Stakeholder opinions about cancelling exams in Norwegian upper secondary school during the pandemic, and its consequences—an illuminative study

Most central examinations in upper secondary school were cancelled by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training (NDET) in 2020–22 due to COVID-19. Teacher assessment became the sole final assessment. An illuminative study was conducted to get perceptions of 12 informants representing policy makers, university leaders, teachers, principals, teacher unions, and a student union about central exam cancellation. This study finds that cancellation of central exams is perceived to have both positive and negative consequences on the educational system. The informants argue that students’ stress and anxiety levels concerning central exams were reduced, and students had more time to work with the curriculum. Credibility of students’ final assessment has been challenged and, moreover, sole teacher assessment has created a more favourable basis for admission to higher education due to an increase in average grade points in competition with non-COVID-19 cohorts. The lack of examiner training reduced teachers’ opportunities to strengthen their assessment literacy, since central exams seem to be a key to develop final assessment literacy.