The influence of sixth-graders' explanatory activity was studied on their teachers' academic judgment. Concerning the pupils' explanatory activity, trait-related internal explanations were chosen more to explain positive events than negative ones, whereas the reverse was observed for effort/intention-related internal explanations. In response to positive and negative events, the trait-related and effort/related internal explanations were socially valued, whereas external explanations (Situational factors and others' traits; Luck and others' efforts and intentions) were socially devalued. Concerning teachers' judgment, the more pupils chose traits and the less they chose lack of effort/intention to explain the negative events, and the less they chose traits and the more they chose effort/intention to explain the positive events, the more teachers attributed socially desirable traits to them. The more pupils chose effort/intention to explain the positive and negative events and the less they chose luck and others' effort/intention to explain the negative events, the more teachers' attributed socially useful traits to them (if the pupils do not value these internal explanations and devalue these external explanations). The results are discussed in reference to the social functions implied by the academic judgment. (Contains 5 figures, 3 tables and 7 notes.)