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Why Wales can't afford to lose its linguistic edge
Western Mail
|November 06, 2025
Dr Ruth Cocks, British Council Wales, on its report published earlier this week which warns that post-GCSE international language learning in Wales is at risk
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WITH THE Senedd elections looming, Wales faces a stark choice - invest in our young people's future or risk limiting opportunities and diminishing Wales' voice in the world.
Our latest Language Trends Wales report, which launches today, makes one thing painfully clear - international language learning in Wales is in crisis.
Over the past decade, GCSE entries in French and German have halved.
A-level French has declined by 63%, while German entries have fallen to just 42 and could vanish entirely within three years.
This is not simply a statistic. It signals a generation at risk of losing not just opportunity, but the ability to engage confidently with the world.
A window on the world is closing
When we ask young people why they avoid languages, the answers are familiar: English is “enough,” languages are “too hard” or “not useful.”
This story is from the November 06, 2025 edition of Western Mail.
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