More pupils are taking GCSEs in unusual languages such as Chinese and Russian amid claims native speakers are using them to boost their grades.
Government data for this year shows 42,945 pupils took GCSEs in niche languages – up 70 per cent from 25,225 just four years ago.
This is roughly 10,000 more than those that take German, and it is a third of the number who take French.
Experts said it was likely pupils from migrant backgrounds were taking qualifications in their mother tongue to get an ‘easy’ GCSE under their belt.
Farcically, these GCSEs also count towards the Government’s Ebacc, a performance measure aimed at getting pupils to do rigorous subjects.
