Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature (spring 2027–)

A candidate participating in the matriculation examination must complete the test in mother tongue and literature (Act on the Matriculation Examination 502/2019, section 10). A candidate may take the mother tongue and literature test as a test based on the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature syllabus if their mother tongue is not Finnish, Swedish or Sámi and they have completed the studies in accordance with the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature syllabus, which are a prerequisite for participating in the test for those completing the general upper secondary education syllabus, or if they use sign language as their mother tongue or first language (Act 502/2019, section 11).

These regulations apply to both the Finnish as a second language test and the Swedish as a second language test, which are equivalent in terms of structure, tasks, and materials.

The Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature syllabus is appropriate for a student if there are deficiencies in their basic Finnish or Swedish language skills in one or more areas of language proficiency (Education Committee Report SiVM 15/2018).

In the test, it is assessed how well the candidate has achieved the language proficiency objectives of the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature syllabus set out in the national core curriculum for general upper secondary education, as well as the candidate’s maturity and readiness for further studies. The test does not require native-level proficiency; instead, it takes into account that the candidate’s Finnish or Swedish language skills are still developing. The Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test replaces the mother tongue and literature test. Successful completion of the matriculation examination provides general eligibility for higher education.

The Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test is taken over two days, with a duration of six hours on each day. The test is taken on the scheduled mother tongue and literature examination days.

These regulations address only participation in the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test. Consideration of insufficient proficiency in the language of instruction of a candidate with a foreign language background, as well as the consideration of hearing impairment through other arrangements in the matriculation examination tests, is addressed in the Board’s regulations on taking into account circumstances that adversely affect test performance in the matriculation examination.

It is the responsibility of the principal to determine whether the candidate meets the prescribed requirements for participation in the tests (Act on the Matriculation Examination 502/2019, sections 7–8). After the enrolment data have been received from the general upper secondary schools, the Matriculation Examination Board checks the candidate’s registered mother tongue in the Population Information System. A candidate has the right to participate in the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test without a separate application if

1. the candidate’s registered mother tongue in the Population Information System is not Finnish, Swedish or Sámi and the candidate has completed the compulsory studies of the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature syllabus included in the general upper secondary education syllabus, or
2. the candidate uses sign language as their mother tongue or first language (Act 502/2019, section 11).

Not all general upper secondary schools organise or offer studies in Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature. In such cases, prior learning may be recognised in accordance with section 27 of the Act on General Upper Secondary Education (714/2018) and the national core curriculum for general upper secondary education if the syllabus is appropriate for the student due to deficiencies in their basic language proficiency.

If the candidate has not completed the compulsory studies in Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature by the time of enrolment for the test, the procedures in subchapter 1.3 (Right to participate) of the Board’s general regulations and guidelines shall be followed.

If a candidate whose mother tongue is not Finnish, Swedish or Sámi and who has completed studies in accordance with the Finnish as a second language and literature syllabus has participated in the matriculation examination mother tongue and literature test but has failed it, they may, if they wish, retake the failed test by taking the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test (Act 502/2019, section 16). If a candidate has participated in the matriculation examination mother tongue and literature test and has failed it and does not meet the above-mentioned conditions, they may apply to the Board for the right to participate in the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test as described above. The Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test cannot replace a mother tongue test taken as a second national language test.

The Board prepares the tasks for the matriculation examination tests in accordance with the compulsory and nationally optional studies in the relevant subject included in the general upper secondary education syllabus for young people (Government Decree on General Upper Secondary Education 810/2018; Government Decree on the Matriculation Examination 612/2019, section 5).

The tests include interdisciplinary tasks (Decree 612/2019, section 5). From the spring 2023 examination round onwards, such interdisciplinary tasks may be based on transversal competences as described in the national core curriculum for general upper secondary education (2019). Candidates are not required to demonstrate detailed knowledge or skills from another subject in their responses.

In the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test, it is assessed how well the candidate has achieved the language proficiency objectives of the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature syllabus as defined in the national core curriculum for general upper secondary education: how well they understand spoken and written Finnish or Swedish, are able to produce communicative texts, and command vocabulary, language structures and expressions typical of Finnish or Swedish.

