Children will have to study a foreign language at the age of seven under proposals outlined today.

Schoolchildren should study languages from age 7, report says
Lord Dearing hopes to harness children's love of computers to help them learn languages

Alan Johnson, Education Secretary, has endorsed the recommendations of a Government-backed review which suggests all children should learn a language at the earliest age possible.

Lord Dearing, the author of today’s report, also suggests that GCSE papers should be marked differently to overcome perceptions that languages are “too hard”.

The report does not recommend reversing the decision in 2004 to make languages optional beyond 14 - a move which prompted a sharp fall in the number of pupils taking the subjects at GCSE.

However, Lord Dearing said a U-turn should be considered in the future if other measures fail to spark fresh interest in languages.

In the last three years the numbers taking a GCSE in French, German and Spanish have fallen from about three quarters of 14-year-olds to half.

Ministers commissioned a review from Lord Dearing in response to fears that the subject is in danger of becoming extinct in many schools.

The report says languages should be compulsory at the age of seven with the possibility for in some schools to offer them to students as young as five.

Mr Johnson said: “I want languages to be at the heart of learning. The earlier you start learning a language the better. Making language study compulsory from 7 to 14 will give pupils seven years to build up their knowledge, confidence and experience.”

Lord Dearing also recommends increasing the number of different languages on offer, including Mandarin and Arabic, to channel children’s enthusiasm for languages already spoken in multi-cultural neighbourhoods.

The way exams are marked may also change, reflecting fears that some pupils find them too difficult.

“We have found strong confirmation of the view that the award of grades is more demanding than for most other subjects,” he said. “This needs to be resolved one way or the other.”

Telegraph.co.uk