Those taking Higher French fell 14.5 per cent and Higher German 13 per cent, with pass marks in both subjects falling, although Higher Spanish sittings rose eight per cent.
Overall the number of pupils taking modern languages at Higher dropped by six per cent, with history down almost four per cent and geography 2.6 per cent, according to figures from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
Although education secretary John Swinney, teaching unions and politicians of all parties congratulated the approximately 137,000 pupils who sat exams this year, Iain Gray, Scottish Labour’s education spokesman, sounded a note of caution.
“A fall in pupils studying key subjects should be a red flag. A narrow curriculum is not in the interests of Scotland’s pupils but we continue to see subjects drop in terms of the number of pupils sitting them,” he said.
Register now, read forever
Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.
What's included:
-
Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast
-
New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday
Already have an account? Sign in here