Answer:
England:
43% of all school pupils in England
were taking at least one language at GCSE in summer 2010, a total
of 272,800 pupils. This was 40% for comprehensive schools, 91% for
selective schools and 79% of independent schools.
The proportion of all pupils
taking languages at GCSE has been decreasing in recent years. 78%
of all pupils were taking a language in 2001, 68% in 2004, 59% in
2005, 51% in 2006, 46% in 2007 and then the recent drop to 44% in
2008. The proportion remained at 44% in 2009, but dropped to 43% in
2010.
By language, the trends have
been as follows:
- French: 53% of all pupils
took French at GCSE in 2001 which dropped to 25% in 2010
(160,600pupils).
- German: 22% of all pupils
took French at GCSE in 2001 which dropped to 10% in 2010 (65,800
pupils).
- Spanish: Spanish has
remained fairly constant with 8% of all pupils taking Spanish in
2001 and 9% in 2010 (58,200 pupils).
CILT analysis of DfE
data: GCSE language
entries trend analysis, 1994 - 2010, all schools in England
(pdf, 296kb)
For future information,
according to the DfE data, 32% of KS4 pupils achieved A*-C in a
Modern Foreign Languages and 15.6% achieved the English
Baccalaureate in 2009/10 (22.0% of pupils were entered for subjects
that covered all the components parts of the English
Baccalaureate).
Wales:
The proportion of 15 year olds entering at least one language GCSE
in Wales has fallen from 46 per cent in 1996 to 30% in 2006 and
then to 28% in 2007.
Scotland:
There were 25,638 entries in French for Standard Grade in 2010,
6,205 in German and 3,007 in Spanish.
Data sources:
England: GCSE
and Equivalent Results in England 2009/10 (Revised)
Wales: Modern
foreign languages in schools in Wales, 1999 to 2007,
Statistical Directorate, Welsh Assembly Government (Modern Foreign
Languages in Schools)
Scotland:
Standard Grade entries in languages 2001-2010, Scottish
CILT.