How Spanish taught in the UK compares with English taught in Spain

In 2018, the Eurobarometer found that only 32% of UK 15-30 years old could read and write in a minimum of two languages.

Compared to most countries across Europe, where at least 80% of the population can read and write in two or more languages, the UK language learning feels poor and far behind. In other words, while in Spain only 15% of the interviewed speak just Spanish, in the UK the 68% can only speak their mother tongue.

In Spain, and in many other European countries, the second language most 15 to 30 years old know is English. So how does a country like Spain make 85% of their youth learn English?

It all starts in kindergarten where children begin learning some colours and vocabulary, and some easy phrases and songs. In primary schools, children learn English every year, a minimum of twice a week. In secondary schools, English is also obligatory, and by the time students are fifteen or sixteen they are generally able to communicate in English to a pre-intermediate level (according to the Common European Framework of Reference).

Furthermore, in Spain there is a common awareness that being able to speak English is important for your future, for work and travel, but also for being informed. Probably the supremacy of the English language as the vernacular language in science, technology and the Internet makes it relevant to everyone. That’s maybe the reason why many children and teens also attend extra-curricular English lessons in private English language schools, at least two or three extra hours a week.

And that is not all. In further education and higher education, English is also compulsory for at least one year, and a minimum B1 official certificate (Cambridge or Oxford, for instance) is required to finalise studies. These certificates are usually prepared in private English language schools, devoting extra hours besides the ones mentioned above. The amount of time a 17-year-old student can devote to achieving a B1 official certificate in English can easily be above 400 hours when counting school plus extra-curricular lessons.

So, right now, if you have attended school or you are a teacher in the UK, you will already know the big difference between UK and Spain when it comes to teaching and learning a foreign language. But let me give you some extra information:

First of all, although in the UK 71% of students want to learn a foreign language, the problem is that it is not clear is which language that should be, or which languages students should devote more attention to. The House of Commons briefing paper on Language Teaching in Schools from January 2020 states that the government doesn’t promote the teaching of any particular language, so it is schools who decide which one(s) to teach. And depending on where a school is located, one language or another might be encouraged, which in turn has an impact on the interest in any other particular language, or international language schools who might potentially support the education market.

Furthermore, the National Curriculum in England sets out that foreign languages are only required to be taught in Key Stages 2 and 3, i.e., ages from 7 to 14, however for Key stage 2 the language can be a modern or an ancient foreign language such as Latin or Greek, leaving even less room for the learning of a modern foreign language.

There has also been a significant decline in the interest of studying a foreign language after the age of 14 since 2004, when it was made non-statutory. In 2021, Ofqual reported that French entries for GCSE were only of 124,655, Spanish entries increased by 4% to 109,655. However, entries for German decreased by 10% to 37,035 and entries for other modern languages decreased by 23% to 25,225. In total, this is almost the half of the entries in 2002.

And although it is expected that 75% of year 10 pupils will be required to take a GCSE in a modern language by September 2022, according to Government plans for the English Baccalaureate (which forecasts 90% of pupils by 2025), in the Department of Education’s annual report of 2019 it was expressed that these targets are unlikely to be met.

But hope is not lost. In 2021 Ofsted did a research and analysis on how the curriculum for modern foreign languages could improve, and specified the features of high-quality languages education.

In summary, Ofsted expressed the need of using a Communicative Approach, in which students can learn phonics, grammar and vocabulary through a carefully planned use of the target language in the classroom through authentic spoken and written texts. It is also highlighted the importance of appropriate error corrections and effective feedback to make students feel comfortable and enthusiastic when learning a foreign language.

In conclusion, it is true that English is widely spoken throughout Europe and that a native English person probably won’t encounter the same adversity (other than Brexit laws) when looking for a job or studying in Europe. However most European Union citizens are able to speak two or more languages and have background knowledge of different cultures, which is essential for international education or business.

This means the UK has the difficult task of creating interest among the young to learn a foreign language, so as not to fall behind the rest of Europe. There is a future for modern foreign languages in a plurilingual UK, but how far that future is? We just don’t know.

Relevant bibliography

Eurobarometer 2018: https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2186

Department of Education Annual Report 2019:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/906353/DfE_Consolidated_annual_report_2018-19_web.pdf

GCSE Provisional entries 2021: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provisional-entriesfor-gcse-as-and-a-level-summer-2021-exam-series/provisional-entries-for-gcse-as-and-a-levelsummer-2021-exam-series
Foreign languages: primary and secondary schools (2021). House of Lords Library:
https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/foreign-languages-primary-and-secondary-schools/
Ofstead Curriculum Research Review series: Languages (2021):
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-research-review-serieslanguages/curriculum-research-review-series-languages#pedagogy
Language Teaching in Schools (England) 2020:
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7388/CBP-7388.pdf