WS MoreOrLess: Testing the PISA test
More or Less
BBC
4.6 • 3.7K Ratings
🗓️ 7 December 2013
⏱️ 10 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The publication of the latest international education league table has created waves around the world. From Shanghai at the top of the table to Peru at the bottom, the PISA rankings create a lot of discussion about the best way to teach children. In some countries the OECD-led ratings are taken so seriously that education policy has been changed to try to improve national performance. But is the league table really as definitive as many people believe? Ruth Alexander looks behind the numbers. Presenter/producer: Ruth Alexander This programme was first broadcast on the BBC World Service.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Thank you for downloading from the BBC. |
| 0:03.0 | The details of our complete range of podcasts |
| 0:06.0 | and our terms of use go to BBCWorldService.com |
| 0:09.0 | slash podcasts. |
| 0:12.0 | This is the short edition of More or Less, |
| 0:14.0 | first broadcast on the BBC World Service. |
| 0:18.0 | Hello and welcome to More or Less on the BBC World Service. |
| 0:22.0 | I'm Ruth Alexander. This week an international |
| 0:25.0 | education league table creates waves. |
| 0:28.0 | The UK is falling behind global rivals |
| 0:31.0 | in international tests taken by 15-year-olds. |
| 0:35.0 | US test scores remain stagnant, |
| 0:37.0 | while other countries see rapid rise. |
| 0:39.0 | 15-year-old school pupils in 65 countries sit tests |
| 0:43.0 | and every three years the results are compared. |
| 0:46.0 | This time maths was the main focus. |
| 0:48.0 | But there are some who say that the people who design the test must try harder. |
| 0:53.0 | We'll be exploring these concerns. |
| 0:55.0 | But before we go any further, |
| 0:57.0 | if you're anything like the More or Less team, |
| 0:59.0 | you'll want to prove to yourself that you can answer a maths question |
| 1:03.0 | aimed at a 15-year-old. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.