Grades and assessment

The plan establishes that upper secondary school should be able to meet all children's needs and not be based on competition, and regrets that far too many never start upper secondary school. School should be compensatory and provide more support to those with weaker prerequisites. A barrier that shuts out students from further studies goes against this, so the demand to abolish it is supported.

• upper secondary school for alldecisive»Gymnasieskolan ska kunna möta alla barns behov, och inte som idag bygga på konkurrens.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Upper secondary school should be able to meet all children's needs, and not, as today, be based on competition.”
• prevent exclusion»Alltför många barn börjar aldrig gymnasieskolan eller hoppar av i förtid.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Far too many children never start upper secondary school or drop out early.”
• compensatory school»En skola som ger barn lika chanser är också kompensatorisk, det vill säga den förmår ge mer stöd till den som kommer från sämre förutsättningar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A school that gives children equal chances is also compensatory, that is to say it is able to provide more support to those who come from weaker prerequisites.”
• broad school mandate»Vi vill se en skola med ett brett uppdrag« (party programme ↗)“We want to see a school with a broad mandate”

The plan requires mandatory upper secondary school and notes that schools have failed in their compensatory task when too many students do not complete their education. A score threshold that excludes students from further studies stands in opposition to both these commitments. The requirement for a fair and truthful grading system speaks in favour of changing the qualification threshold rather than retaining it.

• mandatory upper secondary schooldecisive»Obligatorisk gymnasieskola.« (party programme ↗)“Mandatory upper secondary school.”
• failed compensatory task»Skolan har misslyckats med sitt kompensatoriska uppdrag.« (party programme ↗)“Schools have failed in their compensatory task.”
• truthful grading system»Rättvist och rättvisande betygssystem i svensk skola.« (party programme ↗)“Fair and truthful grading system in Swedish schools.”
• schools' compensatory task»Goda förutsättningar för skolan att klara sin kompensatoriska uppgift.« (party programme ↗)“Good conditions for schools to fulfil their compensatory task.”

The party programme explicitly states that assessment in school shall promote learning and development – not sorting – and that grades shall never be the dominant selection instrument for further studies. A grade barrier that excludes students from upper secondary school is precisely such sorting, and the programme says that the education system should not be barriers that young people are forced to pass. Boys' weaker school results are also raised as a societal challenge.

• assessment should not sortdecisive»förutsättningar. Bedömningen i skolan ska främja lärande och utveckling – inte sortering.« (party programme ↗)“preconditions. Assessment in school shall promote learning and development – not sorting.”
• grades not dominant selection»Betyg ska aldrig vara det enda, eller ens det dominerande, urvalsinstrumentet för« (party programme ↗)“Grades shall never be the only, or even the dominant, selection instrument for”
• no barriers in the education system»Utbildningssystemet ska inte vara hinder som barn och unga tvingas passera, utan« (party programme ↗)“The education system should not be barriers that children and young people are forced to pass, but”
• boys' school results»oavsett kön, växer upp i en kultur av respekt snarare än kontroll. Att pojkar har sämre« (party programme ↗)“regardless of gender, grow up in a culture of respect rather than control. That boys have worse”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The party programme answers to pupils who do not reach the goals with the right to the support and time required to leave school with adequate knowledge, not with lowered demands. The election manifesto aims at knowledge results in world class, makes improved school results a main priority and wants to correct grade inflation. Abolishing the cutoff for upper secondary admission eligibility goes in the opposite direction. The plan therefore rejects the counter-proposal.

• support instead of lowered demandsdecisive»stöd och den tid som krävs för att kunna lämna skolan med fullgoda kunskaper och uppnådda mål« (party programme ↗)“support and the time required to be able to leave school with adequate knowledge and achieved goals”
• knowledge results in world class»Du ska ha tillgång till en likvärdig skola i hela landet, med sikte på en utbildning och kunskapsresultat i världsklass.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“You shall have access to equitable schools throughout the country, aiming for education and knowledge results in world class.”
• against grade inflation»Betygsinflationen måste ordnas upp, med oberoende rättning och kontroll av resultat.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Grade inflation must be sorted out, with independent correction and monitoring of results.”
• improved school results»Att förbättra skolresultaten måste vara en huvudprioritering.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Improving school results must be a main priority.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan makes knowledge the school's main task and requires clear learning standards, evaluation and early support instead of lowered thresholds. Its answer to pupils who do not meet the goals is extended school days and mandatory holiday school as well as the possibility of reading individual upper secondary courses without prerequisites. Abolishing the admission threshold for upper secondary education thus goes against the plan's line.

