Dumbing Down In MFL Teaching Has Been Ongoing Since The 70s.

Speaking French, German or Spanish like a five-year-old will win pupils GCSEs - as topics are dumbed down to 'phrasebook' learning under government reforms, critics say

French, German and Spanish GCSEs are being dumbed down to 'phrasebook' learning under government reforms to make them more accessible, it was claimed yesterday. Mail.

Blogger: I was shocked how much GCE had dumbed down from my taking 'O' levels back in 1968 to me entering teaching in 1975.

The switch to GCSE enabled a further, huge deterioration in what was being demanded from pupils. (Banning translation into and out of the language! ?????)

Every single change in exam format covered a further deterioration in standards.

I switched from teaching MFL and RS to RS only, around 2008.

I did some coaching for a friend's son with his GCSE some three years ago - and guess what! - The subject matter had become even MORE trivialised.

Other nations learn English - we now have pupils learning kindergarten standards in languages. Utterly pathetic! Why bother at all?