Foreign Language Education In Schools

[roy]

Hi everyone!

Here in the US, many schools offer foreign language classes as part of the curriculum for primary and secondary schools. Depending on which part of the US you live in, the choices for said languages classes vary, however, the most common languages being taught in school (from what I've seen personally) are Spanish and French. In my case, the school I attend teaches Spanish, French, Italian, Mandarin, and Latin!

But that has got me wondering, what about other countries? What foreign languages are being taught in primary/secondary schools in your country? Which foreign language did you take? (or are taking if you are still in school). Also, which language(s) do you wish your country's education system offered? (if any)

Thanks for reading!

Edit: I just wanted to add that the USA does not have a nationwide foreign-language mandate at any level of education, so it's up to individual states or districts to set up their own requirements! In my case, I learned surface-level Spanish from grades 1-5, from grades 6-8 I had the choice of Spanish and French (choose Spanish), and finally from grades 9-12 I had more choices with Spanish, French, Italian, Mandarin, and Latin (choose Mandarin) :)

[Explorer]

In Spain, the most common foreign language is English, which is taught in schools from the age of four. During high school, students can also choose a second language, usually French, but also Latin and Greek if they do the humanistic branch.

Those who have a special interest in languages can apply to the State Official Language Schools, where they can get an official diploma according to the CEFR levels. They are very much like music conservatories. (It usually takes 6-7 years to complete all the courses, depending on the language and your previous level). In Madrid OLS you can study 22 different languages: Arabic, Basque, Catalan, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish for foreigners and Swedish.

[Stasia]

But that has got me wondering, what about other countries? What foreign languages are being taught in primary/secondary schools in your country? Which foreign language did you take? (or are taking if you are still in school).

In Poland, the most common foreign language is English, followed by various European languages (German, Russian, French, and Spanish).

In primary school, I only took English. Then in high school, I took English, Spanish, and Latin (I was required to take 4 years of two modern languages + 2 years of Latin).

[Sidor]

In Thailand, English is taught as early as in kindergarten, though grammar and such won’t appear until in grade school.

I’m not sure how much the secondary/junior high-high school has changed since I graduated. Back in my days, additional foreign languages are offered as combo programs for grade 10-12. In my school there was only Eng-French program (which I took) but there are Japanese, Chinese and German programs within the Thai education system that I’m aware of. Recently, it seems some schools also start the Russian program.

[AelienFelis]

Continuing the topic of Poland
(TLDR; below)

A little bit (edited) later than [mention]Stasia[/mention], when the mandatory education in Poland was divided into 6–3–3 and not into 8–4 like before 1999 and again now (from 2019), my language education looked as following:

• I had basic English from kindergarten (mostly via playing games) (if one were going to one, since it's not mandatory),

• 1–6 elementary school (which was divided into 3 years of 'learning by fun' and then 3 of 'normal learning'): was taught either from the first grade (my parents sent me to private lessons then), or – more often – from fourth grade, sometimes in groups according to one's level,

• 4–6: sometimes (usually in better/linguistic/private) schools another foreign (usually European) language was introduced in fourth grade – I had German

• 6–9 junior high – all schools provided (or another) and some also one other European language – I had in smaller groups, two subjects in (history+biology) + special preparation to Cambrige FCE (B2 first), and also in smaller groups

• exam: there was an end-of-junior-high exam consisting of three parts, and one of them was a foreign language, most often , at level A2

• 9–12 high school: aside from usually taught in groups one usually had to also choose one or even two other (most often) European languages, either on the beginner or advanced level, German , or (less often) French / Spanish / Russian , divided into groups or not; additionally students in biology-chemistry profile (called medical) and humanistic (polish/history/law) were usually provided with Latin lessons for 1 or 2 years – in my case it was 3 years of: advanced and , and beginner

• exam: high-school certification at the age of 18/19 required choosing one foreign language at B1 level (most often students chose ), there was also an option to choose additional exams: B2 level and/or any other language one wanted, B1/B2 level, including Kashubian (spoken by some families in Northwest Poland) – I've chosen two exams, B1+B2

Further education is not mandatory and of course languages depend on one's choice of school (university or other type), division, faculty, non-mandatory subjects etc.
I studied medicine and had 2 years of medical , 1 year of medical Latin and 1 year of medical (non-mandatory, and one may also choose medical ).

