This report is based on a comparative analysis of primary school curricula in the areas of mathematics, science and English (the intended curriculum) across all Australian education systems as well as a selected number of overseas countries to identify the characteristics of those education systems that perform best in international tests such as the TIMSS and TIMSS-R; identify how successful education systems define and enact the intended curriculum; analyse the comparative strengths and weaknesses of curriculum documents in maths, science and English; and evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of state and territory curriculum documents, implementation issues and recommendations for improvement.