The latest global rankings from the prestigious Programme for International Assessment (PISA) have been released, revealing mixed results from UK participants.
While UK schools jumped ahead in Sciences - up to 15th position from 21st in 2012, educations leaders say the country's overall performance has stagnated, with experts having expressed hopes for better performance overall.
Over half a million students took place in the most recent tests, representing 28m 15-year-olds in 72 countries and economies.
Students who participate are randomly chosen from all the 15-year-olds enrolled in grade 7 or higher in selected schools. They are asked to interpret texts, solve maths problems or explain a scientific concept using their logic and reasoning skills.
Their scores count towards a national mean score which can be compared between participating countries.
Children in Asian schools do consistently well in the tests, with this year's tables topped by Singapore across the board.
Rather than assess children on regurgitated classroom knowledge, Pisa aims to test participants on their problem-solving skills, allowing analysts to determine just how well students can apply what they have learnt to real life situations.