---

TLDR;
Students in Poland (in my times) used to learn for at least 6 years (sometimes 9 or more) and one other foreign language (usually ) for at least 3 years (sometimes 6 or more). It was provided by all schools for free.
(However, after educational reform in 2019 many things changed (no more junior highs) so I cannot be sure about the number of years anymore.)
There were two mandatory language exams: grade 9 – level A2 and grade 12 – level B1 'basic' and optional B2 'advanced'. Levels of current exams are as follows: grade 8 – A2+/B1, grade 12 – obligatory B1, voluntary B2.
Young adults after finishing obligatory education are required to be at level B1 (or other foreign language).

My education: 15 years of + exam after j.h. A2 + FCE (B2 first) + h-s certification B1+B2, 10 years of , 3 years of and 1 year of Latin.

[Stasia]

Continuing the topic of Poland
A little bit earlier than @Stasia (I think), when the education was divided into 6-3-3 and not into 8-4 like now,

You are forgetting that Polish education used to be 8-4 before it was changed to 6-3-3 (and now back to 8-4)... I was in 4th grade (the first foreign language-learning year) not too long after Russian stopped being the number 1-and-only required foreign language to learn. Yes, I'm officially old.

[AelienFelis]

OT

You are forgetting that Polish education used to be 8-4 before it was changed to 6-3-3 (and now back to 8-4)... I was in 4th grade (the first foreign language-learning year) not too long after Russian stopped being the number 1-and-only required foreign language to learn. Yes, I'm officially old.

It's not that I've forgotten, just didn't expect that so okay, then later than you. I was in junior high somewhen in the middle of its existence, so welp, I'm not exactly young either
/OT

[mention]Explorer[/mention], I have two questions if I may.

1. Did I understand correctly, that you start primary education at the age of four?
2. Those language schools you mentioned at the end and showed in the photo, are they expensive? Can average person afford these lessons?

[Explorer]

@Explorer, I have two questions if I may.

1. Did I understood correctly, that you start primary education at the age of four?

Well, it's more like the kindergarten where you learn how to read and write. Primary education really starts at six years of age.

1. Those language schools you mentioned at the end and showed in the photo, are they expensive? Can average person afford these lessons?

It's not expensive. It depends on the region. In Madrid students have to pay around 300 € a year. It includes 160 teaching hours, student books, and the right to use college libraries. It also allows you to participate in international student exchange programs.

Final exams are really hard though (they last four hours and a half) and if you fail them twice you're out... you have to start the admission process all over again. Obviously this is a problem because sometimes it's not easy to get a place for the most demanded courses. So if you are rejected, you may have to wait until next year to get back in.

[Deleted User 114]

AelienFelis wrote:
@Explorer, I have two questions if I may.

Did I understood correctly, that you start primary education at the age of four?

Well, it's more like the kindergarten where you learn how to read and write. Primary education really starts at six years of age.

I’ve heard that in India, most children start going to school at the age of three or four. They play around, but also sit at desks and learn their ABC’s and their कखग’s.

It is thought that the earlier they start, the more knowledge they will obtain to get them going in life. Which is partly true, but still, at three, you’re pretty small, And IMHO you should be outside exploring, not inside trying to learn your ABC’s/कखग’s. It seems a little young to be going to school.

But that just me.

[EranBarLev]

In Israel it's English and Arabic. English is mandatory for graduation, I had to learn it from the 5th grade to the 12th grade. Arabic is not mandatory for graduation, but it was mandatory to learn from the 4th grade to the 9th grade (at least that's the way it was when I went to school, not sure if anything has changed). There used to be a network of schools that taught French as a foreign language, but I don't think it exists anymore.

[IceVajal]

When I have been in school (in Germany) English started at 5th grade, two years later French - some schools offered an alternative non-language class - and who needed Latin for university could start it in 8th or 9th grade, as far as I remember.
Just when I finished school Germany slightly added Spanish as an alternative for French.

Things have changed, I guess, some changes might have happened when Germany got united - or later on.

