Thirty‑two countries, including Canada and four Canadian provinces (Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta) had higher achievement than the TIMSS centrepoint of 500, which is the point of reference that remains constant from one TIMSS assessment to the next. There is considerable variability in achievement with 346 points separating the highest achieving and lowest achieving countries. Students in Singapore (595 points) and Korea (588 points) had the highest achievement in TIMSS Grade 4 science.
Seventeen countries performed better than Canada while the results for Canada were not significantly different from 11 other countries (Table 1.9; Appendix B.1.16, Mullis et al., 2020, Exhibit 2.2).
Figure 1.11 presents science achievement by average score. All provinces achieved at or above the international average and achievement results were similar to the Canadian average in all provinces, except Manitoba where
Table 1.9 Comparison of country and provincial results to the Canadian average in science Country
or province Average
score Standard
error Countries or provinces whose mean score is not significantly different from the comparison country or province
Singapore 595 (3.4) Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea 588 (2.1) Singapore Russian Federation 567 (3.0) Japan
Japan 562 (1.8) Russian Federation, Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei 558 (1.8) Japan, Finland
Finland 555 (2.6) Chinese Taipei
Latvia 542 (2.4) Norway (5), United States, Lithuania, Sweden, England
Norway (5) 539 (2.2) Latvia, United States, Lithuania, Sweden, England, Czech Republic
United States 539 (2.7) Latvia, Norway (5), Lithuania, Sweden, England, Czech Republic, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Alberta
Lithuania 538 (2.5) Latvia, Norway (5), United States, Sweden, England, Czech Republic, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Alberta
Sweden 537 (3.3) Latvia, Norway (5), United States, Lithuania, England, Czech Republic, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Poland, Alberta, Hungary
England 537 (2.7) Latvia, Norway (5), United States, Lithuania, Sweden, Czech Republic, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Poland, Alberta
Czech Republic 534 (2.6) Norway (5), United States, Lithuania, Sweden, England, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Poland, Alberta, Hungary, Ireland, Turkey (5)
Australia 533 (2.4) United States, Lithuania, Sweden, England, Czech Republic, Hong Kong SAR, Poland, Alberta, Hungary, Ireland, Turkey (5)
Hong Kong SAR 531 (3.3) United States, Lithuania, Sweden, England, Czech Republic, Australia, Poland, Alberta, Hungary, Ireland, Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Bulgaria
Poland 531 (2.6) Sweden, England, Czech Republic, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Alberta, Hungary, Ireland, Turkey (5), Ontario, Bulgaria
Alberta 530 (3.9) United States, Lithuania, Sweden, England, Czech Republic, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Poland, Hungary, Ireland, Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Canada, Denmark, Austria, Quebec, Bulgaria, Slovak Republic
Hungary 529 (2.7) Sweden, Czech Republic, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Poland, Alberta, Ireland, Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovak Republic
Ireland 528 (3.2) Czech Republic, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Poland, Alberta, Hungary, Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Canada, Denmark, Austria, Quebec, Bulgaria, Slovak Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador
Turkey (5) 526 (4.2) Czech Republic, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Poland, Alberta, Hungary, Ireland, Ontario, Croatia, Canada, Denmark, Austria, Quebec, Bulgaria, Slovak Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Serbia
Ontario 524 (3.2) Hong Kong SAR, Poland, Alberta, Hungary, Ireland, Turkey (5), Croatia, Canada, Denmark, Austria, Quebec, Bulgaria, Slovak Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Serbia
Croatia 524 (2.2) Hong Kong SAR, Alberta, Hungary, Ireland, Turkey (5), Ontario, Canada, Denmark, Austria, Quebec, Bulgaria, Slovak Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Serbia
CANADA 523 (1.9) Alberta, Ireland, Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Denmark, Austria, Quebec, Bulgaria, Slovak Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Serbia Denmark 522 (2.4) Alberta, Ireland, Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Canada, Austria, Quebec, Bulgaria, Slovak
Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Serbia Austria 522 (2.6) Alberta, Ireland, Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Canada, Denmark, Quebec, Bulgaria, Slovak
Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Serbia Quebec 522 (2.5) Alberta, Ireland, Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Canada, Denmark, Austria, Bulgaria, Slovak
Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Serbia Bulgaria 521 (4.9) Hong Kong SAR, Poland, Alberta, Hungary, Ireland, Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Canada,
Denmark, Austria, Quebec, Slovak Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Serbia, Cyprus, Spain
Slovak Republic 521 (3.7) Alberta, Hungary, Ireland, Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Canada, Denmark, Austria, Quebec, Bulgaria, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Serbia, Cyprus
Country
or province Average
score Standard
error Countries or provinces whose mean score is not significantly different from the comparison country or province
Newfoundland
and Labrador 519 (3.5) Ireland, Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Canada, Denmark, Austria, Quebec, Bulgaria, Slovak Republic, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Serbia, Cyprus, Spain
Northern Ireland 518 (2.3) Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Canada, Denmark, Austria, Quebec, Bulgaria, Slovak Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador, Netherlands, Germany, Serbia, Cyprus
Netherlands 518 (2.9) Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Canada, Denmark, Austria, Quebec, Bulgaria, Slovak Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ireland, Germany, Serbia, Cyprus
Germany 518 (2.2) Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Canada, Denmark, Austria, Quebec, Bulgaria, Slovak Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Serbia, Cyprus
Serbia 517 (3.5) Turkey (5), Ontario, Croatia, Canada, Denmark, Austria, Quebec, Bulgaria, Slovak Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus, Spain, Italy Cyprus 511 (3.0) Bulgaria, Slovak Republic, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ireland, Netherlands,
Germany, Serbia, Spain, Italy, Portugal
Spain 511 (2.0) Bulgaria, Newfoundland and Labrador, Serbia, Cyprus, Italy Italy 510 (3.0) Serbia, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand, Manitoba Portugal 504 (2.6) Cyprus, Italy, New Zealand, Manitoba, Belgium (Flemish) New Zealand 503 (2.3) Italy, Portugal, Manitoba, Belgium (Flemish)
Manitoba 502 (3.5) Italy, Portugal, New Zealand, Belgium (Flemish), Malta, Kazakhstan, Bahrain Belgium (Flemish) 501 (2.1) Portugal, New Zealand, Manitoba, Kazakhstan
International
Centrepoint 500
--Malta 496 (1.3) Manitoba, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Albania
Kazakhstan 494 (3.1) Manitoba, Belgium (Flemish), Malta, Bahrain, Albania, France Bahrain 493 (3.4) Manitoba, Malta, Kazakhstan, Albania, France
Albania 489 (3.5) Malta, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, France
France 488 (3.0) Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Albania
United Arab
Emirates 473 (2.1) Chile, Armenia
Chile 469 (2.6) United Arab Emirates, Armenia
Armenia 466 (3.4) United Arab Emirates, Chile, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and
Herzegovina 459 (2.9) Armenia, Georgia, Montenegro, Qatar Georgia 454 (3.9) Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Qatar Montenegro 453 (2.5) Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Qatar
Qatar 449 (3.9) Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Montenegro, Islamic Republic of Iran Islamic Republic
of Iran 441 (4.1) Qatar, Oman
Oman 435 (4.1) Islamic Republic of Iran, Azerbaijan, North Macedonia
Azerbaijan 427 (3.3) Oman, North Macedonia
North Macedonia 426 (6.2) Oman, Azerbaijan, Kosovo
Kosovo 413 (3.7) North Macedonia
Saudi Arabia 402 (4.1) Kuwait
Kuwait 392 (6.1) Saudi Arabia
Morocco 374 (5.8)
South Africa (5) 324 (4.9)
Pakistan 290 (13.4)
Philippines 249 (7.5)
Note: The participating grade is identified in parentheses after the country name if it is not Grade 4.
Above the Canadian average Above the International Centrepoint At the Canadian average At the International Centrepoint Below the Canadian average Below the International Centrepoint
Figure 1.11 Achievement scores in science
519 522 524
502
530 523
500
400 420 440 460 480 500 520 540 560 580 600
NL QC ON MB AB CAN INT
Average score in science
* Darker shade denotes significant difference compared to Canada