Study Objectives
Every five years, the ICILS study assesses the digital competencies of 8th-grade students through a representative survey. The results make it possible to determine how digital competencies in Germany have developed since 2013 (trend perspective) and how they compare internationally (cross-national perspective). The results show trends over time, highlight differences among student groups, and provide important data for educational monitoring, quality improvement, and education policy decisions.
The study aims to:
- reliably measure the digital competencies of eighth-graders,
- track developments in digital education over several years,
- compare Germany with other education systems,
- identify educational inequalities and support needs,
- plan reforms, investments, and support programs based on data,
- and further develop digital education at the national, European, and international levels.
ICILS and European Goals in the Field of Digital Education
ICILS is part of the European education monitoring initiative, and the international participation fees are co-financed by the European Commission. The study provides important (European) comparative data on IT and information literacy. ICILS is regarded as a key tool for measuring digital skills and conditions across countries. Conducted every five years, the survey makes it possible to observe and better understand changes and differences in proficiency levels over an extended period of time, and to derive appropriate educational policies and pedagogical practices from these findings.
For example, the results of the most recent ICILS 2023 survey, in which 22 member states participated, showed that meeting the EU targets remains a significant challenge. This also applies to Germany, where there is a clear need for action—particularly in school types other than Gymnasium, the German secondary school type that typically leads to university entrance—to achieve contemporary digital education goals. As part of the EU Benchmark 2030, the goal was set to reduce the proportion of students with very low digital competencies to no more than 15 percent by 2030.
The data and findings gathered so far show that, in addition to investments in technical infrastructure—such as equipping schools with computers—there is also a specific need for pedagogical measures to strengthen students’ digital competencies in a sustainable manner.
This underscores the importance of continuous data collection to better understand differences in skill levels. At the same time, it provides the European Union and its member states with an empirically sound basis for developing and implementing appropriate educational policy and pedagogical measures to reduce existing skill gaps.