This report describes a project that is part of a national assessment program in Sweden under which the performance and attitudes of students in the 5th and 9th years of the compulsory school are being studied. The study focuses on the description of classroom activities and attained goals as well as on attitudes towards the subject, English as a foreign language. The objective of the project is to survey teachers' views on various aspects of language instruction and curricular goals, as well as their needs for in-service training. This report describes overall results. The measurement instruments include detailed questionnaires for students and teachers, as well as English language tests. Emphasis is on assessment of productive skills. Two-large-scale field studies have been undertaken one in the 5th grade, involving 3,000 students, and one in the 9th grade, involving 10,000 students. To conclude, general questions relating to purposes and design of national assessments are discussed. Proposals for further research are put forward. An extensive appendix section is provided that includes most of the English language teaching tests and all the questionnaires used in the investigation. (VWL)