[LICA98]

in Finland there are 2 mandatory foreign languages (one of which must be Swedish and the other 1 is almost always English but it doesn't have to be that)

elementary school
3rd grade: (some schools start already 1st or 2nd grade) everyone must take a foreign language, in almost all schools it's English (but some also offer French, German, or Swedish)
4th grade: students have the option to take another language, this is usually French, German, or Swedish (this depends on the school what they have in option, for example in my school they only had French)

middle school
7th grade: everyone who is not studying Swedish at this point must take it
8th grade: again there is an option to take another language and it depends on the school what they offer (in my school there was only French and German, but in others they might also have Russian, Spanish, Italian etc.)

[SweNedGuy]

... and then there are bilingual or tri-lingual countries (disregarding immigration).

In Belgium the second language of the country used to be compulsory in secondary education. I had my first French lessons in the 5th grade of primary school. There always has been an important informal exposure to English, but formal training only started in the 3rd grade of secondary school. Pupils opting out on Latin could start one year earlier.

Apart from Brussels and the German speaking area, the first foreign language choice has been free for decades now. There were only few pupils opting for English as a first foreign language when I was a kid. Now ever more pupils choose English, with French or Dutch studied later on. From the 4th till the 6th grade of secondary school, we had an introductory course in German. There may be a more ample choice now. Spanish and Italian may be alternatives for German.

[Theron126]

I didn't go to school in Russia, but from living there this is what I see:
By far the most popular language in school is English. After that, German. Chinese is becoming increasingly popular to learn, I'd guess more so than French now. In Tatarstan where I live, Tatar is also required in school. However, language teaching in Russian schools is consistently terrible, so it's rare for people to actually speak these languages well unless they went to a special language school or otherwise put a lot of effort in outside of school

[roy]

But that has got me wondering, what about other countries? What foreign languages are being taught in primary/secondary schools in your country? Which foreign language did you take? (or are taking if you are still in school).

In Poland, the most common foreign language is English, followed by various European languages (German, Russian, French, and Spanish).

In primary school, I only took English. Then in high school, I took English, Spanish, and Latin (I was required to take 4 years of two modern languages + 2 years of Latin).

Latin is required? :O Genuinely asking, is there a purpose to requiring to learn Latin other than to learn it? Latin is an option here but there isn't much you can do with it after.

[AelienFelis]

Latin is required? :O Genuinely asking, is there a purpose to requiring to learn Latin other than to learn it? Latin is an option here but there isn't much you can do with it after.

Only when you're either in medical (with advanced biology and chemistry, preparing to attend medical university) or humanistic (with advanced Polish and history, preparing to attend law schools) profile in high school, since later on you need to use it on a daily basis (in the first case, at medical uni, anatomy is taught in Polish, English and Latin, pathology requires Latin descriptions, some prescriptions are still written in Latin etc.)

[Sofia222677]

In Italy, currently English is compulsory throughout all school years, so now pupils start to learn it in first grade. A second foreign language is also mandatory during middle school (6th to 8th grades); the most popular ones are French, Spanish and German (the latter mostly in the North, I think).
Back when I was in 1st-8th grades, the foreign language didn't need to be English (for example, a friend of mine learnt French instead in primary school) and it was mandatory only starting from the third grade; also, a second foreign language wasn't compulsory in middle school, but it was offered in a special curriculum you could choose.

There are several types of high school, each of which has its own curriculum.
Latin is in the curriculum (and therefore mandatory) of some "licei", which are similar to grammar schools and gymnasiums in other European countries, and in one type of "liceo" Ancient Greek is also compulsory (in addition to Latin).
There's also a language-oriented "liceo" called "liceo linguistico", where you get to study other two foreign languages beside English (plus Latin for the first two years, If I'm not mistaken). It's up to the schools to pick the languages to offer in the curriculum; usually they are other European languages, with some outlier schools offering Chinese, Arabic and Russian.
High schools other than the "liceo linguistico" usually also offer a profile featuring a second foreign language in the curriculum. My school, which had mandatory Latin, offered two language-oriented profiles: one with French and the other one with German; they might have added one with Spanish since I graduated, given the popularity of that language.

edits: trimmed a couple of sentences, fixed a grammar error

[4theAEsir]

My son is currently in secondary school here in the UK and he too is studying Spanish. He also had the opportunity to learn German for a year but chose to do Spanish for his exams. When I was at school 30 years ago we were still taught Latin but I think most schools no longer teach it.

