<p>This essay aims to study how national tests in the ninth grade are being viewed upon in the Swedish school system. What are the affected people’s thoughts regarding its field of application? For further information about this matter, three different sub studies have taken place. In the first sub study, literature from The Swedish National Agency for Education (SNAE) has been studied and compared to other researches. In the second sub study, pupils who took part in the national tests during the previous year answered a survey about their experiences working with the tests. The third sub study includes interviews with 12 teachers who all work with national tests in the ninth grade. These teachers were asked questions about their experiences working with the national tests. Results from the three sub studies are discussed thoroughly and are being brought together through a neo-rationalistic perspective in the discussion part of the essay. The major conclusion made is that there is a difference between the guidelines given by SNAE and how the affected people within the schools look upon the test system.</p>

This essay aims to study how national tests in the ninth grade are being viewed upon in the Swedish school system. What are the affected people’s thoughts regarding its field of application? For further information about this matter, three different sub studies have taken place. In the first sub study, literature from The Swedish National Agency for Education (SNAE) has been studied and compared to other researches. In the second sub study, pupils who took part in the national tests during the previous year answered a survey about their experiences working with the tests. The third sub study includes interviews with 12 teachers who all work with national tests in the ninth grade. These teachers were asked questions about their experiences working with the national tests. Results from the three sub studies are discussed thoroughly and are being brought together through a neo-rationalistic perspective in the discussion part of the essay. The major conclusion made is that there is a difference between the guidelines given by SNAE and how the affected people within the schools look upon the test system.