I have often noticed that when I’ve returned tests and notified the pupils about their results, they are anxious to know what grade their result corresponds to. In the 7th grade, you are not allowed to talk about grades with the pupils. When I have to tell them that, the pupils often get frustrated and disappointed. I have committed a survey with pupils from the 7th grade to find out about their thoughts and opinions about grades and how they think that grades will effect them. My survey shows that grades are important for pupils and effects them, both in a positive and in a negative way. Many pupils state that grades effects their confidence and self-esteem. Many pupils also states that grades create competition between them. Many pupils has a fundamentally positive attitude towards grades. A majority means that grades have a motivational function and that they learn more with grades than they else would have done. Pupils also report that they feel stress about school and grades I have compared the answers in my survey with the results from other surveys where the pupils have been older and are already getting grades. When comparing the results I found that pupils in the 7th grade and the older pupils from the other surveys had a surprisingly big similarity in opnions about grades and their effets. Keywords: competition, confidence, grades, motivation, pupils, stress