National subject tests in biology, physics and chemistry

In 2008 the Government decided that more subject tests for the ninth form, among others, should be implemented. From 2010 centrally constructed course tests for the ninth form of lower secondary schools are used as a means of ensuring that the judgement criteria and hence the equivalence of the pupils will be as uniform as possible throughout the country. The subject tests can be used by teachers to support their assessment of pupils' knowledge and as support for equivalent marking.

In accordance with the agreement that has been made between Skolverket ['the Agency of Education'] and Umeå University, the Department of Applied Educational Science(TUV) undertakes to be responsible for the construction and result analysis of the tests in biology, physics and chemistry for the ninth form of lower secondary schools. Subject tests in biology, physics and chemistry are constructed by a working team in the Department in collaboration with reference and construction groups recruited from the whole country. These consist of teachers with experience of teaching groups of pupils in youth education. Try-outs of questions also engage large number of teachers and pupils in primary and lower secondary education. As an integrated part of the development work with the national course tests and the Test Bank, work is conducted with analyses of and reports on test results.