The PISA for adults in mathematics and reading: would you pass the test?

Spain has obtained 247 points in reading, thirteen less than the OECD average and five less than those it obtained in the previous evaluation in 2013; improvement, although only four points in mathematical competence (it goes from 246 in the previous PIACC to 250) but it is still far from the OECD average, eleven points separate it, twelve less, however, than those that distanced it in 2013 ( 23). The conclusion is that we are still behind Europe, being the seventh country with the worst results in reading, and eighth in mathematics.

Translated into practice, this means that only three out of every ten Spaniards can understand simple and short texts, no more than one pagebut not understanding more complex texts such as ‘Don Quixote’. With mathematics, those furthest behind yesThey are only able to add and subtract numbersbeing a complex task to understand, for example, the electricity bill.

That said, from ABC we ask you: Would you be able to pass the exam? Below we leave a couple of the issues that the second PIACC study has included.

Reading comprehension

In this question, the adult is asked the following question: «At what time, at the latest, should children arrive at nursery school?

This item was designed to be of low difficulty, and the correct answeris “Bring your child no later than 9:00 a.m.” Readers should understand that this is the answer to the question, not the fifth rule: “Breakfast will be ready at approximately 7:30.”

Raising the difficulty to moderate, the report presents the adult with an email from a teacher, explaining that students can bring a stuffed animal to school for International Day of Sharing. The item asks the respondent to identify the rule that is temporarily ignored for this day.

Here, The correct answer is the sixth rule: «Bring a small blanket or pillow for a nap. “Let you play at home.” This can be ignored for this specific fact, since the email specifies that children can bring their favorite stuffed animal to school. This item was developed to be moderately difficult because the reader must confront information presented in two texts, and contradictory information does not use identical language.

In this question the respondent You must solve a table and have all the questions correct. Each row contains a statement, and the respondent must indicate whether the statement is true for bread, crackers, or both. To correctly complete this item, respondents must go beyond a literal understanding of the information expressly stated. From top to bottom, the correct answers are as follows: Both, Pan, Both.

To understand that the first statement, “Must be wrapped to stay fresh,” is true for both bread and crackers, it is necessary to integrate the information in the first and third paragraphs. Furthermore, the first statement does not appear directly in the text, so the reader has to deduce the connection between the statement and the action that can be taken to reduce the effects of humidity.

Math

In this question of mathematical skills, It is explained to respondents that mortar is a construction material that adds a textured finish to brick or cement walls. They are also shown an image of a bag of the mixture, which contains information on the label about the mass of a bag (20 kg) and the average surface area that a bag of mixture can cover (5 m2), when applied with a uniform thickness.

For this task, respondents have to determine how many kilograms of mixture are needed to cover a 5 by 4 meter wall. This problem can be solved by proportional reasoning based on the surface area of ​​the wall to be covered and the coverage information on the label. That is, the wall to be covered measures 5 by 4 meters, which is equivalent to 20 m2, and the label indicates that 20 kg of mixture can cover 5 m2, so How many kilograms will cover 20 m2? Since the surface of the wall to be covered is four times greater than the surface that a bag of mixture can cover, the amount of mixture needed must also be four times greater, so the correct answer is 80 kg.

There are also mathematical questions of lesser difficulty (the previous one was competency 3), such as write down how many objects there are in the image or what is the largest number of all those shown.

In these questions, the difficulty increases as more items or more complex numbers appear. The correct answers for the two images included above are: five oranges and the number 381.

Adaptive problem solving

Finally, in the APS section, the respondents have different problems that have to be solved using the most efficient route.

In this item, the respondents They have to use an interactive map to find the fastest route to accomplish three tasks, taking into account a number of time constraints. Specifically, the person in the scenario has to take their child to school before 8:30 in the morning, then drive to do the weekly shopping, and finally drive home before 9:30 to attend a meeting. . The interactive map shows a house, a school and three businesses. The times are determined by clicking on any of the marked locations on the map.

When you touch a location, the route is marked with a dashed line and the total driving time is displayed in the lower right corner. To solve this problem, respondents will have to explore different routes and collect information on total driving time. Your answer will only be final when you press the arrow to advance to the second item and are asked to confirm your answer. In this question, the correct answer would be go first to school, then to store A and finally home.