Social studies in Year 8: what Lärkompis practises
In Year 8 of Swedish school (around age 14), Lärkompis practises 28 skills in social studies (geography, history, religion and civics), linked to 41 of 58 items in the core content of Lgr22, the Swedish national curriculum, for Years 7–9. The areas are geographical conditions, patterns and processes; methods and tools of geography; sustainable development; democratisation and increased globalisation, approximately 1900 to present day; societal transformations: the emergence of civilisations and industrial societies; imperialism and world wars, approximately 1850–1950; ethics and existential questions; religions and other worldviews; examination of social issues; societal resources and distribution; individuals and communities; information and communication; rights and the administration of justice; and decision-making and political ideas. Each skill has five difficulty levels, and the skills are practised in 3 mini-games, including Kunskapsjakten (Knowledge Hunt), Labbet (The Lab) and Tidslinjen (The Timeline).
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 8, this means that 16 skills start this year and 12 skills started earlier and are still being practised. The figure 41 of 58 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 8
The 28 skills in social studies in Year 8 are grouped into 14 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.
Geographical conditions, patterns and processes
- Demography, population density, population pyramids, birth rates and migration Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- Globalisation, imports, exports, tariffs and free trade Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- The Earth’s crust, volcanoes and earthquakes Level 1: Questions with at most three clearly different options. Level 5: Match four question–answer pairs, plus mixed yes/no questions.
- Names and locations of places and regions that matter for the geography topics (already starts in Year 7) Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Vulnerable places: floods, droughts and earthquakes, and how risks are reduced Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Methods and tools of geography
- Reading position and compass direction between European capitals on a map (already starts in Year 7) Level 1: The main compass direction between two capitals, with three to compare. Level 5: Five capitals in order.
Sustainable development
- Links between living standards and population, gender equality, education and natural resources Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Renewable and non-renewable natural resources, and conflicts of interest over them Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Democratisation and increased globalisation, approximately 1900 to present day
- Voting rights, Indigenous peoples and children’s rights in chronological order Level 1: Questions with at most three clearly different options. Level 5: Put five events in chronological order.
- How history is used: commercially, politically, morally, scientifically and existentially Level 1: Choose from all the answers, with the most common examples. Level 5: Mixed examples from the whole skill.
Societal transformations: the emergence of civilisations and industrial societies
- Early civilisations in Africa, the Americas and Asia, and antiquity and its importance today (already starts in Year 7) Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Colonialism, the slave trade, decolonisation and Indigenous peoples Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Imperialism and world wars, approximately 1850–1950
- Interpreting historical sources with the criteria of source criticism: authenticity, time, dependence and bias Level 1: Choose from all the answers, with the most common examples. Level 5: Mixed examples from the whole skill.
- Nationalism, imperialism, democracy and dictatorship, and long-term changes in living conditions, migration and power Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Ethics and existential questions
- Ethical models, freedom of religion, religion in the media, and conflict and mutual understanding Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Religions and other worldviews
- Similarities and differences between and within religions, and their main branches (already starts in Year 7) Level 1: Choose from all the answers, with the most common examples. Level 5: Mixed examples from the whole skill.
- Humanism, atheism, agnosticism, consequentialist ethics, duty ethics and secularisation Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- Religious symbols, and what religion can mean for a sense of meaning, community and identity (already starts in Year 7) Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- How religions began and spread, and where they are found today Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Examination of social issues
- Critically examining information, viewpoints and arguments on social issues Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Societal resources and distribution
- How countries and regions depend on each other in a globalised economy Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Individuals and communities
- Identity, resources and opportunities, power, equality and unequal distribution Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Immigration, emigration, integration, segregation, refugees and asylum Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Information and communication
- News values, filter bubbles, public service media, source protection, algorithms and media consumption Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Rights and the administration of justice
- The situation of the national minorities, minority policy and the status of the Sami as an Indigenous people Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Decision-making and political ideas
- Democracy, dictatorship, monarchy, republic, parliamentary and presidential systems Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed.
- The Riksdag (Swedish parliament), the government, the municipality, the region and the Sami Parliament (Sametinget) Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed.
- Where decisions are made (municipality, region, Riksdag, EU), and local, national and global social issues Level 1: Choose from all the answers, with the most common examples. Level 5: Mixed examples from the whole skill.
What the syllabus says, in short
The Lgr22 core content for Years 7–9 in social studies, summarised in our own words for the parts Lärkompis practises in Year 8. Read the full text in Skolverket's English translation of Lgr22.
