The setting of pupils' final grades in the Swedish upper secondary school system is the responsibility of their teachers and once grades are set, they are not open to appeal. This can be compared with the British system where an external, central examination board sets the final grades based on the result of externally marked examinations (A-levels). These grades are then open to appeal if it is felt that an injustice has been made.

This research paper has been an investigation into how pupils in one Swedish upper secondary school attempt to influence their teachers in the grade-setting process and how these teachers are affected by these different methods. Five teachers in total were interviewed in a qualitative case study. The study has also taken up the controversial issue of how grades, which are set individually by thousands of teachers across the country, can be deemed to be fair and equivalent.

The study revealed that pupils employ many different methods when trying to influence their teachers in the grade-setting process e.g. bribery and negotiation, threats of physical violence, psychological pressure and blackmail as well as flattery. It was established though, that out of all the interviewed teachers, not one of them claimed to have been influenced by the pupils' behaviour. However, all the teachers admitted that their emotional wellbeing was affected negatively in one way or another by the psychological strain.

Finally, whilst the study showed that the interviewed teachers set grades fairly and equivalently in that they were not influenced by the pupils' behaviour, none of them believed that the system had a chance of functioning effectively on a nationwide basis due to grading discrepancies occurring between teachers and schools.