The test is based on a communicative view of language proficiency, according to which language proficiency includes both knowledge of the language and the ability to use it. Language proficiency is assessed in accordance with the objectives set out in the national core curriculum. The test assesses both comprehension skills (listening and reading) and production skills (writing). Oral production and spoken interaction can, for the time being, only be assessed in the matriculation examination language tests by simulating real interaction situations in writing. The test has a theme, and the texts dealing with it may relate to transversal competences in the national core curriculum for general upper secondary education, to the objectives and contents of the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature syllabus, or to those of other subjects. The tasks are designed to assess multiliteracy and different communicative functions as comprehensively as possible.

A variety of authentic materials are used in the test. In addition to written, visual and graphic text materials, various audiovisual texts are also used in line with a broad concept of text, such as advertisements, animations or excerpts from television programmes, films or plays. The material may also consist solely of an audio file, for example an excerpt from a radio interview, news broadcast, or radio play. The material may also consist of online texts or a website.

The Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test is organised on two examination days. The reading literacy and listening comprehension part is completed on the first day, and the writing part on the second day. On both examination days, the duration of the test is six hours.

The test is completed in a closed online environment. Dictionaries or electronic dictionaries are not permitted. For the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test, the candidate needs headphones that can be connected to a computer.

The candidate may choose the order in which they complete the tasks for that examination day. The candidate may modify all their answers until they submit the test for that examination day. The candidate may draft their answers on paper (see the Board’s general regulations and guidelines, subchapter 1.5.2 Other equipment and aids).

The texts in the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test are written in standard language unless the task or context requires otherwise. Paragraphing in the answer text is indicated by leaving a blank line between paragraphs. A blank line is also left after any title. No spell-checking programme is available. The text may also be written, for example, using the LibreOffice word processing programme, from which the candidate transfers the written text to the space provided for the answer. Only the text in the answer field is regarded as the answer to the task.

The performances are checked and preliminarily assessed by a teacher of the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature syllabus or a teacher of mother tongue and literature at the general upper secondary school (Act 502/2019, section 18). All Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test performances must be preliminarily assessed in the general upper secondary school, even if the institution does not have its own teacher of the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature syllabus. The performances must be assessed in accordance with the schedule separately issued by the Board.

The assessment follows the scoring instructions provided in these regulations and in the Features of a good answer. The teacher assesses the answers using the criteria in the regulations and the test-specific Features of a good answer in the Board’s assessment service, where the teacher also records the scores for the answers. The teacher indicates deficiencies or errors related to the content of the answers by underlining and, where necessary, with brief comments. In addition, in the reading literacy task set and in the short and long writing tasks, direct copying and quotations from the source text without a reference are marked. Linguistic deficiencies are not marked.

A missing answer or an answer that cannot be assessed receives 0 points. If the candidate has answered more tasks than required, in the final assessment those answers with the lowest total score are taken into account. The teacher preliminarily assesses all answers and records their scores in the assessment service. The Board selects the answers that constitute the test performance.

If a candidate submits more than one answer to the same task, the task is assessed according to the answer that yields the lowest number of points. The teacher assesses all answers; in the Board’s processing, the answer that yields the lowest number of points is selected for the test performance.

The grade for the test is determined in the final, relative assessment based on the total score for all tasks in the test. The maximum total score for the entire test is 160 points. In the reading literacy and listening comprehension part, the maximum score is 80 points: the listening comprehension task set accounts for 30–40 points and the reading literacy accounts for 40–50 points. In the written part, the maximum score is 80 points: the short writing task accounts for a maximum of 20 points and the long writing task for a maximum of 60 points.

A passing grade in the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test requires that the candidate has a performance in both parts of the test, which are completed on different days. If the candidate fails to attend either test session or does not submit a performance for assessment in both test sessions, the overall performance is considered interrupted, and compensation is not possible. When retaking the test, the candidate must complete both parts of the test again.

The test performances are checked and finally assessed by the Board (Act 502/2019, section 18). The Board’s censors assess all performances and assign scores to them in accordance with the assessment criteria jointly determined within the subject section. Statements in an answer that are clearly contrary to the law or good practice are regarded as a factor lowering the value of the performance.

