Written Danish grades fall to nine-year low in upper-secondary schools

Grades in written Danish at Danish upper-secondary schools reached their lowest level in nine years in 2026, DR reported, citing the Education Ministry’s latest exam results.

At stx, the general upper-secondary school programme, the average grade in Danish at A level fell from 6.8 in 2018 to 6.2 in 2026. The decline at stx accounts for much of the overall fall across upper-secondary programmes.

Education Minister Magnus Heunicke said the figures concerned him, pointing to the rapid effect of artificial intelligence on students’ everyday lives. If AI becomes a shortcut around writing, analysis and expressing ideas, he said, students risk learning less.

The change was less pronounced at hhx, which focuses on business, and htx, which has a technical focus. At hhx, the average was 6.0 in 2026, compared with 6.1 in 2018 and 6.4 in 2021. At htx, it fell from 6.1 in 2018 to 5.9 in 2026. For all three programmes, 2026 was the lowest point in the nine-year period.

The government has introduced measures to adapt upper-secondary schools to AI, including an emergency package to counter AI cheating, Heunicke said. Business groups Dansk Erhverv and Dansk Industri share concerns about the decline and its potential effects on students’ future working lives.

Dansk Industri also highlighted the technology’s potential. “Some of it may be due to AI, but AI can also be part of the solution. It is about using AI correctly,” said the organisation’s head of education, Anne Fløe.

Debate over academic standards and the effects of AI and screens has also extended to primary and lower-secondary schools. An international Pisa study released in early September found declines in reading, mathematics and science among Danish 15-year-olds, a trend the government also described as deeply concerning.