Teachers and students seek AI rules as Danish exam grades fall

Exam results in written Danish have fallen again, prompting teachers and students to call for clearer guidance on artificial intelligence in schools, DR reports. This year’s graduates were the first cohort to have access to generative AI throughout their entire upper-secondary education.

Teachers’ union GL chair Anders Frikke said teachers believe some students are outsourcing too much of their thinking to machines and are not getting enough practice in writing during the school year. He said that could leave them less prepared for exams.

The average exam grade in Danish at A level across the stx, hhx and htx upper-secondary programmes fell from 6.6 in 2018 to 6.1 in 2026, according to new figures from the Ministry of Education. The decline is driven largely by results at stx schools.

Oscar Tønsberg Hoffmann, chair of the Danish Association of Upper Secondary Students, said he was concerned that students who rely on AI during the year may have weaker writing skills when they sit exams without it. He also called for national guidelines and teaching on how AI should be used, saying approaches currently vary across the country.

Education Minister Magnus Heunicke said AI could become a shortcut that prevents students from learning to write, analyse and express themselves. He said the government has already introduced an AI package for upper-secondary schools and plans further initiatives.

Frikke said teaching and exam formats need to be reconsidered so students can practise the skills they need and develop academically. In September, an international Pisa study also found that Danish 15-year-olds had fallen behind in reading, mathematics and science.