Learning English as a foreign language across PISA countries and economies

As English continues to shape how people access information, participate in global culture, and compete in the labour market, education systems are under increasing pressure to provide students with meaningful opportunities to learn it. The findings presented here show that education systems are responding in diverse ways. Some prioritise an early start, others favour more intensive instruction later on. These choices matter as the onset and intensity of English learning can influence students’ eventual proficiency and their future academic, professional and civic opportunities. By participating in the PISA 2025 Foreign Language Assessment, over 20 countries and economies have taken an important step toward benchmarking their results and obtaining evidence on the most effective ways of learning English, and building fairer, more effective language-learning pathways.