In this paper I describe eight students’ opinions and feelings towards level-marking of tasks in mathematics textbooks and on tests. The way the level-markings are used by the students to achieve the grades' criterias are investigated as well as how their motivation is affected by these level-markings.  It was discovered in focused interviews that the students use the level-markings as a way of concretely visualize the grades’ criteria and as a guide when choosing tasks to work with. The students express how they get an immediate feedback of how they are performing compared to their goals but also that the markings contribute to a decrease in work effort. While discussing motivation it was discovered that students choose tasks from the level they earlier performed on. It is mostly the students’ endurance working with these tasks that is damaged by the level markings. Many of them focus primarily on the markings and make assumptions about their own forthcoming performance.