Exams in 10th grade
A reference page on exams in 10th grade, focused on voluntary participation, the choice between FP10 and selected FP9 exams, and the main limits that apply.
Short answer
Exams in 10th grade reflect performance in a voluntary school year with its own purpose and transition pathways. That is why they should be interpreted separately from exams in grades 8 and 9.
Exams in 10th grade. In Danish 10th grade, all exams are voluntary. Pupils may sit exams at 10th-grade level, FP10, or selected exams at 9th-grade level, FP9. Where both levels are possible, the pupil must choose between them and cannot normally sit both levels in the same subject discipline during 10th grade.
Why it matters
10th grade differs from 9th grade because there are no fixed compulsory exams, no draw subjects, and no mandatory exam package. The key question is instead which voluntary exams the pupil chooses and at what level.
The distinction between FP9 and FP10 matters for both grade interpretation and understanding progression routes. FP9 exams taken in 10th grade may in some cases improve a pupil's average, but they do not automatically replace the requirements tied to the compulsory 9th-grade exams.
Data and methodology connection
The Ministry of Children and Education's overview of exam subjects in grades 8, 9, and 10 states that all exams in 10th grade are voluntary. The same overview shows that pupils may choose between FP10 and selected FP9 exams in Danish and written mathematics, while other exams are available only as FP10.
The ministry also states that a pupil cannot sit two levels in the same subject discipline in 10th grade unless the extra attempt is a sick exam or resit from 9th grade. It further clarifies that missing compulsory FP9 exams from grade 9 cannot generally be repaired in 10th grade for the purpose of guaranteed access to upper secondary education.
Sources
Clarifications
Are any exams mandatory or fixed in 10th grade?
No. In 10th grade all exams are voluntary. That is the main difference from both grades 8 and 9, where mandatory exams exist.
Which exams can pupils take in 10th grade?
Pupils may take oral and written Danish as FP9 or FP10, written mathematics as FP9 or FP10, oral mathematics as FP10, oral and written English as FP10, written physics/chemistry as FP10, and oral and written German and French as FP10.
Can a pupil take both FP9 and FP10 in the same subject?
Normally no. Where both FP9 and FP10 are possible, the pupil must choose one level in that subject discipline. The exception is a sick exam or resit from 9th grade.
Can FP9 exams in 10th grade create guaranteed access to upper secondary education?
Not if the pupil simply missed compulsory 9th-grade exams that were not taken in grade 9. The ministry states that the pupil may still complete the leaving examination, but not gain guaranteed access that way.
Examples
Improving an average grade
A pupil may choose FP9 in Danish or written mathematics in 10th grade to improve an average. If the new result is lower than the grade from 9th grade, the higher grade still counts.
Choosing a 10th-grade level exam
A pupil may choose FP10 in English or mathematics to be examined at 10th-grade level even though those exams were not part of the mandatory exam package in grade 9.
DanskeGrundskoler.dk. (2026). "Exams in 10th grade". Skoleviden. https://danskegrundskoler.dk/en/skoleviden/proever-i-10-klasse