Each year, the Board appoints the first censor for the Finnish or Swedish as a second language and literature test for each general upper secondary school. A censor appointed by the Board must not assess performances from a general upper secondary school with which they have a close connection due to teaching duties, family ties, or similar reasons. In addition, the Board issues instructions on the use of second and third censors.

If an answer has been assessed by more than one censor, the final score for the answer is the score jointly decided by the censors who assessed the test. The Board decides the grade boundaries for grades after the assessment work has been completed, separately for each examination round.

In the listening comprehension task set, the candidate’s ability to understand spoken language is assessed, whether in the form of a monologue, dialogue, or group discussion. The tasks may assess, for example, understanding and interpretation of main ideas or key details, as well as recognition of interaction and various audiovisual means. The tasks may represent different task types, such as multiple-choice tasks, matching tasks, true/false questions requiring justification, open questions, or various response or summarising tasks. The audio texts may represent different language registers. They may consist of read-aloud speech or spontaneous spoken language. Some of the texts in the listening comprehension task set may also be videos.

Answers to open questions assessing listening comprehension must interpret the content of the text. The questions do not necessarily relate only to a specific point in the audio recording or video but may also test overall comprehension. Some questions may also require personal interpretation or a position.

Instructions for answering are provided with each task. The maximum score for a task or its items is specified for each task or item. The task may limit the length of the answer. The recommended length may vary by task or item. The length of the answer is calculated in characters. Spaces and line breaks are not included in the character count. The test system counts the number of characters in the answer but does not automatically restrict it.

In the reading literacy task set, the candidate’s ability to understand written language is assessed, as well as their ability to respond to tasks based on what they have read. These tasks require writing in the target language. The texts to be read represent different text types and vary in length. They include both informational and literary texts.

The reading literacy task set may consist of different task types, such as tasks focusing on the meaning of vocabulary, terms and other expressions, various types of multiple-choice tasks, matching tasks, tasks in which statements are identified as true or false and justified using the material, and open questions.

The task set also assesses the candidate’s critical and cultural reading literacy.

Open questions in the reading literacy task set assess the candidate’s ability to understand and interpret the text and to present their observations and conclusions in their response. Answers to the questions must interpret the content of the text and comply with the task instructions. The questions do not necessarily relate only to a specific part or paragraph of the text but may also test overall comprehension. Some questions may also require personal interpretation or a position.

Instructions for answering are provided with each task. Each task or item has a maximum score, which is indicated in the task instructions. The task instructions may limit the length of the answer. The recommended length may vary by task or item. The length of the answer is calculated in characters. Spaces and line breaks are not included in the character count. The test system counts the number of characters in the answer but does not automatically restrict it.

The primary objective of the short writing task is communicative, that is, how well the candidate is able to respond to the task instruction and any material provided, such as a message from another person, and to take their features and requirements into account in their own text. The text may be, for example, a comment on a topic related to the source text, an email message, a blog post, or another everyday text.

Instructions for answering the short writing task are provided with the task. The recommended length is approximately 500–800 characters, excluding spaces and line breaks. The test system counts the number of characters in the answer but does not automatically restrict it.

In the long writing task, the candidate is required to produce a reflective or argumentative text using the materials provided. The long writing task includes 4–6 materials with related title options. The materials may include, for example, informational texts, media texts, and fictional texts in various forms. The candidate must use one or two of the materials in their own text.

The long writing task is used in particular to assess the candidate’s written expression, ability to present and develop ideas, to express and justify opinions, and to address the subject matter as a whole. It also assesses the candidate’s ability to independently produce a coherent text on a given topic and to express their ideas in Finnish or Swedish. The content of the long writing task must correspond to the task instructions.

The recommended length of the long writing task is approximately 2,000–2,700 characters, excluding spaces and line breaks. This character count is, however, a recommendation rather than a strict requirement. A character counter is available in the answer field, but the length of the response is not automatically restricted. The candidate must monitor the character counter themselves and ensure that the long writing task remains within the recommended length.