We really need to reverse the downward trend in language learning and recognise that languages aren’t a waste of time, says Mark Herbert

‘Parlez-vous English?’ – a phrase more British school pupils will be uttering, not just in French but in all foreign languages, if recent evidence is anything to by.

The summer 2015 exam entries for England have just been released and, sadly, the picture isn’t a particularly pretty one for language fans.

Entries for modern languages have fallen for yet another year at both GCSE and A-level. While some increases in Level 1/2 Certificates, which test skills below GCSE level, may partly explain the decrease in GCSE uptake, the figures on the whole are largely disappointing. They are also, regrettably, nothing new.

The only language to have seemingly bucked the downward trend is Spanish where entries at A and AS level have both increased by a significant amount – entries are up a whopping 26 per cent at AS Level and by a very respectable 13 per cent at A level.

This is a particularly welcome sight as Spanish is one of the languages the UK needs the most according to the British Council’s 2013 Languages for the Future report. More.

See: The Telegraph

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