Sweden sets 2029 start for centrally marked final exams

Sweden’s first new national final exams will be held in some upper-secondary subjects in 2029 and marked centrally, under an assignment the Government gave Skolverket on Friday.

Unlike today’s national tests, which support teachers’ grading, the final-exam result will become part of each pupil’s merit value for applications. The tests will also be used to calibrate school grades. Families will therefore be navigating an exam that directly influences admission alongside the grades awarded by the school.

Parliament approved the wider grading reform on 9 June. The main school-law changes take effect on 1 July 2028, introducing a 1-to-10 scale and national final exams in compulsory school, special school, upper-secondary school and adult education. The first combined merit values are planned for summer 2031.

The technical route is less settled. Skolverket warned in May that a large-scale digital system with central marking could not be ready by 2029. The Government now says the first exams may be written on paper and scanned for central marking, while digital delivery is phased in.

Current national tests will meanwhile remain mostly as they are rather than being fully digitised. Skolverket must now coordinate with school providers and system suppliers so schools can prepare.

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