Linkable PISA dataset available for research

Through the ADR Scotland Programme, accredited researchers can now request access to Scottish specific PISA data for the years 2012, 2015 and 2018. Held in the Scottish National Safe Haven, this dataset is linkable to a range of other education datasets including Pupil Census, Attendance and Exclusions.

The PISA data

PISA is a survey carried out every three years by member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) plus a variety of partner countries. Only a sample of students from each country are assessed during each survey.

In Scotland, approximately 3000 participated in the survey across the years 2012, 2015, and 2018.

Each survey cycle focuses on one of three domains: reading, mathematics and science. In 2012 the main domain was maths, followed by science in 2015, and reading in 2018.

The PISA survey also includes background questionnaires. Pupils are asked about their motivations for study, attitudes to school, studying and their socio-economic background. The survey is also completed by Headteachers who are asked about the opportunities and challenges facing their schools, organisation and factors that they believe affect their students' performance.

Why is data linkage research using PISA important?

The Programme for Government (2025-26) and the National Improvement Framework articulate the Scottish Government’s vision and priorities for Education agreed across the system. Areas of focus include education reform, closing the poverty-related attainment gap, improving health and wellbeing, enhancing literacy and numeracy skills, and ensuring positive school leaver destinations.

Professor Roger Halliday, CEO at RDS said: “Whilst international comparison of the PISA survey results is already available through the OECD, this new linkable dataset brings the Scottish results into conversation with other Scottish education data in the National Safe Haven. This creates unique opportunities for researchers who are interested in exploring children and young people’s education and development in Scotland to contribute to the evidence base for policy decisions.”

Further information and how to request access

Additional information can be found on our metadata catalogue. You can also find additional content about PISA and how the Survey was conducted on the Scottish Government website for 2022,  2018, 2015 and 2012.

At Research Data Scotland, we're here to help you access secure data in Scotland for research. Find out more on our Data access overview page. 

Making data available

ADR Scotland is transforming how public sector data is curated, accessed and utilised for research that brings public benefit and contributes to insights into policy priorities in Scotland. ADR Scotland (Administrative Data Research Scotland) is a partnership combining specialists in the Scottish Government with the expertise of academic researchers at the Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research (SCADR). 

Since April 2023, RDS has been working for the Scottish Government to support the practical data ingest work of the ADR Scotland programme, making datasets like this available for research in the public benefit.