- Vulnerable places on Earth, global trade flows and population changes.
- Early civilisations, colonisation and the slave trade, industrialisation and revolutions.
- What religion and other worldviews can mean to people, and similarities and differences within and between religions.
- Identity, welfare and migration in Sweden today.
- Rights and the justice system, the media and looking critically at social issues.
How to help at home with social studies in Year 8
Year 8 is the middle of the last stage, with end-of-term grades every term. Agree together on a fixed time and place for homework, and let your child tell you what needs practising before the next test. Follow a news story or a topic for a week and ask “why did it happen, and what happens next?”. Ask your child to show where they read something and why they trust the source.
- Offer choices within limits. Ask “do you want to do your homework before or after your snack?” instead of “sit down now”. Choices within limits strengthen a sense of control without the rules disappearing. As a conversation: about 5 minutes.
- 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.
How you can tell it has clicked in Year 8
- How religions began and spread, and where they are found today: Your child can say where the five world religions began.
- Identity, resources and opportunities, power, equality and unequal distribution: Your child can tell equality and gender equality apart.
- News values, filter bubbles, public service media, source protection, algorithms and media consumption: Your child can explain how a filter bubble forms.
- Immigration, emigration, integration, segregation, refugees and asylum: Your child can tell the difference between a refugee and a labour migrant.
Common pitfalls in Year 8
- Reading position and compass direction between European capitals on a map: Thinks London is east of Paris.
- Links between living standards and population, gender equality, education and natural resources: Thinks GDP per person tells you everything about how people live.
- Names and locations of places and regions that matter for the geography topics: Mixes up regions and countries.
- Voting rights, Indigenous peoples and children’s rights in chronological order: Thinks women and men got the vote at the same time.
If social studies practice in Year 8 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 8 social studies, Lärkompis uses 3 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 8, the game practises 28 skills: demography, population density, population pyramids, birth rates and migration; reading position and compass direction between European capitals on a map; globalisation, imports, exports, tariffs and free trade; the Earth’s crust, volcanoes and earthquakes; and more.
Labbet (The Lab)
Guess first, then find out. The tasks are based on checked facts. In Year 8, the game practises 27 skills: demography, population density, population pyramids, birth rates and migration; globalisation, imports, exports, tariffs and free trade; the Earth’s crust, volcanoes and earthquakes; links between living standards and population, gender equality, education and natural resources; 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 8, the game practises 5 skills: reading position and compass direction between European capitals on a map; voting rights, Indigenous peoples and children’s rights in chronological order; early civilisations in Africa, the Americas and Asia, and antiquity and its importance today; nationalism, imperialism, democracy and dictatorship, and long-term changes in living conditions, migration and power; and more.
Questions about social studies in Year 8
What does Lärkompis practise in social studies in Year 8?
Lärkompis has 28 skills in social studies in Year 8, for example “Demography, population density, population pyramids, birth rates and migration”; “Reading position and compass direction between European capitals on a map”; “Globalisation, imports, exports, tariffs and free trade”; “The Earth’s crust, volcanoes and earthquakes”; and “Links between living standards and population, gender equality, education and natural resources”. Each skill has five levels. In “Demography, population density, population pyramids, birth rates and migration”, for example, level 1 is “Choose from three options” and level 5 is “Mixed, in all formats”. The app adjusts the level to how your child is doing.
What comes after Year 8 in social studies?
In Year 9, Lärkompis practises 20 skills in social studies, and new that year are “Climate, weather, sustainable development, the Global Goals and the Paris Agreement”; “Links between living standards and population, gender equality, education and natural resources”; and “Voting rights, Indigenous peoples and children’s rights in chronological order”. Most of it builds on what your child practised in Year 8.
Which mistakes are common in social studies in Year 8?
Common mistakes that Lärkompis covers include “Thinks London is east of Paris” in “Reading position and compass direction between European capitals on a map” and “Thinks GDP per person tells you everything about how people live” in “Links between living standards and population, gender equality, education and natural resources”. 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 social studies in Year 8?
Yes. Every exercise in social studies in Year 8 is linked to an item in the Lgr22 core content for Years 7–9; 41 of 58 items in social studies (geography, history, religion and civics) have at least one linked skill. Lärkompis is a complement at home and does not replace teaching.
How much does it cost to practise social studies in Year 8 with Lärkompis?
Lärkompis costs SEK 49, once, for all subjects and every child in the family, with future updates included. You can try social studies in Year 8 for free first, without an account.
More years and subjects
The same year in other subjects:
