Why is no one studying MFL anymore? Current Affairs

Modern Foreign Languages are considered a core subject in England, but since they ceased to be compulsory at GCSE level in 2004, the number of young linguists, specifically those studying French and German, has plummeted You may have noticed this in your own school, struggled to find a sixth form that runs A level language courses, or maybe your class only had about 3 students, like my A level Spanish class.

Entries to GCSE and A level languages have hugely decreased in the last decade In 2005, French GCSE entries were at 251,706 but decreased to 124,739 in 2021. German GCSE entries followed a similar pattern: 101,466 entries in 2005 and 36,933 in 2021. Only entries to Spanish GCSE have increased, as it has become the most popular language to study in schools There has also been a similar trend with A level entries.

So why has the number of students studying languages at GCSE and A level declined so drastically?

There are a range of reasons why languages have become less popular. The main one? They’re difficult. On average, students receive a lower grade in their language GCSE than they do in any other English Baccalaureate subject (English, maths, geography, history, and the sciences) and a grade below their target grade. This has particularly been the case since the new GCSE syllabus and exam style was introduced in 2018 Receiving a low grade is demoralising, and with such high pressure on obtaining high grades to get into sixth form and university, students are not inclined to pick a subject that may damage their chance of admission

There is also the Brexit debate: can a country that supported leaving the European Union really encourage and champion young linguists?

According to past and present MFL secondary school teachers, some believe that Brexit has had a direct impact on the decline; others believe that it has exacerbated existing issues, such as England's inwardlooking island mentality that 'everyone speaks English', so why would we need to speak another language? Voting to leave the European Union has left secondary school students under the impression that European languages and cultures are not important, especially since Europe is no longer the focus of foreign trade deals

Adding to this decline is the pandemic Not only has it, along with Brexit, limited international activity such as trips and exchanges (which, for many students, is the first opportunity they get to travel abroad and see their learned languages' real-world application) but it has also affected students’ progress and confidence Due to the speaking and listening components, languages are an incredibly interactive subject Consequently, it is much harder to practise and improve these skills whilst having online classes This has led to secondary school students lacking confidence when it comes to language learning. This is a feeling that will hopefully dissipate with time but, for now, is definitely contributing to the low number of language students at GCSE and A-Level Unfortunately, our much-loved subject is seemingly not loved by all This is not an easy problem to solve, since one of the main causes is the deep-rooted attitudes ingrained in our society The government have at least identified that this is an issue and are trying to invest in solutions, but until there is a cultural shift in England, and people start understanding the value of learning about foreign languages and cultures, it will be difficult to make a real difference

by Lucy Rowen