Language Trends Northern Ireland 2027 survey now open

The Language Trends Northern Ireland 2027 surveys are now open! We want to hear from primary and post-primary schools across Northern Ireland. 

Language Trends is an in-depth study of the teaching and learning of languages in schools. Conducted every two years in Northern Ireland, the research provides an independent picture of language education, highlighting developments, opportunities and challenges.

The findings provide valuable evidence of how language education is changing over time and help inform discussions among teachers, school leaders, researchers and policymakers about the future of language learning in Northern Ireland.

How to participate

The 2027 surveys are being carried out by researchers at Queen's University Belfast on behalf of British Council Northern Ireland.

The closing date for responses is Friday 27 November 2026

We encourage schools to take part and share their experiences of language teaching and learning.

Ready to have your say?

 Click the relevant link below to complete the survey for your school:

Year 9 pupil survey

The research also includes a survey of Year 9 pupils to capture young people's experiences and views of language learning.

As part of the research ethics requirements, schools must obtain their Principal's consent before pupils can participate. Queen's University Belfast will provide the Year 9 survey link directly to schools once the required consent has been received.

For further information about the surveys or Year 9 participation, please contact languagetrends@qub.ac.uk

About Language Trends research

Language Trends Northern Ireland forms part of the British Council's wider Language Trends research programme, which has been tracking developments in language education across the UK for more than two decades. The research provides valuable evidence to support discussions about language learning and education policy.

The next Language Trends Northern Ireland report is expected to be published in spring 2027.

Find out more about the British Council's Language Trends Research 

You can also explore the findings from previous Language Trends Northern Ireland reports below.

Language Trends Northern Ireland surveys schools anonymously on their languages provision and has run in England since 2003 and in Wales since 2015. This is the fourth time the research has been conducted in Northern Ireland, following on from our inaugural report in 2019.

Headline statistics from the report included: 

  • Spanish is now the most widely taught language at Key Stage 3 reflecting broader trends in GCSE entries, where Spanish continues to rise while French and German decline.
  • 70.5% of responding schools offer exams in home, heritage and community languages.
  • 41.9% of responding post-primary schools now teach Irish at Key Stage 3 (up from 35% in 2023), while GCSE entries have risen by 14.9% in 2024 compared to the previous year. 
  • Primary languages appear to be bouncing back after the Covid-19 pandemic - Almost two-thirds (64.7%) of respondents are currently teaching languages in primary schools – up 10% compared to 2023.
  • 74.3% of responding primary schools favour making language learning mandatory (down from 84% in 2023).
  • Despite growing interest in digital tools, the majority of post-primary are not using AI for language teaching and in post-primary the use is still limited.
  • While three in four Year 9 pupils enjoy language classes, 89% see little relevance to their future careers and less than one-third currently intend to study a language at GCSE.

Read the reports key findings below.

Headline statistics from the 2023 report include:

  • Decline in language learning has plateaued at post-primary – with Spanish now the most popular language at both A-level and GCSE
  • Irish has replaced French as the second most popular language at A-level
  • Language teaching in primary schools is recovering following the Covid-19 pandemic
  •  Most pupils do not see languages being part of their future career, with just 14.2 per cent of those surveyed expressing any likelihood of using languages in the future
  • The gap in language uptake continues to widen between grammar schools and secondary schools
  • Almost one in five (19%) of Year 9 pupils would like to learn Italian at school

 Read the report's key findings below

Headline statistics from the 2021 report include:

  • 54 per cent of Year 9 pupils surveyed found language learning online harder during lockdown than their other subjects
  • Spanish is now the most popular language at A-level and if current trends continue will soon overtake French for the top spot at GCSE
  • It is likely that Irish will replace French in the next few years as the second most popular language at A-level
  • Language teaching in primary schools surveyed has all but collapsed due to Covid-19 
  • Most pupils do not see languages being part of their future career and just 44 per cent of the 1,528 pupils who chose to respond are planning to do a language for GCSE
  • Grammar schools continue to devote much more time to compulsory language learning than secondary schools

Download the report's key findings below.

Our first-ever Language Trends Northern Ireland report found that the number of pupils in Northern Ireland learning languages continues to fall.

Headline statistics from the report included:

  • From 2010-2018 the number of pupils learning languages at GCSE level declined by 19%: with significant falls in French (41%) and German (18%), while Spanish rose by 16%
  • Teachers report difficulty and grading of exams at GCSE level a big reason for the decline 
  •  55% of primary schools surveyed provide some form of language teaching
  •  Many teachers would like to see the return of the Primary Modern Language Programme

 Read the report's key findings & DOWNLOAD BELOW.

See also

External links

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