University students face language requirement

University College London has decided that a GCSE in a modern foreign language will be compulsory for admission to all of its courses from 2012, in a move that it hopes will stop schools abandoning the discipline.

The plan, which is being closely watched by other universities, comes after GCSE entries showed a 14.7% drop in exam-takers following a government decision to make language study optional for 14 to 16-year-olds.

The decision comes as an urgent review of the languages strategy is published by Lord Dearing tomorrow. The review, ordered by the education secretary, Alan Johnson, in October, is not expected to recommend making languages in the GCSE years compulsory once more. Instead, it will seek to ensure primary schools strengthen their offers of language teaching.

Heads of languages at dozens of universities have appealed to the government to reverse its position on languages at GCSE, but UCL's vice-provost Michael Worton said of the college's decision: "Instead of having government compulsion, this is an aspirational issue. It is not necessarily (about) perfection in spoken or written French or Italian but an ability to communicate and understand cultural issues."

As yet there is no planned stipulation as to GCSE grade that would be required, and alternatives to the exam qualification might be accepted, he said. Pupils from schools with limited or no language teaching might be expected to take a language from scratch when they arrive at UCL instead.

"If students are completely monolingual, then their horizons are likely to be more limited than if they have an understanding of another culture," Professor Worton said.

"The majority of our students will work in different countries over the course of their careers. It is important they go in there with an understanding of cultural differences. It is not just about language departments. It is about people going on to be engineers, doctors or lawyers."

He continued: "We decided we would take a lead in this. I know there are others who are likely to do this but we have to wait until it has gone through their various decision-making bodies."

Bill Rammell, the higher education minister, said the UCL move could boost take-up of languages at GCSE, and said he looked forward to hearing more details.

The funding council, Hefce, recently announced funding for universities to help them encourage more people to continue studying languages.