Updated 13.00

Ireland's 15-year-olds have ranked mid-table amongst OECD countries on problem solving.

Young people in 28 countries participated in a computer based PISA assessment, and Ireland finished in 17th place.

This result was similar to the US, Norway and Denmark but the UK, Canada and Australia all performed significantly better.

Asian countries made up the top six performers.

Rachael Perkins is from the Education Research Centre:

Minister wants improvements

The Minister for Education says there's considerable room for improvement, and these reports inform the changes being made to the system through schemes like Project Maths and the reformed Junior Cert.

The study also shows that while Irish students are better than average at reading, our place in the International rankings is falling.

Girls out perform boys with a significant difference of 29 points.

In maths our 15-year-olds score above average boys doing better than girls.

TUI urge ICT improvements

The Teachers Union of Ireland has responded to the results, saying the group has long had concerns about Information and Communications Technology infrastructure in Irish schools. They've also highlighted the need for full broadband access.

Those concerns come ahead of the planned publication of a digital schools strategy by the Department of Education.

In a statement, TUI President Gerard Craughwell added "With regard to Project Maths, TUI is hopeful that will it will achieve its stated aims, but as of now nobody can be definitive in terms of passing judgement on its effectiveness.’