However, despite primary and secondary pupils north of the border, having the highest comprehension levels, on average they, like other home nation pupils, are reading the least difficult books.

The annual “What Kids are Reading Report”, written by Professor Keith Topping of the University of Dundee used data compiled by literacy and assessment provider Renaissance UK. The company examined the reading habits of 1,057,720 pupils, including 29,524 in Scotland.

James Bell, Renaissance’s director of professional services, is now calling on teachers and librarians to ensure pupils are reading books that pose an appropriate challenge to help develop literacy skills.

Scottish pupils have the joint greatest level of reading comprehension. Picture: Greg Macvean

Harry Potter dominates favourite books – taking the top seven places for primary schools and is first choice for secondary pupils.

Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny and Billionaire Boy were amongst the most-read authors for both primary and secondary pupils.

Professor Topping described the results as “eye-opening.”

“It’s great to see that Scottish pupils are at the top of the table in reading comprehension.

“We can now see that balancing the three factors of appropriate reading challenge, reading practice, and reading motivation is fundamental for children’s reading progress.

“Although important, instilling reading culture in schools isn’t just about dedicated reading time.

“Teachers and librarians should also encourage lively classroom discussion about fiction, with children sharing favourite authors and titles.

“They should also be on hand to advise on books with appropriate challenge bespoke to the child’s interests. And of course, it is important to encourage children to read outside of school, so letting them take books home is crucial.”

A spokeswoman for the Educational Institute of Scotland, said: “Literacy and numeracy are key elements of Curriculum for Excellence, and are firmly embedded in all areas of learning and teaching in Scotland’s schools.

“Pupils receive individual support from teachers at all stages to encourage their reading and this, coupled with access to school libraries to help encourage additional independent reading, helps to ensure that young people can develop their reading at an appropriate pace for them.”

Scottish children reading books which are ‘too easy’