Decline in entries sparks fears study of some languages ‘heading to extinction’

A MARKED decline in the study of some languages will be “damaging on so many levels”, experts have warned, amid calls for compulsory language lessons to be reintroduced.

More students took A-level Chinese than German this year, it has emerged, sparking fears from unions that the study of the European language is heading for extinction. Richard Cairns, headmaster of Brighton College, has warned that action must be taken to reverse such a “sorry decline”, with industry leaders adding that it could have a wide-ranging impact.

“For the sake of the nation’s future prosperity, the need for home-grown linguists has never been more important,” said Mark Robinson, council member of the Association of Translation Companies (ATC) who lives in Addingham, West Yorkshire.

“The Government has taken its eye off the ball at a time when there is an increasing need for effective communication to help British firms secure post-Brexit trading deals.”

There were 3,058 entries for A-level German – down 16.5 per cent on 2017, according to data released by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). There were 276 more entries for Chinese.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said it has never been more important for young people to learn a language.

“This is why we recently announced a new national centre of excellence alongside nine hubs across the country to drive up standards in the teaching of languages by sharing resources and best practice, backed by £4.8 million,” she said.

“Today’s A-level results show the proportion of entries to modern foreign languages at A Level remains broadly stable.”