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New national final exams, which are assessed centrally, are to be introduced in grade 9 and in upper secondary school, according to the state grading inquiry.
The proposal means that oral partial tests will be abolished. If they are to be included, the assessment will be both expensive and inefficient. In addition, they would reduce the reliability of the tests, according to the investigation.
But Mia Smith, chairwoman of the Swedish Association of Language Teachers and a teacher of English and German, opposes the proposal to remove oral partial exams in English.
– That would be devastating. There is a great risk that teachers will adapt teaching to the final exams and spend significantly less time on oral skills, which are very important in language subjects, she says.
According to the commission's proposal, teachers should continue to assess oral presentations as part of their own grading. However, if national oral exams are removed, a significant assessment tool will disappear, says Mia Smith.
– We are losing our most important assessment anchor. Assessment will become more uncertain and more teachers will fall when the support wheels are removed, she says.
“Involves a lot of stress”
National exams also give teachers the chance to listen to students in peace and quiet once a year – an important time of quiet, according to Mia Smith.
– I am worried about what will happen to the language teachers' working environment if that opportunity disappears. Conducting oral exams alone in large classes is extremely stressful.
She also sees a risk that oral tests in the national assessment aids in modern languages will be removed. They are similar to today's national tests and are designed by the same working group.
– The change risks spilling over into modern languages where orality is already a major challenge, says Mia Smith.