Social studies in Year 9: what Lärkompis practises
In Year 9 of Swedish school (around age 15), Lärkompis practises 20 skills in social studies (geography, history, religion and civics), linked to 32 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; sustainable development; democratisation and increased globalisation, approximately 1900 to present day; imperialism and world wars, approximately 1850–1950; societal transformations: the emergence of civilisations and industrial societies; ethics and existential questions; religion and society; societal resources and distribution; examination of social issues; decision-making and political ideas; individuals and communities; and rights and the administration of justice. 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 9, this means that 15 skills start this year and 5 skills started earlier and are still being practised. The figure 32 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 9
The 20 skills in social studies in Year 9 are grouped into 12 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
- The Earth’s crust, volcanoes and earthquakes (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.
Sustainable development
- Climate, weather, sustainable development, the Global Goals and the Paris Agreement Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- 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 (already starts in Year 8) 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.
Imperialism and world wars, approximately 1850–1950
- Interpreting historical sources with the criteria of source criticism: authenticity, time, dependence and bias (already starts in Year 8) 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.
- The Holocaust, the Cold War, genocide and the Berlin Wall Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Societal transformations: the emergence of civilisations and industrial societies
- The Enlightenment, the French Revolution, nationalism, imperialism and voting rights Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
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.
Religion and society
- The state church, freedom of religion, the Reformation and religious diversity Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Societal resources and distribution
- Trade unions, collective agreements, employers, strikes and unemployment Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- Inflation, interest rates, taxes, budgets and GDP Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed.
- 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.
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.
Decision-making and political ideas
- The UN, the Nordic Council, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the EU Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed.
- Liberalism, socialism, conservatism, feminism and ecologism Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Individuals and communities
- Identity, resources and opportunities, power, equality and unequal distribution (already starts in Year 8) Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Rights and the administration of justice
- The situation of the national minorities, minority policy and the status of the Sami as an Indigenous people (already starts in Year 8) Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
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 9. Read the full text in Skolverket's English translation of Lgr22.
- Identity, welfare and migration in Sweden today.
How to help at home with social studies 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. 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.
- 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.
- Sit beside your child with your own book. You don’t need to know the answer. Have your own book or computer open, and answer questions with questions (“what is the question asking for?”). Being there without taking control supports independence. When it is hard going: about 15 minutes.
How you can tell it has clicked in Year 9
- Trade unions, collective agreements, employers, strikes and unemployment: Your child can explain what a collective agreement is.
- Critically examining information, viewpoints and arguments on social issues: Your child can tell a statement of fact from a value judgement.
- Inflation, interest rates, taxes, budgets and GDP: Your child can say what taxes are used for.
- The UN, the Nordic Council, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the EU: Your child can tell the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers apart.
Common pitfalls in Year 9
- Identity, resources and opportunities, power, equality and unequal distribution: Thinks equality and gender equality are the same thing.
- The situation of the national minorities, minority policy and the status of the Sami as an Indigenous people: Thinks the minority languages have no special status.
- Climate, weather, sustainable development, the Global Goals and the Paris Agreement: Thinks a cold winter disproves climate change.
- Links between living standards and population, gender equality, education and natural resources: Thinks GDP per person tells you everything about how people live.
If social studies 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 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 9, the game practises 20 skills: the Earth’s crust, volcanoes and earthquakes; climate, weather, sustainable development, the Global Goals and the Paris Agreement; links between living standards and population, gender equality, education and natural resources; renewable and non-renewable natural resources, and conflicts of interest over them; and more.
Labbet (The Lab)
Guess first, then find out. The tasks are based on checked facts. In Year 9, the game practises 20 skills: the Earth’s crust, volcanoes and earthquakes; climate, weather, sustainable development, the Global Goals and the Paris Agreement; links between living standards and population, gender equality, education and natural resources; renewable and non-renewable natural resources, and conflicts of interest over them; 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 3 skills: voting rights, Indigenous peoples and children’s rights in chronological order; nationalism, imperialism, democracy and dictatorship, and long-term changes in living conditions, migration and power; and the Holocaust, the Cold War, genocide and the Berlin Wall.
Questions about social studies in Year 9
What does Lärkompis practise in social studies in Year 9?
Lärkompis has 20 skills in social studies in Year 9, for example “The Earth’s crust, volcanoes and earthquakes”; “Climate, weather, sustainable development, the Global Goals and the Paris Agreement”; “Links between living standards and population, gender equality, education and natural resources”; “Renewable and non-renewable natural resources, and conflicts of interest over them”; and “Voting rights, Indigenous peoples and children’s rights in chronological order”. Each skill has five levels. In “The Earth’s crust, volcanoes and earthquakes”, for example, level 1 is “Questions with at most three clearly different options” and level 5 is “Match four question–answer pairs, plus mixed yes/no questions”. The app adjusts the level to how your child is doing.
What is expected in social studies 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 describe causes and consequences in a simple way, use sources and put forward simple reasoning that takes several perspectives into account. 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 social studies in Year 9?
Common mistakes that Lärkompis covers include “Thinks equality and gender equality are the same thing” in “Identity, resources and opportunities, power, equality and unequal distribution” and “Thinks the minority languages have no special status” in “The situation of the national minorities, minority policy and the status of the Sami as an Indigenous people”. 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 9?
Yes. Every exercise in social studies in Year 9 is linked to an item in the Lgr22 core content for Years 7–9; 32 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 9 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 9 for free first, without an account.
More years and subjects
The same year in other subjects:
