Large drop in pupils studying Welsh at A-level, data shows

THERE has been a dramatic drop in the number of pupils studying Welsh at A-level, with almost a third fewer taking the subject than two decades ago.

- GEORGE THOMPSON

More than 500 fewer students studied Welsh to a high level this year than in 2005, the latest data shows.

The drop has come despite the Welsh Government having set a target of one million Welsh-speakers by 2050.

Around 538,000 people can speak the language in Wales.

Data examined by the PA (Press Association) news agency shows some 372 students took Welsh as a first or second language at A-level this year, down from 927 in 2005.

The lowest year on record was 2023, when just 353 pupils took the subject.

This year has been the lowest year for people taking Welsh as a first language, with 185 entries, compared with 260 in 2020.

Some 187 pupils took the subject as a second language, with 209 having taken it in 2020.

Efa Gruffudd Jones, the Welsh Language Commissioner - an officer appointed by the Welsh Government to oversee an independent body aiming to promote the use of the Welsh language - described the drop as a "matter of concern".

Ms Gruffudd Jones said she supported calls from the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol (Welsh National College) for Welsh to become a protected subject.

She said: "[This would] make sure that every educational institution post-16 offers the course.