Trends in International Mathematics and Science

The release of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 results took place on 8 December 2020.

The Grade 5 test administration was conducted in 291 schools with 11 891 learners in October 2018. The Grade 9 data collection took place in September 2019. We boosted the number of schools in Gauteng and the Western Cape from 30 to 150, to provide more robust estimates. Data collection occurred in 519 schools with 20 829 learners across the country. We will report on national statistics. In addition, Gauteng and Western Cape, will appear as benchmarking provinces in the international report and we will report on their statistics separately as well.

The reports can be downloaded below.


TIMSS SA Newsletter: October 2019: Exploring Educational Progress in South Africa
TIMSS 2019: Where are we?
The TIMSS 2019 cycle began early in 2018, and data was collected at the Grade 5 level the same year. The data collection for Grade 9 learners was completed in September 2019. The infographic below presents an overview of the process thus far, and outlines what remains to be done before the results are released in December 2020.

The South African component of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science study (TIMSS) has been assessing mathematics and science achievement among Grade 8 and 9 learners since 1995.

TIMSS was first administered in South Africa in 1995 and subsequently in 1999. In 2002 it was administered both to Grade 8 and 9 learners, and in 2011 to Grade 9 learners. Together, the assessments provide data to analyse trends in South African education for over a decade. For TIMSS 2011 in South Africa, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) conducted the study in 285 schools among 11, 969 learners.

The new TIMSS Numeracy assessment has been designed to be administered at the Grade 4, 5 or 6 level to measure children’s numeracy learning outcomes. TIMSS Numeracy was conducted for the first time in South Africa in 2014 at the Grade 5 level.

TIMSS SA produces a regular newsletter that can be downloaded from the TIMSS SA website.

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