Diversity in Policy, Uniformity in Assessment? A Study of English Varieties in Sweden’s National English Listening Tests

Sammanfattning

The Swedish national tests in English hold a central position in the Swedish school system, as they are compulsory for all upper secondary students and exert considerable influence on classroom practice. This influence is particularly significant in relation to the English subject curriculum for upper secondary students, which requires that students engage with spoken language featuring “different social and dialect features” across all three courses, English 5-7 (Skolverket, 2025, p. 7). The curriculum thus presupposes exposure to a range of English varieties consistent with an understanding of English as a global language. Whether the national tests actually provide such exposure or instead continue to privilege a narrow range of accents, has not yet been systematically studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine which English accents and varieties are included in the listening comprehension sections of the Swedish national test and whether the distribution reflects Inner, Outer, or Expanding Circle varieties (Kachru, 1985). This study also examines how these patterns reflect language ideologies and how they relate to the aims of the national curriculum. The material consists of the complete listening audio files from six consecutive test years (spring terms 2012-2017). The different varieties of English were identified through systematic phonological analysis and quantified in terms of exposure time, complemented by qualitative interpretation of accent selection. The findings reveal a clear dominance of Inner Circle varieties and very limited representation of other varieties. This pattern suggests the continued influence of Standard Language Ideology and native-speakerist assumptions in assessment practices and indicates a partial misalignment between the national tests and the curriculum’s emphasis on linguistic diversity. The study contributes to research on language assessments and sociolinguistics by illuminating the relationship between assessment practices, language ideology, and curricular goals in the teaching of English as a global language.