Research and analysis

The National Reference Test in 2026

The results digest for the National Reference Test in 2026, provided by the National Foundation for Educational Research, and the annual statement.

• From: Ofqual
• Published: 20 August 2026

Applies to England

Documents

National Reference Test results digest 2026 (accessible)

Ref: ISBN 978-1-916567-64-1, Ofqual/26/7358/1

HTML

National Reference Test results digest 2026 (PDF)

Ref: ISBN 978-1-916567-64-1, Ofqual/26/7358/2

PDF, 340 KB, 25 pages

National Reference Test annual statement 2026 

Ref: Ofqual/26/7358/3

HTML

Details

The results digest for the National Reference Test (NRT) in 2026, provided by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), and the annual statement.

Since its introduction in 2017, NFER has been contracted by Ofqual to develop, deliver and analyse the results of the NRT in English and maths.

The NRT is administered annually and shows if student performance in English and maths at GCSE level has changed from year-to-year. This year, more than 13,000 Year 11 students took part in the NRT. The 2026 NRT testing took place in the spring term, between 20 February and 9 March.

Published 20 August 2026