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In this report on education systems in Repeatedly High Performing Jurisdictions (RHPJs) the authors present data on the assessment approaches used at the end of basic secondary education. These assessments are conducted at around the age of 16, at approximately the stage when students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSEs). The aim of this report is to bring some clarity and lesser-known facts to current debate. To this end, the authors present data collated in a desk-based study of all jurisdictions globally that have repeatedly performed highly in international comparisons. The authors reveal the forms of assessment that are used at the end of basic secondary education within each jurisdiction. This enables clarification of how common high-stakes testing actually is within what are arguably the world's most successful education systems. Across the jurisdictions the stated purposes of assessments at this stage of education are considered. This includes an exploration of earliest aspirations behind external examinations in England. In particular the authors examine the use of qualifications in progression, as this is of particular importance in current discussion. Since the use of assessment for accountability is perhaps its most controversial purpose, this phenomenon is explored in some renowned education systems: those of Shanghai in China, Estonia and Finland. Overall, the authors provide an evidence-based argument that when it comes to high-stakes testing at age 16, England, Wales and Northern Ireland are by no means as atypical as some would believe. The approach to assessment is, in fact, strikingly similar to the approaches of many of the countries whose educational achievements are most admired.