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Languages crisis

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/may/11/language-exams-how-hard-are-they-and-is-there-a-crisis

What does everybody think about this? Does more need to be done to help pupils with languages? Are native speakers screwing the grade boundaries too much?

Reply 1

RazzzBerries

Chat Forum Helper

It's just not enticing enough. No one sees the benefit in learning another language unless it's to complete their Ebacc, or they want to work abroad.

I don't agree, however, with exam difficulty. What we learn for my French GCSE is the equivalent to a Year 6 kid in France. I'd say it's doable for a 16 year old kid in Britain.

Reply 2

username4310824

We start too late. They need to be taught from primary school but I doubt that will ever happen.

The curriculum just isn't...good. It's all about passing exams instead of actually using the language. I did a French exchange when I was in year 12 with people that had been learning English the same length of time we had been learning French and we were shockingly bad compared to them.

The ''everyone else speaks English so what's the point?'' mentality is way too strong in this country imo. Many kids just don't see the point.