Knight defends language oral shake-up

Schools minister Jim Knight has defended the government's decision to change the way language GCSEs test pupils' speaking ability.

Mr Knight announced plans to replace the traditional oral part of modern foreign language examinations with a series of alternative spoken assessments yesterday.

He was forced to deny suggestions on Sunday the orals were being abandoned because they were too stressful, however.

It had been reported Lord Dearing's review of foreign language assessment, which yesterday's changes were based on, had said the stress of orals was deterring pupils from taking languages beyond 14.

"We are changing the way we assess people in terms of the speaking of their language to something that will carry on through the course," Mr Knight explained on this morning's Today programme.

"So we can test them in different sorts of scenarios; test them in business scenarios – negotiating skills, test them in social scenarios.

He went on to insist the new system would be a fairer assessment than the "hit-or-miss, one-off 20-minute oral examination".

"It's a different way of assessing but it is one that will improve standards, not lower them," Mr Knight added.

Concern is growing Britain's language skills base is diminishing after the government made foreign language study at GCSE optional in 2004.

Figures researched by the Liberal Democrats in November last year found less than one in two teenagers now go on to study a language at GCSE.

Lord Dearing's report, published last year, recommended making language studies compulsory from primary level upwards.