, and locate one or more pieces of information based on multiple, partly implicit criteria. Readers at Level 2 can, when explicitly cued, reflect on the overall purpose, or on the purpose of specific details, in texts of moderate length. They can reflect on simple visual or typographical features. They can compare claims and evaluate the reasons supporting them based on short, explicit statements. Tasks at Level 2 may involve comparisons or contrasts based on a single feature in the text. Typical reflective tasks at this level require readers to make a comparison or several connections between the text and outside knowledge by drawing on personal experience and attitudes. 2000, 2003, and 2006 PISA assessments used a different reading proficiency scale (Levels 1 to 5) than later assessments. PISA 2000/2003/2006 Level 2 data have been included in this database as Level 2 because they are based on an identical score range. Use caution in comparing proficiency scores across years. For more information on comparability of results, consult the PISA website: http://www.oecd.org/pisa/