This paper examines the relationship between opinions, background factors, and learning outcomes of Finnish 9th graders acquiring English. Two data sets were assayed: (a) the students' (n = 1,219) competence attained from the English tests of national assessment of learning outcomes and (b) the students' replies to the background questionnaire examining their opinions about learning English. The data were assayed statistically employing structural equation modelling. Two factors were formed: an opinions factor built from the questionnaire items, and a competence factor built from the measures of four language subskills. The results disclosed that the students' opinions of English predicted their competence, which was also predicted by the students' mother tongues (L1s) and future study plans. It also seemed that the opinions of English were more positive for those students who planned to continue in general upper secondary school, which, in turn, ended in that the opinions in this group predicted their competence particularly strongly.