Asked by: Baroness Jolly (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many individuals (1) took, and (2) passed, a modern foreign language at (a) GCSE, and (b) A-level, in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Lord Nash
Information on the number of entries in modern foreign language GCSEs and A Levels in England and the number for which a pass grade was achieved for 2006/07 to 2014/15 inclusive is provided in the tables below.
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
Number of GCSE entries in modern foreign languages by pupils at the end of key stage 4 (thousands) | 370.3 | 345.0 | 327.5 | 317.1 | 309.0 |
Number of GCSE entries in modern foreign languages where a pass grade of A* to G was achieved (thousands) | 367.2 | 342.6 | 325.4 | 315.2 | 307.3 |
| 2011[1] | 2012 | 2013 | 2014[2] | 2015[3] |
Number of GCSE entries in modern foreign languages by pupils at the end of key stage 4 (thousands) | 282.0 | 277.5 | 330.3 | 332.5 | 316.1 |
Number of GCSE entries in modern foreign languages where a pass grade of A* to G was achieved (thousands) | 280.2 | 276.1 | 328.5 | 330.6 | 314.7 |
Source: Key stage 4 attainment data
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
Number of A level entries in modern foreign languages by pupils at the end of key stage 5 (thousands) | 28.0 | 28.4 | 29.4 | 29.5 | 29.9 |
Number of A Level entries in modern foreign languages where a pass grade of A* to E[4] was achieved (thousands) | 27.6 | 28.0 | 29.1 | 29.3 | 29.6 |
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015[5] |
Number of A level entries in modern foreign languages by pupils at the end of key stage 5 (thousands) | 29.2 | 28.4 | 27.3 | 26.5 | 27.7 |
Number of A Level entries in modern foreign languages where a pass grade of A* to E[6] was achieved (thousands) | 29.0 | 28.2 | 27.0 | 26.3 | 27.6 |
Source: 16-18 attainment data
[1] Prior to 2010/11, no discounting was applied and all entries and achievements were included. From 2010/11, discounting has been applied where pupils have taken the same subject more than once and only one entry is counted in these circumstances. Only the first entry is counted, in all subjects, in line with the early entry guidance.
[2] In 2013/14, two major reforms were implemented which affect the calculation of key stage 4 performance measures data: 1) Professor Alison Wolf’s Review of Vocational Education recommendations which: restrict the qualifications counted; prevent any qualification from counting as larger than one GCSE; and cap the number of non-GCSEs included in performance measures at two per pupil, and 2) an early entry policy to only count a pupil’s first attempt at a qualification, in subjects counted in the English Baccalaureate. Consequently, the numbers supplied prior to 2013/14 are not comparable with those from 2013/14 onwards.
[3] In 2014/15, early entry policy, under which only a pupil’s first attempt at a qualification is counted in performance measures, was extended to all subjects.
[4] The A* grade was introduced in 2009/10, prior to that only grades A to E existed as pass grades.
[5] 2015 figures are based on revised data. Figures for all other years are final.
[6] The A* grade was introduced in 2009/10, prior to that only grades A to E existed as pass grades.
Asked by: Baroness Jolly (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which modern foreign languages could be studied at (1) GCSE, and (2) A-level, in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Lord Nash
Full historical data about all qualifications (including GCSEs and A levels in modern foreign languages) and the respective dates when they were available to pupils across England are attached and available at ‘Section 96 – Qualifications’ on the Department’s website.
The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) maintains a register of current, withdrawn and expired regulated qualifications and their operational start and end dates. The register includes qualifications available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is available at Ofqual’s ‘Register of Regulated Qualifications’ on their website.