GL Progress Test Scores Explained: PTM, PTE and PTS

The short answer

The GL Progress Test Series is three tests: Progress Test in Maths (PTM), in English (PTE) and in Science (PTS). Each gives a Standard Age Score, where 100 is the average for a child of that age across a UK sample, a stanine from 1 (low) to 9 (high), a national percentile rank, and a progress category from much lower than expected to much higher than expected. In Dubai, KHDA expects every child in Years 4 to 10 to sit them. ADEK in Abu Dhabi asks for the same year groups. The 2027 testing window opens on 3 May.

If your child is at a British or international school in the UAE, a GL Progress Test report will reach you at least once a year. It is a short sheet of numbers for maths, English and science. This guide explains each number in plain English, and shows what to do with the result.

What the GL Progress Tests are

The Progress Test Series is made by GL Education, the same publisher as CAT4. GL describes it as an objective, summative, once a year test with national comparison. There are three tests:

Progress Test in Maths (PTM). Questions are grouped into four process categories: fluency in facts and procedures, fluency in conceptual understanding, mathematical reasoning, and problem solving.
Progress Test in English (PTE). Spelling, grammar and punctuation, and reading comprehension using age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction texts.
Progress Test in Science (PTS). Knowledge and understanding of science, applying that knowledge, and working scientifically.

Each test level is named after the age it is built for. A Year 4 child sits PTM9, PTE9 and PTS9. A Year 10 child sits level 15. GL says the tests take about an hour to an hour and a quarter, so they sample the curriculum rather than covering every objective.

Who sits them in the UAE, and when

In the UAE the tests come from the regulators. GL’s guide to testing in the UAE sets out what each one expects.

GL Progress Test requirements by emirate, 2026 to 2027 (source: GL Education)
Emirate	Regulator	Year groups	Testing window
Dubai	KHDA	Years 4 to 10 (Grades 3 to 9)	3 May to 11 June 2027
Abu Dhabi	ADEK	Years 4 to 10 (Grades 3 to 9)	3 May to 11 June
Sharjah	SPEA	Years 4 to 10 (Grades 3 to 9)	3 May to 2 July 2027

Which test level each year group sits (source: GL Education)
UK year	Grade	Maths	English	Science
Year 4	Grade 3	PTM9	PTE9	PTS9
Year 5	Grade 4	PTM10	PTE10	PTS10
Year 6	Grade 5	PTM11	PTE11	PTS11
Year 7	Grade 6	PTM12	PTE12	Not required
Year 8	Grade 7	PTM13	PTE13	PTS13
Year 9	Grade 8	PTM14	PTE14	PTS14
Year 10	Grade 9	PTM15	PTE15	PTS15

Not sure which year your child is in? Our Year vs Grade chart maps every UK year to its grade and age.

Results also travel with your child. Dubai College, for example, asks Year 7 applicants for their end of Year 5 GL Progress Test results alongside the school report and CAT4 scores.

The Standard Age Score (SAS)

The SAS is the headline number. GL builds it from your child’s raw score, adjusts it for age, and compares it with a nationally representative sample of UK children of the same age. The average is 100. PTM was standardised on over 45,000 children and PTE on over 49,000.

GL’s standardised scores use a standard deviation of 15. In practice, about two thirds of children score between 85 and 115. A score of 115 is around the top sixth. A score of 85 is around the bottom sixth. Our CAT4 scores guide shows the full spread, and it reads the same way for the Progress Tests.

Stanine, percentile and group rank

The other scores on a Progress Test report (source: GL Education)
Score	What it tells you
Stanine (ST)	The SAS placed in one of nine bands, 1 low to 9 high. Stanine 5 is the middle band.
National percentile rank (NPR)	Where the score sits against the national sample. 50 is average, 5 is the lowest 5 per cent, 95 the highest 5 per cent.
Group rank (GR)	Your child’s position within the group the school tested. An “=” means a joint rank.

The group rank depends on who else is in the school. The SAS, stanine and percentile compare with the national sample, so those are the numbers to use when you compare schools, years or subjects.

The progress category

Once a child has sat the same test more than once, the report adds a progress category. GL measures it between sittings and puts it in one of five bands:

Much higher than expected
Higher than expected
Expected
Lower than expected
Much lower than expected

The SAS is already adjusted for age, so a steady score is good news. A child with an SAS of 95 who scores near 95 a year later has kept pace with children of their age across the UK sample. A rising SAS means they gained ground. Ask the school which band your child is in and which strand moved most.

Progress Tests and CAT4: how they fit together

Two GL tests, two different questions
	CAT4	Progress Tests
Measures	Reasoning ability	What your child has learned in maths, English and science
Linked to the curriculum	No	Yes
UAE year groups	See our CAT4 guide	Years 4 to 10
Main score	SAS, average 100	SAS, average 100

Because both use the same scale, you can read them side by side. A CAT4 quantitative score of 112 next to a PTM score of 96 suggests maths content your child can reason through but has not yet secured. That kind of gap responds well to practice. Our CAT4 guide for UAE parents covers when CAT4 is sat in each emirate.

Turning a result into a plan

GL says the Progress Tests should be used diagnostically, to find gaps in knowledge and strengths. The strand breakdown is where that happens. Ask the school for it if it was not sent home.

Find the weakest strand. In maths, see whether the gap is fluency, reasoning or problem solving. In English, see whether it is spelling and grammar or comprehension.
Check it against the curriculum. Our free Skills Check tests your child on the UK National Curriculum for their year and shows, topic by topic, what is secure and what needs work.
Practise little and often. Short regular sessions on the weak topics build the fluency the test measures. The next sitting is in May, so a term of steady practice shows up in the next report.

What is a good GL Progress Test score?

The average Standard Age Score is 100. Around two thirds of children score between 85 and 115. A score of 115 or above is roughly the top sixth for that age.

What do PTM, PTE and PTS stand for?

Progress Test in Maths, Progress Test in English and Progress Test in Science. The number after the letters is the age the level is built for, so PTM11 is the maths test for Year 6.

Do all UAE schools use the GL Progress Tests?

KHDA expects every child in Years 4 to 10 (Grades 3 to 9) in Dubai to take the Progress Test Series. ADEK asks Abu Dhabi schools to run Progress Testing for the same year groups, and SPEA in Sharjah expects standardised benchmark tests. Your school will confirm which tests it uses.

When are the GL Progress Tests in 2027?

GL lists a window from 3 May to 11 June 2027 for Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and from 3 May to 2 July 2027 for Sharjah. Each school picks its own dates inside the window.

What does “lower than expected” progress mean?

It is one of the five progress bands GL reports between two sittings of the same test. Treat it as a prompt: look at the strand breakdown, then talk to the teacher about which topics to revisit.

Can my child prepare for the Progress Tests?

The tests sample what your child has been taught in class, so the best preparation is secure knowledge of the year’s maths, English and science. The free Skills Check shows which topics to work on first.

Sources

Facts in this guide come from public, verifiable sources. Fees and ratings change: always confirm directly with the school or regulator before making a decision.

GL Progress Test scores explained: PTM, PTE and PTS