(1) Teachers believe that tough exams are discouraging pupils from learning languages, according to a new British Council survey

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问题     (1) Teachers believe that tough exams are discouraging pupils from learning languages, according to a new British Council survey. There is also evidence of a growing social divide when it comes to children learning foreign languages and having international experiences.
    (2) The annual Language Trends report is a survey of more than 1,600 teachers at primary and secondary schools across England, designed to chart the state of language teaching and learning in schools. The 2019 research responds to an ongoing concern about the level of participation in language learning since the subject was removed from the compulsory curriculum in 2004.
    (3) The report shows that the most disadvantaged pupils continue to be far less likely than their peers to study languages at GCSE. Very few state secondary schools offer the option for pupils to study a language other than French, German, or Spanish. Independent schools do cater for a much wider range of languages, including in a growing number of cases Mandarin; but unless more state schools follow suit, this raises the risk of a growing social divide in terms of opportunities for learning other languages.
    (4) Revisions to the syllabus in the past three years have had a disproportionate impact on lower attaining pupils, with 84% of state schools saying these pupils are now less likely to take a language than three years ago. At schools where less than 25% of the cohort takes a language GCSE, there are statistically higher levels of the pupil premium government grant, and higher levels of pupils receiving free school meals.
    (5) Lead researcher for Language Trends, Teresa Tinsley, commented: "The report paints a picture of language learning in England becoming increasingly segregated along both socio-economic and academic lines. Pupils from poorer backgrounds and those who are less academically inclined are much less likely than their peers to acquire any substantial language skills or access foreign cultures in any significant way. We all know the pressures schools are under, but these inequalities are not good for our society or the future of our country."
    (6) The research also reveals that there has been an overall reduction of 19% in the number of entries for GCSE languages since 2014, with both French and German seeing a decline of 30% (although Spanish has remained more stable with a 2% decline over the same period). At A-level, all three languages saw a decline in entries between 2017 and 2018, with German down 16%, French 7%, and Spanish 3%.
    (7) A large majority of teachers told the Language Trends Survey 2019 that they were concerned about the content of language exams. Many teachers also expressed concern with the way exams are marked and graded. They felt that students were being deterred from taking language subjects, because these were perceived as hard subjects in which to achieve good exam results.
    (8) Two in five teachers say that the implications of Brexit pose a major challenge to providing high-quality language teaching. 25% of teachers at state secondary schools and 15% at independent schools reported a negative impact on pupils’ motivation to learn a European language, whilst a further third of teachers reported that pupils had mixed attitudes towards languages as a result of Brexit. Teachers also noted an impact on parental attitudes, with some parents actively discouraging their children from learning European languages.
    (9) In terms of the supply of language teachers, the report found the majority of secondary schools depend on EU citizens to help staff their language departments. As a result of declining language uptake in recent years, home-grown language teachers are in short supply, and 67% of state schools and 79% of independent schools employ one or more staff who are EU citizens. Around one quarter of independent schools and one third of state schools report difficulties in recruiting language staff.
Why are some teachers focusing on how exams are marked and graded?

选项 A、They would like to assess their students properly.
B、Students are concerned with their GCSE or A-Level.
C、Exams affect student’s willingness to learn language.
D、Exams are more significant for parents and their kids.

答案C

解析 细节题。第7段第2句先指出教师关注考试评分与评级的方式,而后第3句作进一步说明:老师认为,因为语言课程被认为是难以取得良好考试成绩的科目,所以学生可能会打消学习语言的念头。梳理其中的逻辑关系,可知,老师关注考试评分与评级方式,是因为这关系到课程的考试成绩,而考试成绩关系到学生学语言的意愿,C项与此相符,为答案。文中并未指出老师想合理地评估学生,不选A项。B项虽然按常识表述无误,但与题目问的无关。文中并没有涉及考试对家长的重要程度,parents在文中难以找到相关依据,故排除D项。
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