Your editorial ("We ne to reform A-levels now".

Your editorial ("We ne to reform A-levels now", EDUCATION & CAREERS, 31 August) rightly points revealed that the drop in the take-up of languages at GCSE has been disastrous, yet we all hope that the situation is not beyond repair.

However, I do think that the languages question must be given priority if we are to maintain expertise in this area, important as it is for commercial and strategic as well as cultural and humanitarian reasons.

Careful consideration needs to be given in particular to the part and status of languages in the diploma qualifications propos by way of Mike Tomlin-son. It is disappointing to diocese that only English, maths and IT will be mandatory, and that in none of the outline curricula to date do languages figure specifically as options.

at the same time there is a clear ne for language skills in areas like as business, manufacturing and tourism. Nor does it take a portion of thought to come up with relevant applications for language skills in diplomas as it was as creative and media, retail, or hospitality and catering.

Perhaps the solution lies in classifying languages as part of communication skills, or smooth literacy. Students could then focus in succession literacy and numeracy as core skills and be able to include language within that. The inquiry of modern foreign languages is certainly an area, to quote individual of the diplomas, that will be highly relevant and valued on employers.

Professor Tim Connell

Vice-president, Chartered Institute of Linguists, and director of Language Studies, City University, London

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