No one will be surprised to see East Asians dominating, and Estonia is a traditional high performer, but the attainment of British (apparently subnationally England is even more impressive) students is remarkable given the prevailing narrative of the UK as a country going round the U Bend. Also interesting to see the countries which usually occupy a smug position at the top of these sorts of tables being distinctly unremarkable.
The general story when considered diachronically is that most countries, especially it seems non-Anglo European countries, are on a general backslide that I think can justifiably be attributed to "phones bad". When set against this surge in mediocrity, the stagnant performance of the UK starts to look very good. Non Brits may not know that a little over ten years ago the then Tory education minister Michael Gove made sweeping education reforms that infuriated the teaching unions, the liberal papers, and the average Redditor. I wonder if he's quietly enjoying a celebratory beer (and maybe a few lines) in light of this vindication?
The general story when considered diachronically is that most countries, especially it seems non-Anglo European countries, are on a general backslide that I think can justifiably be attributed to "phones bad". When set against this surge in mediocrity, the stagnant performance of the UK starts to look very good. Non Brits may not know that a little over ten years ago the then Tory education minister Michael Gove made sweeping education reforms that infuriated the teaching unions, the liberal papers, and the average Redditor. I wonder if he's quietly enjoying a celebratory beer (and maybe a few lines) in light of this vindication?