There has been a national decline in the number of entries in modern foreign languages (MFL) at GCSE and A level. What steps can be taken to reverse this downturn? Are you doing something innovative to help encourage take-up? Here ASCL members share their views.

A hitch for universal translators

Primary schools are key

The decline in entries to modern foreign language subjects may partly result from the reformed GCSEs becoming more difficult (now involving translation in both directions) at a time when students feel increased pressure to achieve only the top grades. Unless A level students plan to use languages beyond school they may not feel there is enough space to select a language due to taking fewer subjects. One way of overcoming this, as we do here, is to offer A level students the opportunity to take a GCSE language, as beginners, alongside A levels.

The syllabus content and range of set texts also seems to appeal less to students but we make it fun, for instance with a visiting French theatre company or a Spanish study trip to Salamanca. Our students learn about the associated cultures, too, by celebrating Chinese New Year or the Mid-Autumn Festival, for example, bringing together Chinese boarders with learners of Mandarin.

The efforts already made by schools would be significantly bolstered if language learning became compulsory in a more meaningful way at primary school, with suitable resources and specialist teachers. A passion and aptitude for language learning would be instilled in students from a younger age, which would create a stronger base for mandatory language learning in secondary schools, in turn increasing the number of students who both enjoy and feel confident enough to take languages at GCSE and A level.

Nicky Lees
Head of Modern Foreign Languages, St Mary’s School Cambridge

Let students choose

Year on year, students receive their GCSE MFL results and are left disappointed. Ofqual acknowledged that it is half a grade more difficult to pass a GCSE in languages and in maths compared to any other subjects. Consequently, fewer students choose to study languages at A level, as they know they can achieve higher grades in other subjects.

The new GCSE has practically reverted back to what it was years ago. Students find the speaking examination stressful, so why have three parts to it? Why not just one?

Students feel forced to study a language and are, therefore, switched off before they even begin their GCSE. Let students choose subjects that interest them and subjects where their talents lie.

Exam boards are not consistent when marking the GCSE controlled writing assessments. One year, they mark students’ grades up to what was predicted and, the following year, they mark them down, yet we ensure that the standard of the students’ written work remains consistent. This results in teachers not being able to predict accurately students’ final GCSE grades and leaves students dismayed as they do not achieve the grade predicted.

Name and address supplied
Lead practitioner, North East

Unnecessarily difficult

There is no great problem in increasing uptake at GCSE if pupils are engaged and making good progress. The problem arises at GCSE where there is a fundamental issue; GCSE is arguably unnecessarily difficult to be enjoyable for those except the exceptionally able or keen. The stress of the speaking examination itself bears no resemblance to any level of difficulty seen in other subjects and often reduces students to tears, and the level the students are expected to write at, even for a grade C, is bordering on ridiculous.

Yes, language teachers need to be responsible for building resilience in students to cope with these demands but it seems an unfair and overtly demoralising task when there is such disparity between a language GCSE and other subjects where students can pick a revision guide up and be confident that everything in there will come up.

The experience of making mistakes and failure that occurs when learning a language is only for the truly resilient and super-keen and the education system, as a whole, needs to address this, not just the poor MFL GCSE teachers whom I feel are perhaps the hardest working and under-rated teachers in schools.

Thankfully, the new GCSE specification looks blissfully more realistic, the focus being much more on using language accurately as opposed to memorising lengthy and complex scripts, and it is hoped, if successful, A level uptake should rise as the course embeds.

Name and address supplied
Assistant Headteacher (MFL), North West

Enthuse your pupils

It is clear that the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) agenda has had an impact on the number of pupils opting to study modern languages beyond GCSE. Currently, we run French, German, Spanish and Russian A levels and offer Arabic for business, Mandarin Chinese and Irish as twilight enrichment courses. Working with external organisations to provide a range of opportunities and contexts to learn a language has helped us to maintain the interest and engagement of our pupils. Our languages staff enthuse the pupils through their own love of languages and by encouraging and supporting them to enter the linguistic Olympiad and to participate in language debating competitions. We also link up with a Saturday morning Russian language school organised by native speakers.

Scott Naismith
Principal, Methodist College Belfast (MCB)

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