Spanish overtakes French as most popular A-Level language
A-Level entries to Spanish have risen, making it the most popular language at A level, overtaking French for the first time.
Figures from the Joint Council for Qualifications show that 7,932 pupils took Spanish A-level this year, up from 7,591 last year – an increase of 4.5 per cent.
French saw a 3.4 per cent drop in entries with 7,601 pupils taking the subject this year, down from 7,874 last year.
There has been a relative increase in entries to German for the first time since 2007, with 2,864 entries compared to 2,859 last year.
Outcomes at A*-A and A* are largely unchanged for French, German and Spanish, although there is an increase of 2.5pp at A* in German. Males have higher outcomes than females at A*-A in all languages: 37.4% compared to 36.5% in French, 41.4% to 41.1% in German and 35.3% to 35.2% in Spanish.
Read moreLatest News
22/09/2025 - 11:15
Premier League Primary Stars is offering a new set of free teaching resources aimed at making football and PE lessons more inclusive, especially for girls, who remain less likely than boys to participate in sport.
19/09/2025 - 14:07
A number of school leaders under union NAHT have expressed strong opposition to Ofsted’s planned new inspection framework, with an overwhelming majority backing industrial action if the reforms go ahead as planned.
18/09/2025 - 09:33
A new report has been released which shines a light on the challenges young carers face in England’s education system, focusing on their disproportionately high rates of suspensions.
18/09/2025 - 09:23
A new Education Committee report calls for a "root and branch" transformation of the way mainstream education caters to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
