Exhibit 4.13 presents the description of eighth grade performance at the Advanced International Benchmark. Students reaching the Advanced level communicated conceptual understanding of concepts related to biology, chemistry, physics, and Earth science in a variety of contexts.

Exhibit 4.13.1 shows an item from the biology domain asking students to correctly classify seven animals as mammals or non-mammals. On average, 30 percent of the eighth grade students were successful. Japan was the highest achieving country with 75 percent correct.

Exhibit 4.13.2 presents an item from the chemistry domain about the periodic table of elements. The international average was 29 percent correct, and top-achieving Singapore had 60 percent on this item.

Exhibit 4.13.3 shows a physics item that asked what happens to gas molecules inside a balloon when the balloon is heated. Singapore and Israel had the highest performance on this item with 68–69 percent correct. The international average was 41 percent.

The last example item is shown in Exhibit 4.13.4. From the Earth science content domain, the item asked students to recognize what causes a weather balloon to expand as it rises above the ground. On average, 42 percent of the eighth grade students correctly answered that the atmospheric pressure decreases. The highest percentage correct, 68 percent, was posted by Japan.