Stockholm University Starts Work on Swedish Citizenship Language Tests

Stockholm University has appointed a project manager to design Sweden's citizenship language tests.

Lars Bokander took charge of the development project on November 1st.

He took a one-year leave from Jönköping University to lead the team.

The team is developing tests for reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills.

However, actual test question development is starting from scratch.

The Swedish Council for Higher Education commissioned Stockholm University 18 months ago.

The team spent initial months recruiting staff and analyzing test systems in other countries.

Creating high-stakes tests requires extensive pilot testing for reliability and fairness.

The planned tests require A2 level in writing and speaking.

They also require B1 level in reading and listening.

Two major pilot testing rounds are scheduled for spring 2027 and spring 2028.

Researchers need more than one thousand participants to test draft questions.

Tests will be computer-based from the start to ensure standardized testing conditions.

In October, officials proposed launching reading and listening tests in autumn 2029.

Speaking and writing tests are planned to follow in 2030.

This timeline means developing the full system will take over five years.

The news was reported by The Local.