TLDR: Starting in 2026, Danish high school students will be allowed to use artificial intelligence tools to prepare for the oral component of their English exams. This experimental initiative by the Ministry of Education aims to adapt to a digitally evolving world while maintaining academic standards.
Copenhagen, Denmark – In a significant move reflecting the global debate on artificial intelligence in education, Denmark’s Ministry of Education announced on Friday, August 22, 2025, that high school students will be permitted to use AI tools for preparation during their oral English exams starting in 2026. This decision marks Denmark as one of the first European nations to officially integrate AI into its school examination system.
The new policy will specifically apply to the oral component of the English exam for the high school diploma. Under the experimental framework, students will be given a topic and then have one hour to prepare their presentation. During this preparation period, they will be “permitted to use all available tools, including generative AI,” according to the ministry. However, the actual oral presentation must still be delivered in person before an examiner, ensuring direct assessment of the student’s communication skills.
Education Minister Mattias Tesfaye emphasized the rationale behind this forward-thinking approach. “With students growing up in both analogue and digital worlds, we need to ready them in the best way possible for the reality they will encounter after their schooling,” Tesfaye stated. He further highlighted the need to strike a balance between encouraging digital learning and upholding current educational standards.
This initiative is not universally applied but will be open only to high schools that volunteer to participate in the pilot scheme. The move comes amidst ongoing discussions worldwide about whether AI serves as a valuable learning tool for students entering an increasingly digital economy or if it poses a risk of producing “dumbed-down graduates.”
Conversely, for the written portion of the English exam, the ministry is taking a different stance. Students will be required to handwrite parts of their test. This measure is intended to ensure independent thinking, limit reliance on computers, and help students develop their own unique language style, a departure from previous years where students typed their answers on internet-connected computers. Tesfaye noted, “For certain linguistic aspects, it is prudent to have exams that are totally non-digital. That limits cheating and helps students to develop their own style of language.”
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While Denmark has allowed internet use during exams since 2008, this new step with AI represents a significant evolution in its educational assessment strategies, aiming to equip students with relevant skills for the future while preserving fundamental academic competencies.
