Grade 9

Thirty-nine countries and seven regional entities (called benchmarking participants) participated in the eighth-grade assessments (Norway, South Africa, and the Western Cape and Gauteng Provinces participated at the ninth Grade). Five hundred and twenty (520) schools made up the South African TIMSS 2019 sample. A total of 20 829 learners, 543 mathematics and 537 science teachers, and 519 school principals completed the TIMSS instruments.

The Western Cape and Gauteng provinces in addition to being part of the national sample, participated as self-standing entities called “benchmarking participants.” Participation as benchmarking entities in international assessments provides provinces with the opportunity to assess the comparative international standing of their learners’ achievement and to view their curriculum and instruction in an international context. The realised Western Cape sample was 149 schools, 149 principals, 162 science educators, 170 mathematics educators and 5 350 learners. The realised Gauteng sample was 150 schools, 150 school principals, 151 mathematics and science teachers and 5 633 learners.

Grade 5

A total of 64 countries (including the six benchmarking participants) participated in the fourth-grade assessment, with Norway, Turkey, and South Africa participating at the fifth grade. The realised sample consisted of 297 schools, 294 mathematics educators, 295 science educators, 11 903 learners and 11 720 parents.

For more information on TIMSS 2019 internationally, see here.

TIMSS instruments

Learners completed mathematics and science assessments and answered questionnaires about their background, school experiences, instructional experiences, and attitudes toward learning mathematics and science. School principals and learners’ mathematics and science teachers also completed detailed questionnaires to provide data about school and classroom resources and approaches to education. In addition, the caregivers/parents of the grade 5 learners completed questionnaires about home contexts for learning.

You can access the 2019 South African contextual questionnaires on our What is TIMSS? page.

Test event on 24 July

Last year’s school closures are likely to adversely affect young learners in their foundational phase, especially in reading and mathematics. SA already faces a literacy crisis, with some grade 4 learners unable to read for comprehension.

The Western Cape scored better in the international TIMSS 2019 test than the South African average by 52 points for mathematics and 69 points for science, according to the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).

TIMSS is project of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) headquartered in Amsterdam. The IEA, with the International Study Centre, based at Boston College, released the international results of the study early this month 2020.
South Africa has been ranked among the lowest performing countries since it started taking part in the tests. TIMSS tests are designed to assess learners’ achievement in mathematics and science at the lower band of various global education systems. They are authoritative and reliable measure that participating countries use to monitor and evaluate their learners’ achievement and the health of their education systems.

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) has presented the detailed Western Cape results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019. Earlier this week, our province was revealed to have achieved the highest scores in the country for both Mathematics and Science when the national results were presented earlier this week.

149 schools, 149 principals, 162 science teachers, 170 mathematics teachers and 5 350 learners from our province participated in the 2019 round of the study. This increased sample allows the Western Cape to be considered a ‘benchmarking participant’ on the international ranking, comparing our performance to the rest of the world. It also means the results are more precise, with a lower standard error.

Pretoria, Friday 11 December 2020

The Western Cape province, in addition to being part of the national sample, participated as a self-standing entity called a “benchmarking participant” in TIMSS 2019. This provides Western Cape an opportunity to assess the comparative international standing of their learners’ achievement. “It is brave for the province to expose its educational outcomes to international scrutiny” says Dr Vijay Reddy, Principal Investigator of TIMSS 2019 and Distinguished Research Specialist at the Human Sciences Research Council.  Reddy adds that the results from the Western Cape TIMSS  provides a more precise estimate of achievement scores and an opportunity for a more textured analysis of the teaching and learning in the province.

Learners’ performance rated among worst in the world—again

The 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study released on 8 December contains shocking findings for science and mathematics competency in South African schools.

The TIMSS study is carried out every four years. Northern Hemisphere countries run the study between April and June of the assessed year, and Southern Hemisphere countries in October to November.

South African grade nine learners—averaging 14 to 15 years old—scored second lowest in mathematics and worst for science achievement of 39 countries that took part in that study. 

When it comes to mathematics and science scores, South Africa has failed to make significant gains, with the rate of improvement moving at a snail’s pace.

This is according to results contained in the “2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study” (TIMSS), which assesses the maths and science knowledge of fourth and eighth grade learners around the world. In SA, the assessment is conducted among grade five and grade nine learners in public and independent schools.

The TIMSS survey was released yesterday by Department of Basic Education (DBE) minister Angie Motshekga and the Human Sciences Research Council.

The achievement gap between learners attending fee-paying and no­ fee schools is 109 points for mathematics and 150 points for science.

NATIONAL NEWS – The 2019 South African component of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science study (TIMSS) has expressed concern at the rate of improvements in mathematics and science for Grade 9 learners.

“While the improvement in educational achievement is recognised, the concern is that the rate of improvement is decreasing. The improvement rate for mathematics and science achievement for the 2003 to 2011 period was 7.4 points and 7.1 points per year respectively (67 points for mathematics and 64 points for science over this period).