Science in Year 9: what Lärkompis practises
In Year 9 of Swedish school (around age 15), Lärkompis practises 12 skills in science (biology, physics and chemistry), linked to 17 of 35 items in the core content of Lgr22, the Swedish national curriculum, for Years 7–9. The areas are nature and environment; body and health; physics in nature and society; chemistry in nature, society and the human body; and systematic investigations and examination of information. Each skill has five difficulty levels, and the skills are practised in 4 mini-games, including Kunskapsjakten (Knowledge Hunt), Labbet (The Lab) and Vändspelet (The Flip Game).
Lgr22 sets out core content for each stage (Years 7–9), not for each year. So Lärkompis spreads the skills across the years using its own time windows, and these are estimates. For Year 9, this means that 7 skills start this year and 5 skills started earlier and are still being practised. The figure 17 of 35 counts the items in the core content from Skolverket (the Swedish National Agency for Education) that at least one skill links to; it does not mean the whole item is covered.
What Lärkompis practises in Year 9
The 12 skills in science in Year 9 are grouped into 5 areas following Skolverket's syllabus. Under each skill you can see the first and the last difficulty level, so you know how far the exercises go.
Nature and environment
- DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square Level 1: Which trait do the alleles give? Two options. Level 5: The proportion with the dominant or the recessive trait.
- Populations, ecosystems, food webs, competition and producers Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- Mutations, natural selection and how species are related (already starts in Year 8) Level 1: Questions with at most three clearly different options. Level 5: Match four question–answer pairs, plus mixed yes/no questions.
Body and health
- How health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances (already starts in Year 8) Level 1: Choose the right word from three options, with pictures. Level 5: Match five pairs, plus harder guess-first questions.
- Reproduction, sexuality, consent, sexually transmitted infections and contraception (already starts in Year 8) Level 1: Choose the right word from three options, with pictures. Level 5: Match five pairs, plus harder guess-first questions.
Physics in nature and society
- Frequency, amplitude, decibels, ultrasound and infrasound Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- Stars, planets, galaxies, light years and the Big Bang Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Chemistry in nature, society and the human body
- Solvents, solutes, solutions, saturated solutions and suspensions Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- Polymers, alloys, catalysts and composites Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Systematic investigations and examination of information
- Searching for information, evaluating sources and arguing about questions of environment, health and energy (already starts in Year 8) Level 1: Choose the right word from three options, with pictures. Level 5: Match five pairs, plus harder guess-first questions.
- Testable questions, variables, planning, sources of error and averages (already starts in Year 7) Level 1: Choose the right word from three options, with pictures. Level 5: Match five pairs, put five steps in order, spot the faulty measurement and answer harder guess-first questions.
- How scientific models developed over time, how useful they are and how they change Level 1: Choose the right word from three options, with pictures. Level 5: Match five pairs, put five steps in order and answer harder guess-first questions.
What the syllabus says, in short
The Lgr22 core content for Years 7–9 in science, summarised in our own words for the parts Lärkompis practises in Year 9. Read the full text in Skolverket's English translation of Lgr22.
- Evolution, heredity and genes, and ethical questions about genetic engineering.
- Ecosystems, photosynthesis and how humans affect nature, locally and globally.
- The origin of the universe, and the particle model of how substances behave at different pressures and temperatures.
- Chemical processes in soil, air and water, and how they relate to the environment and health.
How to help at home with science in Year 9
Year 9 ends compulsory school with final grades and national tests. What did not stick in earlier years can still be caught up: revise what is new to your child in small steps, and talk about how to plan the test weeks. Ask curious questions (“why do you think that happens?”) and try small experiments at home, for example in the kitchen or on a walk.
- Write to the teacher when homework isn’t working. If homework often takes an unreasonably long time, ends in tears or can’t be done without you, write a few lines about what happened. The school needs that information to be able to adapt. When it is hard going: about 5 minutes.
- Talk maths and language in everyday life. Count kronor in the shop, measure in the kitchen, read signs and talk about the time of day. Short, cheerful moments in everyday life seem to help more than taking over the homework, especially if you feel unsure about maths yourself. Works in everyday life: about 10 minutes.
- Watch how you talk about maths and school. Avoid “I was bad at maths too”. Say instead “I never got to learn it properly, let’s find out together”. It shows that hard things can be learned. As a conversation: about 5 minutes.
