The French are awful at English - can they improve?

06 May 2014

Studies demonstrate that the French are indeed awful at English!

Since 2011, Education First, the largest private education company in the world, has published an international ranking of proficiency in English. The results are very interesting, notably because - unlike in most other studies - they relate to adults.

In 2011, France was 17th out of 44 countries and in 2012, 23rd out of 54 countries, with an 'average' level or English. That doesn't seem too bad, however, France was ranked 15th out of 17 European countries, beaten by Slovakia, Spain and Portugal. Only the Italians and the Russians were considered worse than the French!

The French are considered the bad students of the class in Europe with relation to the proficiency in English.

This impression is confirmed by the first European survey about language skills, which was published in 2011 by the European Commission.

France was the second worst country in relation to the level of proficiency in the first foreign language (which was English in most countries), with only 14% of pupils in the last year of high school before sixth form having obtained "independent" level, compared to 82% in Malta and Sweden, the countries with the best scores. When the second foreign language studied (usually Spanish) is taken into account, France is ranked slightly higher, but remains in the bottom half of the rankings at 9th place out of 14 countires.

But can they improve?

Countries that are most proficient in English are those countries where there is an environment conducive to learning English, or are the places where English is more important. Being able to understand the spoken language is essential in being able to communicate. Opportunities to learn a language in an everyday environment, outside of school and in a more relaxed manner, have an important role to play. Parents who are proficient in English, travelling abroad and also exposure to the language in everyday life and in the media are important factors.

Extrcted from the following article: http://www.slate.fr/story/68577/francais-nuls-anglais

Translated by: Polyglottes Formations.