The International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS), which was first launched in 2016 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), focuses on children’s early learning, their home background and learning environment, and their experiences in early childhood education.

It is the first international large-scale assessment with five-year-old children, assessing not only cognitive domains (emergent numeracy and literacy) but also non-cognitive domains of self-regulation and empathy. Distinctive features of the assessment are the use of tablets with audio recordings and a one-to-one administration.

The first cycle of IELS 2018 was administered in three countries. Malta participated in the second cycle, IELS 2025. International results for this study were published in May 2026.

For more information, visit the IELS website from here.