Languages: Education
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that pupils have access to a broad range of modern foreign languages at GCSE and A level.
Answered by Department for Education
The government is committed to increasing the uptake of modern foreign languages and strengthening the languages pipeline. We are taking forward the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review while going further to address barriers at every stage, from primary education to GCSE, A level and higher education. This includes learning from successful local approaches and continuing to support the quality of languages teaching through investment in the National Consortium for Languages Education. To help recruit specialist teachers, the department is also offering a £20,000 tax-free bursary for trainee language teachers starting courses in 2026, or a £22,000 tax-free scholarship for those training to teach French, German or Spanish.
The government also wants to see a broad range of languages qualifications. French, German and Spanish remain the most widely taught modern foreign languages at GCSE and A level, although qualifications are available in up to 15 languages at both levels. Decisions on which languages to offer at GCSE are made by the independent awarding organisations.
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