The Western Cape scored better in the international TIMSS 2019 test than the South African average by 52 points for mathematics and 69 points for science, according to the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).

TIMSS is project of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) headquartered in Amsterdam. The IEA, with the International Study Centre, based at Boston College, released the international results of the study early this month 2020.
South Africa has been ranked among the lowest performing countries since it started taking part in the tests. TIMSS tests are designed to assess learners’ achievement in mathematics and science at the lower band of various global education systems. They are authoritative and reliable measure that participating countries use to monitor and evaluate their learners’ achievement and the health of their education systems.