PISA 2025 Results (Volume I)

This annex presents two examples of released units from the PISA 2025 Science assessment and the Learning in the Digital World (LDW) assessment. It includes screenshots of the tasks, together with item information.

Additional released unites and fully interactive versions are available on the PISA website: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programmes/pisa/pisa-test.html

Scoring

Full Credit

• The student must provide a description of an environmental benefit of using wind turbines instead of burning fossil fuels to generate electricity.

• Examples of responses include:

  • CO₂ is not released during the generation of electricity.

  • No carbon dioxide is released. [true during power generation although CO₂ could be released at other stages, e.g. transport and construction]

  • Burning fossil fuels releases more CO₂ than wind.

  • Less CO₂ [minimum response]

Description

To successfully complete the question, students are required to draw on their scientific knowledge to provide and explain one way in which the use of renewable energies instead of fossil fuels benefits the environment.

This question is of moderate to high cognitive demand (Proficiency Level 5) requiring students to identify and construct a scientific explanation of a familiar phenomenon.

A correct response provides an explanation that wind energy produces electricity without burning fossil fuels, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution. This demonstrates an understanding that renewable energy sources helps mitigate climate change and reduces the release of pollutants that can harm ecosystems and human health.

Scoring

Full Credit

The student must describe one negative impact that a wind farm could have on the local environment. Responses could include:

• The local sea floor, flora and/or fauna may be harmed during the construction phase.

• Birds might fly into the blades.

• Wind farms could interfere with the movement of wildlife (e.g. fish, whales, dolphins).

• Wildlife may not like the noise or vibration of the blades.

• There would be permanent alteration of the aquatic environment.

• Water currents/waves might be altered.

• Animals will suffer

Description

To successfully complete the question, the student must draw on their knowledge to provide and explain one way in which the installation of wind turbines in a marine environment could damage the immediate environment.

Scoring

Student must select ‘Zone C’

Full Credit

• Three marks: The student also explains the elements of the compromise that must be made by referring to both financial cost and environmental considerations. Responses could include

  • [Zone C] Building here will be a more expensive option because it is away from the shore in deeper water. However, the fish in this area can move to other habitats whereas this is not as easy for the wildlife in other zones which makes the cost worthwhile.

  • [Zone C] This is not the cheapest area to build it but it will reduce the impact on the environment since this area is not critical for the survival of any species.

  • [Zone C] Is in deeper water but the animals in Zone C are also in Zone B, so they can move to another habitat unlike the wildlife/plants in other areas.

Partial Credit

• Two marks: the student considers one aspect of the compromise by referring to either the financial cost or an environmental consideration. Responses could include:

  • [Zone C] Because the animals in this zone can be found in other zones, so they have somewhere to go when the turbines are built. [does not refer to financial cost considerations]

  • [Zone C] The fish will be able to move to Zone B, whereas the plant/aquatic life in Zones other than C are unable to move to other areas so turbines should not be built in them.

  • [Zone C] Because this will be cheaper than building in deeper water. [does not refer to environmental impact]

  • [Zone C] There are no birds, but it is quite deep. [‘quite deep’ refers to increased cost; ‘no birds’ does not fully explain the environmental considerations of building in Zone C]

  • [Zone C] Some fish might become extinct

  • [Zone C] because this is not the deepest. [implied consideration of cost]

  • [Zone C] The fish are small enough to swim around it.

• One mark: Selects [Zone C] without an explanation or with an incorrect explanation. Responses could include:

  • [Zone C] It is far enough offshore that they won’t bother anyone.

  • [Zone C] The turbines should be built on land.

Description

To successfully complete the task presented in this question, the student must evaluate a series of contextual data presented in diagrammatic and text forms to determine the best location for wind turbines and provide a supporting explanation that considers both economic and environmental factors.

The task is of high cognitive demand in that it requires evaluation of both diagrammatic and textual information to identify that the solution must involve a compromise between environmental and economic factors. They must also be able to provide a written justification for their choice of solution.

Students receive two marks if they select the zone representing the best compromise between environmental and economic factors but only describe one of those factors in their justification.

Students receive one mark if they select the zone representing the best compromise between environmental and economic factors but do not provide a justification for their choice.

In the “Recycling Claw” unit, students learn how to program a robotic claw to recycle different objects.

Show 1 – P1M102

Show 2 – P1M105

Show 3 – P1M135

Show 4 – P1M133

Learn 3 – P1M120

Learn 3 is the first of the interactive, non-tutorial tasks in the “Learn” phase of the “Recycling Claw” unit. In all 3 “Learn” phase tasks of the unit, as well as the “Apply” phase task, students are instructed to modify or create a program that will enable the Recycling Claw to replicate the outcome shown in the Goal state world.

Students can execute (run) or step through their program as many times as they wish, as well as use any of the code blocks available to them in the code block library (there are no limits on the number of times each code block can be used). Students can also consult a worked example related to a similar problem for help on each task, with the help focusing on the relevant computational concept introduced in each task (e.g. repeat, conditional).

Note: Learn 1 and Learn 2 that precede Learn 3 are heavily scaffolded, embedded tutorial tasks and do not contribute to the performance scales.

Learn 4 – P1M123

Learn 5 – P1M124

Apply 3 – P1M128