How Finnish schools use formative assessment and feedback
In Finnish classrooms, assessment is mostly something that happens every day, not just at report time. Teachers, and pupils themselves, are constantly checking what has been understood and what to try next, long before any number appears on a report card.
- Finnish basic education distinguishes between continuous assessment during studies, which is formative, and final assessment at the end of a course or semester, which is summative, with formative assessment treated as part of daily schoolwork.
- The national curriculum requires pupils to take part in planning and assessing their own learning, so self-assessment is a formal expectation, not an optional extra.
- In multidisciplinary, phenomenon based modules, assessment leans especially heavily on self-assessment, peer assessment and ongoing teacher feedback rather than a single end of module test.
- This continuous approach underpins how Finland assesses without exams and sits alongside the later introduction of numeric marks described in the Finnish grading system.
Assessment as part of daily schoolwork
Finnish teachers are trained to treat assessment as an ongoing conversation rather than a periodic event. Continuous assessment during studies, watching how a pupil approaches a task, what questions they ask, where they get stuck, happens throughout the school year and directly shapes what a teacher does next in the classroom.
This is different from a model where assessment mainly means marking tests. In Finland, exams, class work and simple participation in class activities are all treated as legitimate sources of evidence about a pupil's learning, gathered continuously rather than concentrated into a handful of high stakes moments.
Pupils as partners in their own assessment
The Finnish national curriculum specifically requires pupils to take part in planning and assessing their own learning. In practice, this means pupils are regularly asked to reflect on their own strengths and challenges, set their own next steps, and comment on classmates' work through structured peer assessment, rather than waiting passively for a teacher's verdict.
This self and peer assessment habit is especially visible in multidisciplinary, phenomenon based learning modules, where a project might be evaluated as much through pupils' own reflection and group feedback as through a teacher's final judgement.
- Continuous teacher observation woven into daily lessons
- Regular pupil self-assessment of strengths and next steps
- Structured peer assessment, particularly in cross subject projects
- Narrative or verbal feedback long before numeric grades appear
How this connects to grading and exams
Formative assessment is the daily engine behind two things Finland is well known for: minimal reliance on standardised exams, covered in how Finland assesses without exams, and the gradual, later introduction of numeric marks described in the Finnish grading system. Neither of those outcomes would work well without the continuous feedback loop that precedes them.
For schools outside Finland considering this approach, the practical starting point is usually teacher training in observation and feedback techniques, rather than simply removing exams, since formative assessment done well requires more skill and structure from a teacher, not less.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between formative and summative assessment in Finland?
Formative assessment is the continuous assessment that happens during studies and shapes teaching day to day, while summative or final assessment happens at the end of a course or semester and typically feeds into a report.
Do Finnish pupils really assess their own work?
Yes. The national curriculum requires pupils to participate in planning and assessing their own learning, and self-assessment is a regular, expected part of classroom practice, alongside structured peer assessment.
Is formative assessment only used in phenomenon based projects?
No, it runs through all subjects, but it is especially prominent in multidisciplinary, phenomenon based modules, where self and peer assessment often carry more weight than in a single subject lesson.
Does formative assessment replace grades entirely?
No. It runs alongside grading rather than replacing it, feeding into the narrative feedback of early primary years and, later, the numeric marks described in the Finnish grading system.
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