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There was concern about a significant slump in the number of teenagers studying foreign languages at GCSE today, as pupils broke another record for the number of top grades overall.

The figures have consistently nosedived since the Government's decision to abolish the requirement for all teenagers to study a foreign language beyond the age of 14 in 2004.

There have been falls year-on-year since the policy was introduced, with drops from 547,189 in 2003 to just 382,228 this year.

That fall gathered pace even further this year, with French GCSEs down by 6.8 per cent on last year while German dropped by 5.4 per cent. The number of pupils taking Spanish, however, rose.

There is also a widening of the north-south divide in the study of foreign languages at GCSE.

In more than 100 of the 150 local authorities in England, fewer than half of 16-year-olds took a GCSE in modern languages.

However, in ten areas, mostly in the North, more than three quarters of teenagers are dropping language study at GCSE, according to the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Wealthier areas in the South have the highest take up.

Maria Miller, Shadow Families Minister, said: “The fall in the number of children taking foreign languages is of concern, particularly as we know from last year’s results that there is wide regional gap in those taking these exams.

"There are areas where fewer than one in four children are entered for a modern foreign language and it is the most disadvantaged families that are worst affected.”

Dr Mike Cresswell, director general of leading exam board AQA, said this dip suggested French and German in particular were losing popularity, compared with Spanish, which has seen entries rise.

But he added that grades in French and German were increasing, which suggested a select group of “motivated and talented” students were choosing those courses.

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