British language exams may drop oral tests
The British education system has been hopeless at teaching foreign languages for years and the number of pupils taking a foreign language at school has dropped by around 10% since the government in its wisdom decided to make it optional to study languages in school last year. Now, the BBC reports that:
Oral tests could be dropped from language GCSEs because they are “too stressful”, according to a report…Don’t they realize the main point of learning a language – apart from latin, perhaps – is to be able to use it to speak to people?...Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove told the Sunday Telegraph: “After being told they could get a pass without writing a word in a foreign language, now pupils are being told they can pass without speaking it.
“Once again, this government is moving the goalposts on examinations and instead of proper rigour we have got a watering down of standards.”