Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels 2016-17

This contains the results of the achievement of curriculum for excellence levels 2016-17.


Chapter 7: Achievement of CfE levels by English as an Additional Language (EAL) status

  • The percentage of pupils achieving the expected CfE level was lower for pupils with English as an Additional Language, compared to non-EAL pupils (where EAL status known).
  • The differences in performance were smaller for numeracy than for the literacy organisers across all stages.
  • The differences in performance were generally smaller at S3 than in the primary stages.

The percentage of pupils achieving expected levels was higher for pupils recorded as not having English as an Additional Language (EAL), compared to EAL pupils, across all stages and organisers.

The gap in performance was lowest in numeracy across all stages; highest in P1 at seven percentage points and lowest in S3 (Third Level or better) at two percentage points.

In P1, the greatest difference in performance between pupils who have EAL and those who have not, was in listening and talking; 71 per cent compared to 87 per cent. This was the biggest difference in expected levels across all the stages. In P4, the differences were similar over all the literacy organisers at 10 to 11 percentage points.

A similar pattern was observed for both P7 and S3 pupils with the percentage point difference ranging from 11 to 13 (P7) and nine to ten percentage points (S3) across the literacy organisers.

Table 7.1: Percentage of primary pupils achieving expected CfE levels by English as an Additional Language (EAL) Status, 2016/17

Stage

EAL status

Reading

Writing

Listening & Talking

Numeracy

P1

(Early Level)

English as an additional language

70

67

71

78

English as main language/fluent

82

78

87

85

Unknown[23]

60

57

67

65

Total

80

77

85

83

P4

(First Level)

English as an additional language

68

63

74

71

English as main language/fluent

78

72

84

76

Unknown[24]

64

58

70

62

Total

77

71

83

75

P7

(Second Level)

English as an additional language

65

59

69

67

English as main language/fluent

77

70

82

71

Unknown[25]

60

52

65

55

Total

76

69

81

70

Table 7.2: Percentage of S3 pupils achieving Third Level by English as an Additional Language (EAL) Status, 2016/17

Stage

EAL status

Reading

Writing

Listening & Talking

Numeracy

S3

English as an additional language

82

80

83

87

English as main language/fluent

91

89

91

89

Unknown[26]

78

78

78

75

Total

90

89

91

88

Table 7.3: Percentage of S3 pupils achieving Fourth Level by English as an Additional Language (EAL) Status, 2016/17

Stage

EAL status

Reading

Writing

Listening & Talking

Numeracy

S3

English as an additional language

39

37

39

54

English as main language/fluent

52

49

52

56

Unknown[27]

32

30

33

35

Total

51

48

51

56

Contact

Email: mailto:school.stats@gov.scot

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