Should a language be compulsory at GCSE?

Scroll to see replies

i think they should... when i did my GCSE yeh i hated it and used google translate but i still remebr some key phrases and stuff and if you do do a language it can eb helpful if yuo go on holiday!! i went to france a little while ago and was having a good conversation with the tour guide in french, it was so cool, i actually understood what he was saying! :biggrin:

BUT they should offer like mandarin/cantonese/portugese (dont know if i spelt that right :biggrin:

)

I really wanted to learn italian but my school did not offer it and we had one spanish teacher and only 25 kids per year had a chance to learn spanish

Reply 21

Captain Jack

Just a personal opinion, I think Hindi or Mandarin should take priority over subjects like French and Spanish because of the size of the populations in India and China and the growth seen in these economies.

Reply 22

justanotherindigo

They shouldn't be compulsory, but it should be encouraged. Like in my school, it's not compulsory to do a MFL, but for those who want to do it are more than welcome :h:

Reply 23

ArtisticFlair

Original post by Dalek1099

No because although I will have 2 language GCSEs by the end of Y11,I don't think they are worthwhile because I already have 1 of those GCSEs(in German) because I took it early and got an A and I don't know any German and I don't know why employers want these because they want you to understand different languages to communicate in them but when you get the job,languages being took at GCSE years ago and so little taught,you won't be able to know hardly any words in the language.

How can you have an A* in English Language when you are clearly unable to use punctuation appropriately? What's ironic is that I saw your rant post about marks for spelling being introduced for next year's GCSE exams... why should you be so worried when you've 'supposedly' got an A* for English?

Reply 24

Dandaman9999

Original post by Captain Jack

I think this is beginning to happen because in my school, and other local schools in the area, are introducing Mandarin as a language option now for pupils in tandem with French and German. I'm not sure about Hindi though...

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 25

Cake Faced Kid.

I think it should be encouraged, but not compulsary, and not a dying language, like Welsh.

Reply 26

maccy

Its compulsory at my school, and at most of the schools round me its highly encouraged. To be honest, I think even if it wasn't compulsory, most people at my school would take one. We've had countless talks from people about how important languages are to potential employers! Don't know how true that is, but I think that perhaps it shouldn't be compulsory but every student should be made aware of the limitations of not doing a language at GCSE- like maybe not being able to get into UCL for instance

Reply 27

rac1

pretty much compulsory.

Reply 28

keziah_X

It's important to start kids learning languages at primary school, then make sure GCSEs in Languages actually require a competent understanding of the language. I went to a comprehensive language college where it was compulsory to do a language and it didn't work. Most students can't remember any of the languages they were forced to learn. I actually wanted to do Spanish and German GCSE and a lot of class time was wasted by bored, disruptive kids who didn't want to be there. Ultimately it led to students who got As and Bs in other subjects to get something like a D/E or even U in languages. If they'd been allowed to choose another humanity or science instead of being pushed into German then they might have gotten another A grade.

Reply 29

Starrstruck

Yes, I think it should be compulsory. If you looks at Uni prospectuses, many of them require at least one Modern Foreign Language at GCSE for several degrees. I think many people underestimate how useful learning a language can be.

Reply 30

OverMyDeadBody

No, it shoudln't be compulsory. I got A* in Spanish and French in my GCSEs and guess what? 2 years after I don't remember a thing!) Plus language classes were an absolute torture. If you want to work abroad or deal with international clients, fair enough you'll need to speak something else apart from English. But majority of people in UK won't need that, they'll only go abroad just for a holiday so it's not worth the pain. And the most pointless thing about GCSE modern language is that you can tell what you will do this summer, tell about your part time job and school structure but you cannot say the most simplest things which are the most useful if you are abroad!

I know Edexcel offers a lot of languages, I did Russian with that board.

Reply 31

pinkmonkey93

Perhaps not compulsory but they should definitely be offered as an option, my school didn't offer a GCSE language and for that reason there were several universities I couldn't apply to, students should be aware of this.

Reply 32

hypercaine.

At my school people had to make a choice between doing French at GCSE or doing triple sciences, needless to say I did triple sciences. But given the choice I probably wouldve done French.
If it was compulsory I think it should be a UN language (Arabic, Mandarin, French, Russian or Spanish).

Reply 33

Tahooper

Shouldn't be compulsory for GCSEs, but definitely should be from the start of primary school until when you pick your GCSEs.

The main problem I had about languages when choosing my GCSEs was that my school only taught French (I wanted to take German) and the teachers who taught it were horrible and I couldn't bear to spend another 2 years with them.

Reply 34

burgerrr

Original post by Cake Faced Kid.

I think it should be encouraged, but not compulsary, and not a dying language, like Welsh.

So you wouldn't encourage Latin, (which is an amazing langauge to learn)?

Reply 35

Dougieowner

As some others have said, they should be encouraged, but not necessarily compulsory. I absolutely love languages and get good grades in both Spanish and French, but if someone's maybe better at something else, they should take the subject they're better at. E.g. If someone was picking between History and Spanish and they were much better at History, it'd only be sensible for them to take History, if that makes sense?

But I would say that if you're good at languages then you should definitely take them because they're awesome and I find them so fun!! :biggrin:

Reply 36

TheWorldEndsWithMe

I was forced to take French and I quite enjoyed it.
I don't think it should be made compulsory to take the exams, but I do believe a language class should be at least an optional extra if not mandatory in GCSE years or sixth form when there's more time.

Reply 37

Howbeit

Original post by JayPlays

I'm a strong believer that a language should be compulsory at GCSE level. A lot of secondary schools seem to be pushing their students into taking a language. Do you think that all students should have to take a language? And if so, which one?

Yeah otherwise no one is really going to have the chance to get into languages. I hated language GCSE and got a D in Spanish but I do believe it should be compulsory. GCSE's are meant to develop and test a wide range of skills.

Reply 38

burgerrr

Yes, it would be fantastic to offer Chinese etc. However, starting a difficult one like that in year 8, would probabally not give someone enough ground to properly apply it in a useful way.

I think languages need to be widely introduced in primary school (which is exactly when you are more suseptable to learning one).

Personally, i struggled with learning French compared with others who had been doing it since they were 7. A lot of people hate languages, which may be fueled by a lack of exposure to them earlier in education.

Btw i think a population size who speak it should not be a factor in taking it, i just think any language shows you have ability to think laterally and many languages have other uses eg historical besides.

Reply 39

Claire888

NO, my school had French as a compulsory subject when I did GCSEs, they have now changed it to French or Spanish or German. But anyway I came out with a B because I did no revision, I didn't care how I did as I knew that it wouldn't help me in the long run. I should be good at french because I had learnt it for so many years but still had no grasp of the basics and can remember virtually none now (2 years on). The way it is taught in British schools is awful, it doesn't teach you how to speak it properly, which in the long run, for future use is the most important part. It mainly concentrates on grammar which wouldn't be used often or things which just wouldn't come up in an ordinary conversation.

My additional two years taught me very little and I wouldn't recommend it if you aren't interested, although it does sound like A-level is worthwhile (from friends who love it) as you learn how to use the language in perspective, read literature and articles in the language, rather than concentrating on things of little importance.