Why are students put off studying languages?

An academic says young people are being put off studying foreign languages because they are not aware of the career options they lead to.

There has been a long-term fall in the numbers studying modern languages at school, raising concern that youngsters will miss out on work and cultural opportunities.

Newcastle University has been holding an event to promote the benefits of multilingualism.

The number of students taking a language at GCSE has fallen from more than 550,000 before 2004 to just over 370,000 in 2024, according to analysis from the University of Leeds.

In 2025, the North East and the South West were the English regions with the joint lowest take-up of language GCSEs- with 0.42 taken per pupil compared to the England average of 0.50 and 0.69 in London, according to the University of Oxford.

Westmorland and Furness and Middlesbrough were both at the bottom five of the local authority league table for language GCSEs per pupil at 0.29.

Hartlepool was 12th bottom at 0.33 and Cumberland 19th bottom at 0.36.

A variety of factors are believed to lie behind the fall in uptake.

Languages stopped being compulsory in English schools at Key Stage 4 in 2004.

Many language teachers also feel their subject has lost out to an increased focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) learning in the curriculum.

And there is also a shortage of language teachers in many areas.

But Dr Jenny Arnold, lecturer in Spanish and Translation at Newcastle University, says there is also a wider under-valuing of language qualifications, with too many believing they are useful for careers in teaching and translation but having little awareness of the wider benefits.

"We have [language] graduates who are in a vast range of careers... in business, finance, recruitment, in law, in journalism," says Arnold.

She adds language graduates are "really attractive" to employers in areas such as national security, the intelligence service and defence.

Uptake of language GCSEs is more than 20 percentage points higher in English schools in affluent than poorer areas, according to 2025 analysis by Queen's University Belfast.

And there is concern numbers from disadvantaged areas studying the subject at A-level and degree level are also falling.

Analysis of A-level data by the Times in 2025 showed a third of state sixth-forms in England did not have a single pupil studying French, Spanish or German.

Vicky Gough, schools adviser for the British Council, says: "Languages shouldn't be the preserve of the middle class.

"Languages should be open for all pupils to study. I think all pupils can benefit."

Arnold says language learning "opens your mind" and "opens the door to another world".

"It allows you to understand people...[and] understand the way that other people see the world.

"It also allows you to become an excellent communicator."

Ethan Matthews, 21, a 4th year undergraduate studying French, Spanish and Portuguese, was one of those showing the pupils around campus.

He said his studies included a year abroad in South America and Spain.

"I got to see parts of the world that I wouldn't have an opportunity to see," he says.

Newcastle languages graduate and trainee teacher, Laurie Wood, 22, says: "There's a lot of people beyond the UK borders who have got something to offer us, and learning a language is a really excellent way to find out more about these other cultures."

Sixth formers from across the North East have been visiting Newcastle University for a languages experience day.

Jacob, 16, from St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon, Gateshead, who is studying for an A-level in German, says: "It gives you such a good cultural understanding... I think it's really interesting to learn about different places and different ways of life."

Bethan, 16, from Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough, who is studying Spanish and French at A-level, says too many young people rely on translation apps.

"People assume that they can just use Google Translate... [they say] I don't need to learn the language," she says.

"But without the language, you don't know what goes on behind the scenes."

It is not simple.

There is pressure for schools to make language teaching a higher priority in the curriculum.

Some have called on the government to restore the requirement for all pupils to study at least one language at Key Stage 4.

But it will likely require more investment in the recruitment of specialist teachers amid a continuing shortage.

The closure of a significant number of university language departments across the country would appear to make it harder to train the next generation of teachers.

In 2020, Sunderland University closed its modern languages department after it was reported that no students had enrolled.

But Newcastle University said demand for language study remains strong.

"Our numbers are on the rise," Arnold says. "We're also seeing a rise in students who are doing a language from scratch, from beginners... as part of one of our joint programmes."

A Department for Education spokesperson says it is changing the curriculum to "support more confident and purposeful language learning, to help pupils communicate effectively, engage with other cultures and develop a stronger foundation".

"Learning a language empowers young people to engage with the world, think critically and understand new perspectives, and we want all children to have this opportunity regardless of their background or postcode."

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