Trends in the teaching of foreign languages

A-level French, German, Spanish, Other modern languages and Classical subjects, 2001-19

The data come directly from the websites of the four exam boards.

A-level (A2) French, German and Spanish entries 1938-2012 (all UK except Scotland)

• The figures and trends
• source:
  • 2000-: CILT figures based on JCQ
  • 1992-2000: Kelly and Jones 2003 (A New Landscape for Languages)
  • 1990-1991: Mitchell 2002 (Foreign language education in an age of global English. Inaugural lecture).
  • 1988-9: CILT and JCQ staff
  • 1938, 1965, 1975 and 1985: Eric Hawkins (ed.) 30 Years of Language Teaching (CILT, 1996), 388, 390.
  • (Note: According to Lid King, A-level entries for languages in 2010 were lower than they were in 1965.)
• An interesting commentary on the trends from a French teacher.
• Further figures from Jocelyn Wyburd (Cambridge) on languages at all levels of education (2015)
• A simplified view of long-term trends since 1965 showing a decline starting in 1975.

A-level French and German entries as proportion of all entries since 1938, measured every ten years (last: 2005)

• click here for figures
• source:
  • 1938-1995: Eric Hawkins (ed.) 30 Years of Language Teaching (CILT, 1996), 388.
  • 2005: JCQ

BA French, German and Spanish (and combinations) applications since 1996 (all UK)

• click here for figures
• source: UCAS

Available BA French and German degrees, 2000 and 2007

• click here for figures
• source: Research Review in Modern Languages. (LLAS Subject Centre, University of Southampton, in partnership with UCML)

Undergraduates on BA French, German and Spanish degrees since 1998

• click here for figures
• source:
  • 1998-2001: Hilary Footitt, The National Languages Strategy in Higher Education (DfES, 2005), Table 1. [These figures are attributed to HESA but are significantly different from those in HESA’s current tables for the years concerned.]
  • 2002-7: HESA

Initial Teacher Training in foreign languages since 2000-1

• Students recruited (via PGCE course or employment) for all languages, and DCSF targets
  • click here for figures 
  • source: CILT summary of DCSF recruitment/ registrations data
• PGCE Modern Languages applications
  • click here for figures
  • source: GTTR:
    • Overall figures for all languages: Annual Statistical Reports, table ‘Totals of Applicants by Subject, Age Range and Ethnic Origin’
    • Figures for individual languages: applicant statistics for last two years