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Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2026

The Project

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an international comparative study of the reading literacy of students around 10 years of age.

PIRLS focuses on three aspects of reading literacy:

How students read different types of texts (broadly, fiction and non-fiction)
What kinds of reading comprehension processes students use to understand those texts
What attitudes students have towards reading

PIRLS allows for comparisons of performance between education systems (usually different countries) as well as comparisons of performance over time, with each iteration of the study being conducted every five years.

Pearson is responsible for the overall delivery of PIRLS 2026 in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The University of Oxford research team is leading on the analysis of data, national report writing and dissemination for England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Start and end dates for PIRLS England, PIRLS Northern Ireland, and PIRLS Wales

Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2026) England, funded by Department for Education (England): May 2024 – December 2028

Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2026) Northern Ireland, funded by Department of Education (Northern Ireland): April 2024 – March 2028

Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2026) Wales, funded by Welsh Government: February 2025 – February 2029

Research Team

Ariel Lindorff

Principal Investigator

Associate Professor

Velda Elliott

Co-Investigator

Professor in English and Education; Director for Graduate Studies

Jamie Stiff

Research Officer

Doctoral Student

External Team

In collaboration with Pearson

(England, Northern Ireland and Wales)

Daniel Miujs

Queen's University Belfast (Co-Investigator, Northern Ireland only)

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