Good Luck

[roy]

Only when you're either in medical (with advanced biology and chemistry, preparing to attend medical university) or humanistic (with advanced Polish and history, preparing to attend law schools) profile in high school, since later on you need to use it on a daily basis (in the first case, at medical uni, anatomy is taught in Polish, English and Latin, pathology requires Latin descriptions, some prescriptions are still written in Latin etc.)

That's so interesting! I didn't know Latin was still being utilized and taught like this, thanks for elaborating! :D

[Dodoa]

I'm from Austria and I had very limited English in primary school (4 years from age 6 to age 10), which I would describe as more getting a taste of the language than structured learning.
Then in secondary school we started with English as a main subject (year 5) i.e. 4-5 hours a week and with several hour-long exams every year. In year 7 we could choose between French, Latin and no language but more science (I chose science). Then in year 9 we could choose to add Latin, French or Spanish (I chose Latin because I was considering studying medicine and it's required for that). In year 10 we could add Italian, Russian or more science (I took science again). Which languages are offered varies a lot from school to school though.
This was a general secondary/high school that's meant to prepare you for university but there's several possible paths in the Austrian school system after year 8. For example you can do one year of a transitional school and then go and get vocational training. Or you can do a combined school where you get vocational training but can also go to university after. Those options tend to have less languages on offer (unless the vocational training you get is for tourism then you may get more languages).

[Deleted User 1929]

In Syria, we have English from 1st to 12th grade for everyone, and sometimes it starts in kindergarten.
French is added in the 7th grade, a few years ago Russian was also added, so students could choose between French and Russian.

[Chrisinom]

o

When I have been in school (in Germany) English started at 5th grade, two years later French - some schools offered an alternative non-language class - and who needed Latin for university could start it in 8th or 9th grade, as far as I remember.
Just when I finished school Germany slightly added Spanish as an alternative for French.

Things have changed, I guess, some changes might have happened when Germany got united - or later on.

With Germany being a federal state, you can't talk about a German school system, each Land has a different one. In my Land there is English beginning at first grade. After four years, there are different types of secondary school. At the school where I used to teach (a "Gymnasium, which is like a grammar school in the UK), we have English in grade 5, French in grade 7 and Latin, Italian, sciences or music in grade 9. Schools can choose their profiles, so there are also Spanish,or other foreign languages sports, art as a mayor subjects in grade 9. In grade 11 students can make another choice in opting for their own profiles. So in a nutshell, the standard order of foreign language is 1. English, 2. French or Latin (in classical grammar schools, 3. (not obligatory) Spanish, Italian, Greek (classical grammar schools).

[IceVajal]

[mention]Chrisinom[/mention], I said "when I was in school" and that was decades ago! And I was in school in different parts of Germany and due to my parents divorce, etc I experienced all 3 different types of secondary school.

[R05i2.71828]

In the UK the most commonly taught foreign language is French, followed by Spanish and German.

The current curriculum requires a foreign language to be taught from ages 7-14, and all schools must offer at least one optional language from 14+. But I think this is quite a recent change, as I don't remember being taught any languages before I was 10. At primary school it is often less than 1 hour per week (I don't think there's any official minimum time they must be taught), rising to maybe 2-3h at secondary school.

Normally the language that is taught compulsorily is French, then at GCSE and A Level most schools will offer French and either Spanish or German. A lot depends on the school and what teachers they have, I got to do a little bit of Mandarin after school as there was a teacher on exchange from China. Private schools generally offer more languages, especially Latin is something they teach but is rarely offered in state schools nowadays.

Language uptake at GCSE and A Level has been in decline since the early 2000s (pretty much halved in England between 2002 and 2018), and the general state of fluency in foreign languages is very poor compared to the rest of Europe.

Not a foreign language, but in Wales, it is also compulsory to learn Welsh from the start of school to GCSE (age 4-16) and there is the option to go to Welsh-medium schools, or Welsh-stream in a bilingual school, to be taught predominantly through Welsh. However, fewer people take on foreign languages, at GCSE about 20% of people in Wales do a foreign language, compared to 40% in England - perhaps having to do Welsh discourages people from doing another language, but then in Ireland nearly 90% do a foreign language on top of Irish at Leaving Cert, so really there's no excuse!