Heavy episodic drinking is more common among adolescents with a lower educational level. Aim: This study probed into the mechanism through which a lower educational level is linked to heavier adolescent drinking. Methods: Structural equation modelling was conducted using data from the 2005 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey (n = 5169). Findings: Mediation analyses revealed that higher frequencies of heavy episodic drinking among adolescents with a lower educational level could be partially explained by spending more time with friends, a higher number of drinking peers, less monitoring by parents and less restrictive parental rules. Conclusions: Parenting as well as peer influence could explain part of the educational differences in heavy episodic drinking. More research is required to reveal additional factors that might explain heavier drinking patterns among adolescents with lower educational levels. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)