Shake-up for Latin and Greek
The last remaining exam board to offer Latin and Classical Greek at GCSE and A-Level has announced a revamp of its courses.
Pupils will learn less vocabulary and will study shorter texts under the plans that the OCR board hopes will boost uptake.
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority decided to approve the changes after consulting with classicists at Oxford and Cambridge, senior examiners and teachers.
The changes come after the largest examination board, the AQA, announced last year that it would no longer be offering Latin and Greek.
Dr Ken Boston, QCA chief executive, said he believed the study of classical languages was vitally important.
He added: “Too often, Latin and Classical Greek are taught in many schools as ‘twilight’ subjects, outside the timetable, placing additional demands on both teachers and students alike. I hope these adjustments will encourage more schools and students to take up Latin and Classical Greek. “