- A set time and place for homework. Decide together when and where homework is done, for how long, and that screens are put away. In the research review, clear routines showed the strongest link to better homework habits, more than direct help. Works in everyday life: about 10 minutes.
How you can tell it has clicked in Year 9
- Mutations, natural selection and how species are related: Your child can explain natural selection with an example of their own.
- Searching for information, evaluating sources and arguing about questions of environment, health and energy: Your child judges sources by authenticity, time, dependence and bias.
- Testable questions, variables, planning, sources of error and averages: Your child works out the average and spots a faulty measurement.
- DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square: Your child can explain the difference between a dominant and a recessive allele.
Common pitfalls in Year 9
- How scientific models developed over time, how useful they are and how they change: Thinks old models were foolish rather than reasonable, given the data people had at the time.
- How health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances: Thinks stress is always bad.
- Reproduction, sexuality, consent, sexually transmitted infections and contraception: Thinks that silence means yes.
- Mutations, natural selection and how species are related: Thinks evolution means progress towards a goal.
If science practice in Year 9 often ends in tears or takes far too long, stop for the day and write a few lines to the teacher about what was hard. That is useful information for the school, not a failure.
Games that practise it
In Year 9 science, Lärkompis uses 4 mini-games. In these games, playing is the practice, so your child learns while they play. There are no points or streaks, and no ads.
Kunskapsjakten (Knowledge Hunt)
A quiz show in a TV studio, where Vera leads the questions up a ladder. There are lifelines but no points: the ladder fills up with the questions your child has worked through. In Year 9, the game practises 12 skills: DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square; populations, ecosystems, food webs, competition and producers; how health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances; reproduction, sexuality, consent, sexually transmitted infections and contraception; and more.
Labbet (The Lab)
Guess first, then find out. The tasks are based on checked facts. In Year 9, the game practises 12 skills: DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square; populations, ecosystems, food webs, competition and producers; how health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances; reproduction, sexuality, consent, sexually transmitted infections and contraception; and more.
Vändspelet (The Flip Game)
A memory game where two cards that go together stay face up, for example 3 + 4 and 7. In Year 9, the game practises 6 skills: DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square; how health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances; reproduction, sexuality, consent, sexually transmitted infections and contraception; searching for information, evaluating sources and arguing about questions of environment, health and energy; and more.
Tidslinjen (The Timeline)
Your child puts cards on a line in the right order, for example events, steps or numbers. A card in the right place turns over and shows the answer. In Year 9, the game practises 2 skills: testable questions, variables, planning, sources of error and averages; and how scientific models developed over time, how useful they are and how they change.
Questions about science in Year 9
What does Lärkompis practise in science in Year 9?
Lärkompis has 12 skills in science in Year 9, for example “DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square”; “Populations, ecosystems, food webs, competition and producers”; “How health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances”; “Reproduction, sexuality, consent, sexually transmitted infections and contraception”; and “Frequency, amplitude, decibels, ultrasound and infrasound”. Each skill has five levels. In “DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square”, for example, level 1 is “Which trait do the alleles give? Two options” and level 5 is “The proportion with the dominant or the recessive trait”. The app adjusts the level to how your child is doing.
What is expected in science in Year 9 by the end of the year?
Skolverket's criteria for grade E at the end of Year 9 say, in plain words: your child can use basic concepts and models to explain things, carry out and evaluate simple investigations, and put forward simple reasoning on questions about the environment, health and society. Lärkompis does not replace the teacher's assessment, but it shows you which skills your child is practising in Year 9.
Which mistakes are common in science in Year 9?
Common mistakes that Lärkompis covers include “Thinks old models were foolish rather than reasonable, given the data people had at the time” in “How scientific models developed over time, how useful they are and how they change” and “Thinks stress is always bad” in “How health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances”. When an answer is wrong, the app shows how to think it through instead of just marking it wrong, and the parent panel shows what your child is practising right now.
Does Lärkompis follow Lgr22 in science in Year 9?
Yes. Every exercise in science in Year 9 is linked to an item in the Lgr22 core content for Years 7–9; 17 of 35 items in science (biology, physics and chemistry) have at least one linked skill. Lärkompis is a complement at home and does not replace teaching.
How much does it cost to practise science in Year 9 with Lärkompis?
Lärkompis costs SEK 49, once, for all subjects and every child in the family, with future updates included. You can try science in Year 9 for free first, without an account.
More years and subjects
The same year in other subjects:
