Assessment

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Assessment arrangements in primary and post-primary schools including the purpose of assessments, key stage assessment, levels of progression and longer term review of statutory assessment.

Purpose of assessment

Assessment lets teachers see what progress your child is making and provides teachers with information which assists them to plan how to help pupils make further progress.

Assessment also enables schools to report information to you as a parent, as well as information to help older children make choices about the examination courses they will follow and the qualifications and careers they will seek.

Assessment also helps schools to set targets for the future and to measure their performance. This information also lets government monitor the performance of the schools’ system generally.

Key Stage assessment - Levels of Progression

Literacy and numeracy are at the heart of the statutory curriculum. The importance of these skills is emphasised through the cross-curricular skills of Communication and Using mathematics, which were introduced during the 2012/13 school year. A third cross-curricular skill, Using ICT, was introduced in the 2016/17 school year.

These cross-curricular skills are assessed using Levels of Progression (LoP) which focus on skills as well as knowledge. Pupils are assessed using the LoP at three stages in their school career. For primary school pupils this is at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 4) and at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 7). For post-primary pupils, this is at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 10).

The LoP provide clear information for teachers, parents and young people themselves on the progress pupils are making in developing their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills. The LoP set out, in the form of “can do” statements, the sorts of skills that pupils should be expected to be able to demonstrate if they are to build the communication, numeracy and ICT skills needed to function effectively in life and in the world of work.

The Department of Education has agreed the levels which we expect most children and young people to be able to reach in the cross-curricular skills. The expected levels at each key stage are:

Key Stage 1 – level 2
Key Stage 2 – level 4
Key Stage 3 – level 5

Statutory Key Stage Assessment Arrangements 2025-26 Onwards

System-level sample assessments are large-scale evaluations of student performance conducted at the national level. These assessments are designed to measure the effectiveness of education systems without evaluating individual students or schools directly.

From the 2025-26 academic year, there will be a system level check in literacy and numeracy via written assessments designed, administered and marked by CCEA. The assessments will be taken by a representative sample of pupils in their final year of Key Stages 1, 2 and 3. Pupils will sit the first assessments in early March 2026.

Outcomes will not be used for individual school performance measurement nor published at pupil or school level.

This approach is designed to provide a clear, evidence-based understanding of how well our pupils are developing in literacy and numeracy.

The key purpose of the assessments is to measure national educational performance. They will allow the Department to identify trends, strengths and areas for improvement within our education system.

Further information on assessment at the end of key stages one and two (external link opens in a new window / tab) can be found on the Northern Ireland curriculum website.

Further information on assessment at the end of key stage three(external link opens in a new window / tab) can be found on the Northern Ireland curriculum website.

A letter issued to all primary schools on 31 May 2013 outlining some of the features of the operation of the common transfer file (CTF) in relation to the transfer of assessment data.

Review of Statutory Key Stage Assessment

The Minister of Education, Paul Givan established an Independent Review of Assessment Panel of education experts to advise on assessment in Northern Ireland.

The appointed members of the Independent Review of Assessment Panel are Chairperson Tim Oates CBE, with Dr Mick Walker and Garry Matthewson

The appointed panel have conducted an evidence-based review of assessment approaches internationally and made a series of policy proposals about the purpose, nature and design of assessment in Northern Ireland.

The Independent Review of Assessment recommendations aim to develop a new system of attainment measures which set high standards and clearly defined learning outcomes for all pupils throughout both primary school and Key Stage 3.

The Panel’s Report was published on 5 March 2026 and proposes a clear, coherent pathway for statutory assessment from the very start of school to the eve of qualifications.

The Independent Review of Statutory Assessment found clear evidence that the previous system based on moderated teacher judgement and the Levels of Progression did not provide reliable information for pupils, parents, teachers or the wider system. Participation had declined sharply, confidence had eroded and schools increasingly relied on commercial assessments which, despite significant cost, could not produce consistent national data.

The Review recommended a new statutory framework built on clear standards, close curriculum alignment, low burden standardised assessments and strong early identification of need.

Response by the Department of Education to the Independent Review of Statutory Assessment

On 15 April the Department published two major documents that set a new direction for how we assess, understand and support pupil learning: the Department’s Response to the Independent Review of Statutory Assessment and the new Policy Framework for Statutory Assessment.

The Department has accepted all ten recommendations from the Review, including the removal of Levels of Progression; the creation of a statutory assessment pathway; the development of optional adaptive assessments; the introduction of the Writing Repository; and major strengthening of assessment training in Initial Teacher Education and ongoing professional development. This represents the most significant update to statutory assessment policy in more than two decades and aligns Northern Ireland with best practice internationally.

Further information about the review, its findings and response by the Department of Education to the Independent Review of Statutory Assessment can be found here.

Whilst the review recommendations are implemented by the Department, it is important to have consistent and reliable interim arrangements, and an accurate picture of how our pupils are performing in literacy and numeracy. Therefore, the interim Key Stage assessment arrangements will remain in place for three years from 2025-26 until the 2028-2029 academic year.

Department of Education Policy Framework for Statutory Assessment in Northern Ireland

On 15 April 2026 the Department published a formal Response to the Independent Review of Statutory Assessment and the new Policy Framework for Statutory Assessment.

The new Statutory Assessment Policy Framework has been published establishing for the first time, a clear assessment pathway from Year 1 to Year 10. It introduces a sequenced suite of low workload, curriculum aligned assessments, including:

• a Baseline Check in Year 1

• a Phonics Check in Year 2

• annual reading fluency checks in Years 3–5

• literacy and numeracy assessments in Year 4

• a multiplication check in Year 5

• literacy, numeracy and science assessments in Years 7 and 10

The framework includes dedicated assessments for Irish medium education, ensuring full equity for immersion learners. It replaces, high-workload unreliable writing tests with a new Writing Repository that allows schools to benchmark writing standards with minimal burden.

A key innovation is the use of scaled scores, which replace the Levels of Progression and offer greater precision, clarity and comparability over time.

A new Record of Development and Education will create a single digital learner record from early years to Key Stage 3, reducing duplication and enabling earlier, more effective intervention.

Crucially, these new assessments are short, low stakes and supportive. They require no revision or preparation, and many will be automatically marked to minimise workload. They will be designed to give teachers the information they need, while providing parents with clear, consistent and easy to understand updates about how their child is progressing.

Data from these assessments will not be used for high stakes accountability or published at individual school level.

These new statutory assessments are intentionally designed to be short, low-stakes and entirely supportive for both pupils and schools. They are not similar to public examinations and require no revision, preparation or high-pressure study. Their purpose is to provide teachers with clear, timely information that helps identify strengths and needs early, rather than to judge pupils or contribute to any form of high stakes accountability.

Further information about the Department of Education Policy Framework for Statutory Assessment in Northern Ireland can be found here.

CCEA Adaptive Assessments

As set out within TransformED, the Department is committed to investing in the further development of CCEA’s Adaptive Assessments as a formative assessment tool at pupil level and to inform school self-evaluation.

This standardised computer test in literacy and numeracy adapts depending on the child’s answers and levels of proficiency. This means it is accessible to all pupils including SEN and gifted and talented.

CCEA’s Adaptive Assessment was available to all schools. This free computer assessment tool is bespoke to the Northern Ireland Curriculum with 520 schools participating within the assessment period 29 September 2025 to 16 January 2026.

For more information and how to register for CCEA’s Adaptive Assessment.

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