Languages gain student popularity in Leaving Cert

Languages are gaining popularity with Leaving Certificate students, judging by provisional numbers for this year’s exams.

While French remains by far the most commonly studied language after English and Irish, with more than 27,000 due to sit French exams in June, the rise of 2% on last year is less than the overall 4% growth in Leaving Certificate candidates. However, the 5,470 entered for Spanish in 2014 is 9% higher than a year ago and up by more than 1,000 in just two years.

German also remains popular, with numbers up more than 3% on a year ago to 7,010 after a slight dip in uptake between 2012 and 2013.