My grade for the first completed section in Swedish is a C!  In the last course (Svenska som andraspråk 1), my grades ranged from E to C for each section with an overall C.  I am very pleased that this started off as a C.

The grading structure is A, B, C, D, E and F.  “A” is the highest and an “F” is a failed grade.  “A,” “C” and “E” are the meaty grades with very detailed explanations on what they mean on Sweden’s education website.  “B” and “D” are the in-betweens that mean you are a little above the lower letter, but not high enough for the upper letter.

Here is the link to the Swedish National Agency for Education, in English.  It’s a .pdf and the C-grade’s meaning can be found on page 4.

Click to access Swedish%20as%20a%20second%20language.pdf

Previously, there was a national system of G, VG and MVG.  G meant Pass (now “E”), VG meant Pass with Distinction (now “C”), and MVG meant Pass with Special Distinction (now “A”).

According to my instructor, this is why he awarded me a C-grade:

You show with some certainty that you can gather, sift and collate information from various sources and based on this, write investigative and argumentative texts that are coherent, well-structured and that provide a new perspective.  Moreover, you can reason and draw conclusions based on that reasoning.  Your texts are adapted to the purpose, destination, and communicative situation.

You can apply rules for citations and abstracts, and essentially follow the standards of written language for linguistic correctness.  The language is clear and varied, and it contains good formulations. You can formulate a thesis in written and oral arguments, remain consistent, and provide sound arguments to support it.  Additionally, you can discuss an overview of style, content, and supporting ideas in fiction and authorship from different times and epochs by a few central literature/scientific concepts. You give examples of literary agents and discuss in detail how their literary works convey ideas and emotions, and you are able to relate these works and authors to the conditions and current ideas of society. Additionally, you can, with some precision on the basis of language examples, explain how different types of sentences, phrases and words in Swedish language are structured and interact with each other in the grammar.

Your answers are what are required to get a C grade on the task.

Just so you know, the main theme of this section was different periods of literature throughout Swedish history.

I don’t know that I will ever get an “A”.  A’s show complex use of the language, and can jump into any conversation.  They can talk or read about anything.  How am I going to get that kind of range when my social situation is so severely limited?  For now, I am happy with a “C.”