More granular grading scales provide a more accurate assessment of achievement and thus provide students with more informative feedback on their performance. Using Swedish administrative data and exploiting a natural experiment, we identify the effects of moving from a system with three passing grades to one with five passing grades. Students receiving more informative grades are less likely to graduate from high school, from academic high school tracks, and from STEM and art high school tracks. Affected students are also less likely to enrol in STEM courses at university. The evidence suggests discouragement as a likely mechanism, with students revising their self-belief downward when receiving more informative feedback.

更细粒度的评分标准可以更准确地评估成绩，从而为学生提供有关其表现的更丰富的反馈。使用瑞典的行政数据并利用自然实验，我们确定了从具有三个及格分数的系统转变为具有五个及格分数的系统的影响。获得信息丰富的成绩的学生从高中、学术高中、STEM 和艺术高中毕业的可能性较小。受影响的学生也不太可能在大学注册 STEM 课程。证据表明，灰心是一种可能的机制，学生在收到更多信息反馈时会降低自信心。