Tests and scores

Updated 29 October 2026

GL Progress Tests explained

Most British-curriculum schools in the UAE give children GL Progress Tests in English, maths and science each summer. Here is what the tests are, which one your child sits and how to read the results.

What the three tests cover

• Progress Test in Maths (PTM). Number, shape, data handling and algebra, plus mathematical reasoning and problem solving. From level 8 to 14 there is also a short, timed mental maths section.
• Progress Test in English (PTE). Two parts: English skills (spelling, grammar and punctuation, with phonics for the youngest children), then reading comprehension. It does not test extended writing.
• Progress Test in Science (PTS). Science knowledge and understanding, applying that knowledge, and working scientifically (how experiments and investigations work).

GL describes them as attainment tests that sample the UK national curricula. They are not a test of the whole curriculum: they pick out key parts of it to show where a child is secure and where there are gaps.

Which level your child sits

Each test comes in numbered levels. For children tested at the end of the school year, as UAE schools do, the level is the UK year group plus five. GL lists them like this for international schools:

Level 11T is a start-of-secondary test that GL says is not available in the UAE, so Year 7 sits level 12 in maths and English and no science test. Level 15 is standardised for international schools only. Levels 5 and 6 (Reception and Year 1) are paper only.

Some schools test twice a year. GL then uses a second version of the test (Form B) and, in the first term, the level for the year below, because children have not yet covered that year's content.

When UAE schools sit the tests

GL advises testing in the third term, when the tests were standardised and children have covered the year's content. For 2026-27, GL's guide for UAE schools gives these windows:

Your school sets the exact days inside the window. Schools following other curricula may use a different benchmark test: ADEK's policy, for example, names GL Progress Tests for British schools and other tests for American, Indian and Ministry of Education schools. For CAT4 and the NGRT reading test as well, see which tests UAE schools use, year by year.

The tests can be taken on a computer, a tablet or paper. GL's digital versions cover levels 7 to 15 (8 to 15 in science) and have worked on tablets since September 2025; paper versions exist for levels 5 to 14. Schools in the UAE sign a data-sharing agreement, so results are shared with the regulator.

How long the tests take

GL plans for 45 to 60 minutes at levels 5 to 7 and 60 to 75 minutes at other levels, per subject. They are not strictly timed: GL's information for parents says children are given as long as they need, and the test can be split into sessions with breaks. The one timed part is the mental maths section in PTM levels 8 to 14, which takes about 15 minutes.

What the scores on the report mean

Every Progress Test report gives the same main numbers:

• Standard Age Score (SAS). Your child's mark, adjusted for their exact age and compared with a national sample of UK children of the same age. 100 is average.
• National Percentile Rank (NPR). The percentage of children of the same age who scored the same or lower. 50 is average.
• Stanine. A 1 to 9 band. 4 to 6 is average, 7 and 8 above average, 9 very high.
• Progress category. Only if your child took an earlier Progress Test: much higher than expected, higher than expected, expected, lower than expected or much lower than expected.

PTE also gives separate stanines for English skills and for reading comprehension (from level 7). For what each number means in detail, and a score-by-score table, see GL Assessment scores explained.

Why 100 may be below average in a UAE school

Progress Tests are standardised on UK children, and GL does not produce separate international norms. GL has compared international schools' results with the UK sample instead. In its 2023 benchmark table, the average international score was above 100 at every level: for example about 110 for PTM 14 and 116.5 for PTS 8. So a score of 100 is exactly average nationally in the UK, but may be below the middle of your child's class.

Small changes are not meaningful

GL says a difference of less than 3 points is not usually statistically significant. Each score also has a margin of error: for an average child, GL puts the 90% range at about plus or minus 6 points in PTM 10, 7 in PTE 12 and 9 in PTS 10. A drop from 108 to 104 is within normal variation.

Progress Tests and CAT4: what is the difference?

Schools can put the two side by side in GL's combination report. It flags children whose maths or English attainment is much higher, higher, as expected, lower or much lower than their CAT4 scores would suggest. In GL's sample report, the maths comparison uses the CAT4 quantitative reasoning score and the PTM score.

If your child's Progress Test score is well below their CAT4 score, it may point to gaps in what has been taught or learned. GL's report asks teachers to consider, for example, whether the child is still learning English, whether attendance or a change of school has left gaps, and whether the test was taken at the right point in the year. When attainment is higher than CAT4 suggests, GL's prompts include strong support at school or at home and high motivation. Either way, it is a starting point for a conversation with the teacher, not a verdict.

The report for parents

GL produces an individual report for parents for each test. It explains why the test was used, shows example questions, gives your child's scores in plain language and suggests how to help at home. Schools decide what they share, so if you have only been given a single number, ask for the parent report.