Two-thirds opt for just one foreign language – Students attending church schools are the most likely to sit for exams in two or more foreign languages.
Statistics published by the University of Malta’s MATSEC examinations board show that a fifth of students hailing from church schools sit for two or more exams in contrast to only 6% of students in state schools, and 15% of students in independent schools.
66.6% of all candidates born in 2003 registered for only one foreign language, other than Maltese and English.
This marks a further increase over last year when 59% applied for one foreign language.
School differences between the different sectors are substantial. Candidates from state schools are the most likely to register for not a single foreign language (27.3%) and the least likely to register for two or more foreign languages (5.8%).
Candidates from church schools are the least likely to register for no foreign language (14.3%) and the most likely to register for two or more foreign languages (19.3%).
Among students attending independent schools, 22.3% do not register for any foreign language while 14.6% register for two or more foreign languages.
Italian remains by far the most popular option, followed by French, among these candidates.
Italian is the main foreign language studied in state schools. Students in independent schools are the most likely to choose French, with Italian coming a close second. Students in church schools are the most likely to opt for German, even if Italian and French are the most popular even in this sector.
Learn more about this topic by reading this article on Malta Today.
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