Source: Alamy

Nick Mair, chair of the Independent Schools¡¯ Modern Languages Association and director of languages at Dulwich College, said that some Oxford colleges had told him they ¡°took every person who applied¡± for some language degrees.

According to this week¡¯s TES, Mr Mair told a conference in London last week that many Russell Group universities received so few applications for language courses that they offered a ¡°special discount¡± by lowering the grades required.

The number of students taking French and German A levels has dropped by a third over the past decade.

Analysis of admissions figures by TES reveals that this has affected students¡¯ chances of being accepted by the universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

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In 2014, modern and medieval languages courses at the University of Cambridge received just two applicants for each place; in economics, however, the university received seven applications for every place.

A spokesman for the university said that although the numbers were low, the applications for its language degrees were from ¡°very high achievers¡± who had achieved at least three A grades at A level.

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The University of Oxford¡¯s modern languages and linguistics degree has the highest acceptance rate of any subject it offers, with 44 per cent of applicants receiving a place in 2014. Modern languages is in third place, with a 33 per cent acceptance rate.

By contrast, economics and management received 1,149 applications for just 86 places in 2014 - a 7 per cent acceptance rate.

However, a spokeswoman insisted that students applying to study languages at the university would still have to do ¡°exceptionally well¡± to be accepted on to a course.