4th May 2016 1:00
By Blue Tutors
A new report has emerge suggesting that harsh and inconsistent marking is putting pupils off studying languages in England. The report by the British Council and Educational Development Trust said that the new, more rigorous GCSEs and a history of problems with marking are reducing pupils’ interest in learning foreign languages. The report indicated that increasing focus on core subjects was putting both teachers and students off tackling what is seen as a hard discipline to do well in. Ofqual have defended language exams, saying that last year’s results were “very stable”.
Concerns have been raised at the introduction of new GCSE and A level examinations, which are said to be more difficult. The Language Trends Survey which examines pupils’ participation in languages at state schools suggests that the new exams are deterring students from studying languages as their priority is achieving top grades. Their report said that the exam system is one of the principal barriers to developing language teaching, concluding that the comparative difficulty of language exams was demotivating. This, coupled with the focus on core subjects is off-putting for both students and teachers.
The report also highlighted the fact that the EBacc exam system, which makes taking a language at GCSE compulsory, is having little impact on the uptake of languages at A level. Students feel that A levels in languages would be too difficult to do well in, and avoid languages in favour of core subjects such as English, History, Maths and Science where they will have a better chance at success. Many state schools have reported difficulties in offering languages at A level, because low numbers make offering the courses financially unviable. Exams regulator Ofqual has maintained that language exams are not more difficult than other subjects, but said they would continue to review the concerns of teachers and students.