Entries
There has been a significant rise in the number of GCSE entries for languages in 2013
– Main languages taught: up 16.9% overall, with French up 15.5%, German 9.4%, Spanish 25.8%.
– Other Modern Languages: up 5.1% but this compares to a much higher rise last year.
44% of the 16 yr old cohort were entered for a language but in spite of this French (the largest entry) is still not in the list of top ten GCSE subjects as it was in the past.
This increase in entries is thought to be due to the EBacc performance measure, which was introduced two years ago, as this is the first cohort to be affected.
There are also comparable rises in entries for Geography and History. It remains to be seen whether this trend will continue, and whether the increased numbers of students will go on to take A Levels in languages, where numbers have continued to fall this year.
There have been drops into entries for GCSE short courses in languages, for example French has seen a 35.41% drop in entries compared to 2012. It should be noted however that GCSE short courses have seen a significant drop across the board in 2013.
Results
Looking at the cumulative results for GCSEs in French, German and Spanish, the proportion of students achieving grade A*-C seem to be slightly down, despite the increased cohort overall. However, more detailed work needs to be done on the statistics before further comment can be made.