I currently take Latin A-Level, and I do not think that it should combined with Greek and Ancient History. There are 8 people in my Latin class, which is the same amount of people as in my English class. Does this mean we should water down English too?

Kay Burdett, Crawley,

I took Latin at GCSE and there were six people in my class. I believe that people today see Latin as a subject which is incredibly boring, however, although it can be hard there is the historical and mythological side to the language but this is not emphasised enough to get more people pick it up.

Sophie , London,

What a mischievous little article this was. Rest assured that Latin and Greek will continue to be offered at A level under OCR's "Classics Suite" for 2008. Their web site is clear and easy to follow.
Classical subjects continue to grow in popularity in our school and, by the very nature of their content, offer pupils a stimulating and challenging education in so many areas.

John Bird, Wellington, Somerset

I've just taken A-levels in both Latin and Greek, and am going to read Classics next year- many of the people I talk to who will be on the same course complain that the only reason they haven't taken a Greek A-level as well as Latin is that their schools don't offer it. The reason so few people study Greek is that they can't, it isn't because they aren't interested- that's the problem which needs to be adressed.

Naomi Scott, London,

My brother wishes to take A levels in both Latin and Greek, and to then take Classics at university - this will allow him to get a great job once he graduates, as those who take Classics are generally recognised as intelligent - whether or not it is true. If they are combined into one subject, what else is he to study at A level? His talents lie in the classics department - if he then has to take another subject as well, his grades are likely to slip because it will be one he isn't as good at and doesn't like as much. Lower grades means university places are limited. So much for getting a better job?! Having been put through a great school it wuold be a shame if the Board of Education limited his choices in this way.

Suze, Hatfield,

This is completely absurd! All that this will do is discourage people who wish only to sit latin, (which as these figures show is a large proportion of classicists) from taking it to A Level as they will have to do Greek as well. On the hand, Greek is an up and coming A-Level, I recently attented Bryanston Greek Summer School where 350 teenagers were voluntarily dedicating 2 weeks of their summer holidays to learning Ancient Greek with no qualification at the end, it was merely for their own personal improvement. Surely this demonstrates that while we may be few in number we are passionate about our subject. The A-Levels have already been condensed enough, you cannot "dumb down" stories unchanged for 2 milleniums, if it will result in people only reading translations then who will be left to translate new texts in the future... Homeric Greek is not the same as the language of the Tragedians and only studying one kind brings a very limited insight into the wonders of the greek language.

Name withheld, London,

My god-son’s twelve year old sister learnt Latin during her last year or so at her preparatory school. Not only did she thoroughly enjoy it but she was also able to give me a cogent explanation of why she preferred the Oxford school course which her class was following to the Cambridge course being used by another class.

She was hoping to be able to study Greek at the boarding school where she started last September. Although it seems that will not be possible until she reaches the sixth form. Why should she be denied the opportunity to sit A Levels in both anguages - either because they are considered to be too difficult or not relevant to the needs of today? Or perhaps, maybe, because she might learn to use her mind to think
for herself.

NL Denton, Littlehampton, UK

What the Chief Executive of OCR fails to understand is that by studying Greek and Latin literature as part of the existing A-Levels, one is, of course, also taught elements of history and culture. How else can you teach ancient literature? Classical mythology is covered in any study of Homer, Euripides or Virgil, a 'typical day' in the life of an ancient Greek or Roman citizen can very well be incorporated into reading the orators' speeches, and military tactics and history can be learnt by reading extracts from Caesar's prose. Far from not leaving enough time for the study of culture and history, reading Latin and Greek literature opens doors to these fascinating topics, and (often in the absence of other forms of reliable evidence) is the most effective way to do so.
Mr Watson's comments also suggest a failure to appreciate the benefits of learning Latin and Greek per se, which are so numerous that there is not the space here to list them!

Susan, London,

RE: Nicholas from Oxford. You are partly correct: Latin and Classical Greek are being transformed into "Classics: Latin" and "Classics: Ancient Greek", rather than having them as Latin and Greek. However, what this actually entails is students selecting modules. The modules taken determine the A-level awarded. You could take Latin Language, Greek Literature, Ancient History and another module and this would give you Classics (Unendorsed) A-level. But to get an A-level in Greek, you would have to take all four modules in Greek.
I consider myself lucky that I will go into the sixth-form next year and be taking the current, un-simplified A-levels in Latin and Greek as opposed to the revised specifications, which remove prose composition entirely and has been simplified to the point that these A-levels would not get me into a decent university to read Classics. Latin and Greek may be considered minority subjects, but there must be better ways of increasing uptake than watering it down.

Jonathan Riches, Tewkesbury,

This article is wrong. The OCR website makes it quite clear that a new combined Classics option is being introduced IN ADDITION to the single Latin and Greek A-levels. This actually sounds like a good idea and might attract those who would otherwise drop Classics after GCSE.

Nicholas, Oxford, UK

What if the motive for learning Latin is to participate in modern Christian worship? I've nothing against the Ancient period, but it accoutns for only a small proportion of our extant Latin texts.

Malcolm McLean, Bradford, UK

My understanding had been that combining Latin and Greek into one A level was to be an OPTION but that separate Latin and Greek A levels would remain. If in fact only the combined option will be available, that would be totally unacceptable - since the level of attainment will not be sufficient to undertake a full Latin and Greek degree. It was not so long ago that there was an attempt by OCR to remove the separate Ancient History A level - it cannot be to the credit of exam boards to fail to serve Greek and Latin fully, since these subjects unfailingly attract some of the brightest pupils in England.

Jamie Henry , Guildford, England

I've had a brilliant idea...why don't we just create a new "Modern Languages" combined A-Level where you just learn a few phrases of French, German, Russian, Italian and Spanish to cater your holiday needs, and get a grade A in the end for it? It certainly would be in keeping with the way things are going....
I don't understand why it always has to be one road or the other: why is the current situation where schools can choose whether they teach full classics A-Levels or combined ones no longer an option?

SCalvino, Bolton,

My god-son’s twelve year old sister learnt Latin during her last year or so at her preparatory school. Not only did she thoroughly enjoy it but she was also able to give me a cogent explanation of why she preferred the Oxford school course which her class was following to the Cambridge course being used by another class.


She was hoping to be able to study Greek at the boarding school where she started last September. Although it seems that will not be possible until she reaches the sixth form. Why should she be denied this opportunity to sit A Levels in either language - either because they are considered to be too difficult or not relevant to the needs of today? Or perhaps, maybe, because she might learn to use her mind to think for herself.

NL Denton, Littlehampton, UK

This is part of the absurdity of the exam system in Britain, in which exam bodies are limited companies or independent charities. As exam boards compete with one another for "clients", unprofitable lines are ditched because of "market pressures", without attention to educational or national interests or concerns.

For the record, although my degree was in a different subject, I took Latin and Greek A-level. I didn't choose them for their utility or because they were my best subjects - I simply wanted to learn Greek (which wasn't even offered at my school). It's a decision I have never regretted and I have found my knowledge of those subjects surprisingly helfpul in the 30+ years since I left school.

kathleen bell, Nottingham, England