Both the previous Swedish government and the parties in the governing right-wing bloc have called for language tests for citizenship applicants.
A proposal on the issue is already working its way through Sweden's legislature, and it is likely to pass when it reaches the parliamentary vote stage, as a majority of parliamentary parties are in favour.
So it might be time to sign up for SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) classes – that is, if you haven't already.
What level of Swedish will you need for citizenship?
An inquiry into bringing in the language requirement for citizenship concluded in January 2021 that applicants should be able to listen to and read Swedish at B1, the third of the six levels in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), equivalent to having completed level D, the highest level in the Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) course.
This is a fairly high level of Swedish, well beyond the simple nej, tack, ("no, thanks") you might need when asked if you want a receipt at the supermarket, or the en kardemummabulle och en latte ("a cardamom bun and a latte") you might need when ordering a fika. It's enough to get the gist of what's in Swedish newspapers, listen to the radio, or to follow a lecture without too much difficulty.
When it comes to speaking or writing Swedish, the inquiry suggested requiring a lower level, A2. This is equivalent to SFI level C, the second-highest level, and roughly the same as a lower high-school level language class.
This is the same level which the government has suggested for those applying for permanent residency for reading and listening as well as speaking and writing.
What are the CEFR's A2 and B1 levels?
According to the CEFR guide, someone at B1 level, "can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc." and "can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken."
This is roughly equivalent to studying a language at upper-secondary school or gymnasium in Sweden.
A2 is much more basic. According to CEFR, this is enough to "communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters".
People reaching this level should be able to "describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need."
So there's no need to speak or write with perfect grammar, or to have a large Swedish vocabulary, but people at this level should be able to communicate in a basic way when writing or speaking.
How can I test my level?
If you want to do a thorough assessment of whether your Swedish is good enough for citizenship, you can do one of the free level tests provided by the Folkuniversitetet adult education school. You need to do the tests for Swedish level A2 and B1.
The Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket), also has sample papers for the national test for SFI level C and SFI level D. Look under Gamla prov för komvux i sfi and then choose the test for your skill and SFI level.
Below are some excerpts to help you judge whether or not your Swedish is at the right level.
Listening (level D)
A level D listening test will ask you to listen to a short recording of a conversation between two people. In an example from a previous year, two people were discussing booking a trip together, including the person they're planning on meeting and how they should get there.
Here's the question paper.
Du får höra två personer som bokar en resa tillsammans. Lyssna och svara på frågorna. Läs först igenom uppgiften.
A Vem ska de hälsa på?
□ En kompis.
□ En släkting.
□ En studiekamrat.
B Varför bestämmer de sig för att resa med tåg?
□ Det är snabbast.
□ Det är billigast.
□ Det är trevligast
If that's too much for you, then you've got some more studying to do.
Reading (Level D)
You can find examples of various reading tests here. To give you an idea, we've put one below.
Vem vänder sig texten till?
Texten vänder sig till …
□ lärare.
□ politiker.
□ elever.
□ chefer.
Texten vänder sig till …
□ lärare.
□ politiker.
□ elever.
□ chefer.
Did you get that? Then maybe you're ready for whatever future language test the government decides to put in place.
Writing
This is the same level as has been suggested for permanent residency, so this repeats the example from the permanent residency test article.
In this prompt for the writing test for SFI Level C, you are asked to write a letter to a friend about a recent trip.
It suggests telling them about where you stayed, what you did, and what you liked and disliked about the trip. You are asked to pay attention to how you start and end the letter.
Skriv ett brev till en vän och berätta om en resa du har gjort.
Du kan till exempel
• berätta om vart du reste.
• berätta om vad du gjorde.
• berätta om vad du tyckte var bra och vad du inte tyckte var bra med resan.
Tänk på hur du börjar och slutar brevet.
Can you understand the instructions at least? Now you need to show off your letter-writing skills.
Speaking
In the solo portion of this section, you are asked to talk about an everyday topic based on something you have experienced – like a recent trip, or a party you attended. You are asked to speak for 5-7 minutes, and you may take some time to plan out your thoughts before starting.
The teacher holding the exam will say to you:
Du ska få berätta om något du varit med om.
Du ska prata i 5-7 minuter.
Om du vill kan du ta en liten stund och planera vad du ska säga innan du börjar prata.
In the paired portion of this section, you are given a topic – like what is most important in school – and asked to have a 10-minute conversation about the topic. It should be a discussion, with both participants speaking for an equal period of time, and you will have access to some prompts in a “prompt card” to keep the conversation going.
The teacher leading the test will tell you something like:
Ni ska prata med varandra om vad ni tycker är viktigt.
Ni ska prata i cirka 10 minuter.
Det är viktigt att ni lyssnar på varandra, ställer frågor till varandra och frågar varandra om ni inte förstår.
Tänk på att ni båda talar ungefär lika mycket.
Could you at least understand that? Could you keep a conversation going on these topics in Swedish? Then you might be ready for the citizenship test.
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