The 2026 A-level results bring some welcome news for languages. Entries increased in French, German, Spanish and Other Modern Languages, with total language entries rising by 2.0% from 24,079 in 2025 to 24,560 in 2026. However, this is below the 2.7% increase in A-level entries overall, and French, German and Spanish remain more than 11% below their combined 2022 level.
The results also show a broader and more diverse language picture. Entries in Other Modern Languages have grown by around 26% since 2022 and now slightly exceed French. This reflects the wide range of languages young people study and already bring from their homes and communities. A national approach to languages needs to recognise and build on this multilingual capacity.
Entry numbers, however, do not simply reflect student demand. Students can only choose a language if their school or college is able to offer it. Where small cohorts make A-level classes difficult to sustain, reduced provision can itself lead to lower entry numbers. The issue is therefore not only whether young people choose languages, but whether they have a genuine opportunity to do so.
For higher education, this makes flexible routes into languages increasingly important. Universities need to support progression from school, but also keep beginners’ and ab initio pathways open for students who may not have had the opportunity to study a language at A level.
UCFL welcomes this year’s modest improvement. The priority continues to be strengthening provision, improving progression between schools and universities, recognising the full range of languages students already know, and ensuring that access to language learning does not depend on where a young person happens to go to school.