Sample Detail

The two bar charts illustrates the percentage of students aged 14 to 16 learning a different language in an English speaking country, and the three most preferred languages. Overall, participation in studying a language saw a noticeable decline among the genders, although the share for girls was always higher than the boys. Additionally, France consistently remained dominant despite a dramatic fall in 2007, while the figure for German and Spanish increased, albeit at different rates. As for the proportion of students, in 1984, percentage of girls knowing a foreign language stood at approximately 50%, which was about 20 percent points higher than the figure for the boys. In 2007, the boy's share had dipped to around 37%, whereas that of girls experienced a more substantial decline to to 40%, remaining the higher position. Turning to the language studied by students, in 1984, half of the learners studied French, then in 2007 it was a significant fall to around 35%, still occupying the top position. In contrast, the figure for German climbed from one-fifth to around one-fourth, whilst that of Spanish witnessed a more considerable increase, from 4% to 10% by the end of the period, recording the lowest figure.