TIMSS 2023: Improving Year 9 science Publications
Publication Details
The analysis presented in this paper supplements other evidence of how New Zealand Year 9 students performed in the TIMSS science assessment. It gives examples of strong performance, examples of improving performance and examples of areas that need more focus. This paper is designed to help teachers reflect on teaching and learning and provides links to some useful resources to support their teaching.
Author(s): Robyn Caygill and Evan Sutherland, Ministry of Education
Date Published: September 2025
Key findings
- The questions where New Zealand Year 9 students did better than the average student internationally came from across all the content areas: biology, chemistry, physics, and Earth science.
- Large improvements occurred for individual questions in chemistry, Earth science, and biology.
- Some aspects of biology would benefit from further focus. These aspects include plant and animal cells, the nervous system, and human impact on the biological ecosystem. Links to some of the available resources in these areas are provided in the document.
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