bokstavsbetyg

Bokstavsbetyg, or letter grades, is a common form of evaluating student achievement in Sweden. In this system, each course or examination result is expressed with a letter rather than a numeric score. The most widespread scale in contemporary use is A, B, C, D, E, with F indicating a failing result. In practice, passing grades are typically A through E, while F denotes non-pass. Historically, some documents and institutions used older scales or terms such as VG (very good) and G (good), but these have largely been replaced by the A–F system in modern education.

Bokstavsbetyg serve as the formal record of a student’s performance in a course and are used on transcripts and final certificates (betyg). They are intended to provide a concise, internationally recognizable summary of achievement and are frequently presented when applying for further studies or employment. In Sweden, the guidelines for how grades are awarded in compulsory and upper secondary education are set by the national education authorities (Skolverket), while universities and other higher education institutions establish their own procedures for course grading and for admissions based on these grades. International recognition often involves converting Swedish bokstavsbetyg to other grading systems or to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) equivalents.

The bokstavsbetyg system has advantages, such as ease of communication and portability across institutions, but can also obscure nuances of a student’s depth of understanding. As with any grading scheme, interpretation depends on the context, subject, and institution.