The purpose of these guidelines is to provide methods for comprehensive education sector analyses to support the preparation and monitoring of education sector plans. They are an update of a 1999 document that has been used to support the preparation of approximately 70 Education Country Status Reports (CSR) in more than 40 countries. The goal of the guidelines is to strengthen national capacities in order that Government teams can conduct education sector analyses with progressively less external support. They were prepared by education economists and specialists from UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning-Pôle de Dakar, UNESCO's Dakar Office, the World Bank, UNICEF and the Global Partnership for Education secretariat. The guidelines are divided into two volumes. The present volume features methodologies for analysing six sector-wide thematic areas: context; access; costs and financing; quality, system capacity and management; external efficiency; and equity. The emphasis is on formal primary and secondary education, with volume 2 specifically covering the other major education subsectors. [For Volume 2, see ED615592. For Volume 3, see ED615594.]