• knowledge task firstdecisive»Kunskap är skolans huvuduppdrag.« (party programme ↗)“Knowledge is the school's main task.”
• interventions instead of lowered demands»Dessutom vill vi kunna förlänga skoldagarna för de elever som annars riskerar att halka efter, och ha mer av obligatorisk lovskola tidigare i skolåren.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Moreover, we want to be able to extend school days for those pupils who would otherwise risk falling behind, and have more mandatory holiday school earlier in the school years.”
• evaluation of knowledge»Utvärdering behövs för att mäta kunskap och garantera stöd och hjälp i tid.« (party programme ↗)“Evaluation is needed to measure knowledge and guarantee support and help in time.”
• alternative path without prerequisites»Elever som saknar gymnasiebehörighet ska ha möjlighet att läsa enstaka och yrkesinriktade« (party programme ↗)“Pupils lacking upper secondary prerequisites shall have the opportunity to read individual and vocational”

The plan is built on the understanding that students' knowledge formation shall be evaluated through grades so that improvement areas can be identified and shortcomings addressed as early as possible, and that a degree clarifies what competence the student has acquired. According to the plan, the answer to students not achieving passing grades is support and stimulation according to need, not removing the knowledge requirement for eligibility. Abolishing the grade boundary therefore lies outside the plan's position.

• grades as evaluationdecisive»elevernas kunskapsbildning utvärderas för att förbättringsområden ska kunna identifieras« (party programme ↗)“students' knowledge formation is evaluated so that improvement areas can be identified”
• shortcomings shall be addressed early»Det är viktigt att utvärderingar görs av elevernas kunnande så att eventuella brister« (party programme ↗)“It is important that evaluations of students' knowledge are conducted so that any shortcomings”
• support according to need»Skolan har ett ansvar för att eleverna får det stöd och den stimulans som motsvarar deras« (party programme ↗)“The school has a responsibility to ensure that students receive the support and stimulation that corresponds to their”
• clear knowledge requirements»Genom en gymnasieexamen tydliggörs den kompetens och de« (party programme ↗)“Through an upper secondary degree, the competence and”

The plan's answer to too many leaving primary school without qualifications is more support and higher demands - mandatory summer school, central marking and stop to grade inflation - not lower thresholds. Abolishing the grade threshold for upper secondary education would lower demands instead of raising knowledge, and contradicts the goal that every student should leave year nine with complete grades.

• complete grades as goaldecisive»Moderaterna vill få ordning på svensk skola så att varje elev går ut nian med fullständiga betyg och möter vuxenlivet med rätt kunskaper och gott självförtroende.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Moderate Party wants to get Swedish schools in order so that every student leaves year nine with complete grades and meets adulthood with the right knowledge and good self-confidence.”
• against grade inflation»• Sätta stopp för betygsinflation och olämpliga påtryckningar från föräldrar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop grade inflation and inappropriate pressure from parents”
• fair and central assessment»• Införa central rättning av betygsgrundande nationella prov samt ett slutprov efter årskurs nio – och ge Skolinspektionen i uppdrag att granska skolor som avviker från nationella prov« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce central marking of grade-determining national tests and a final test after year nine – and task the School Inspectorate with reviewing schools that deviate from national tests”
• support instead of lowered demands»• Införa en skyldighet för kommuner att erbjuda lovskola från lågstadiet. Elever som ligger efter i skolan ska vara skyldiga att delta i lovskolan« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce an obligation for municipalities to offer summer school from lower primary. Students who are lagging behind in school must be required to attend summer school”

The plan is based on grades correctly measuring knowledge and effort and that curricula should be supplemented with clearer knowledge targets. Abolishing the threshold for upper secondary eligibility would dissolve the requirement for achieved knowledge instead of raising it. The plan's answer to students who do not reach the targets is instead two-year practical upper secondary education and a school with order and discipline.

• grades measure knowledgedecisive»Syftet med betyg skall vara att dels rättvist kunna mäta kunskap och arbetsinsats« (party programme ↗)“The purpose of grades shall be to partly correctly measure knowledge and effort”
• clearer knowledge requirements»Läroplaner ska kompletteras med tydligare kunskapsmål.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Curricula should be supplemented with clearer knowledge targets.”
• practical paths for more»Tvååriga praktiska gymnasieutbildningar ska införas för att ge snabbare vägar in på arbetsmarknaden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Two-year practical upper secondary education should be introduced to provide faster paths into the labour market.”
• knowledge-oriented school»Återupprätta en kunskapsorienterad skola med ordning och reda« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Restore a knowledge-oriented school with order and discipline”