How Long it Takes to Learn English

It can take multiple years to learn the language to the level required to do well at school which means kids from non-English-speaking backgrounds need support. However, they tend to bolt away in achievement once language proficiency is attained.

Analysis of longitudinal data collected from more than 110,000 students learning English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) revealed that those starting school with beginning levels of English took at least six years to become proficient to the level where they could participate fully in the school curriculum.

Students starting school with more developed English language skills still required three years to catch up to their English-speaking classmates. The findings indicated that once EAL/D students reached parity with their monolingual peers, they generally continued on a faster learning trajectory.

AERO’s Senior Manager of Analytics and Strategic Projects and the report’s lead author, Dr Lucy Lu, said, “This suggests that a bi- or multi-lingual experience can be of benefit in developing an explicit understanding of language structures."

“This linguistic flexibility represents a strength that, when properly supported, contributes to academic achievement and enriches the educational environment for all students.”

Approximately 30 per cent of Australian students come from language backgrounds other than English (LBOTE), and about 25 per cent are actively learning English as an additional language.

Not all LBOTE students require intensive language support, many are already proficient English users.

Various background factors and life experiences influence language development. It found that students facing socio-educational disadvantage, on average, took 22 per cent longer than advantaged students to learn English, and students from refugee backgrounds took 14 per cent longer than non-refugee students.

Historically, there has been limited evidence regarding the length of time required for EAL/D students in Australian schools to develop the level of English necessary to participate in curriculum learning.

Dr Jenny Donovan, CEO of AERO, said they would continue to explore language acquisition in schools in a second phase of analysis, including for First Nations students, many of whom were learning English as an additional language.

“We know from NAPLAN data that students from diverse language backgrounds can thrive in Australia’s education system and, in many cases, outperform students from English-speaking backgrounds,” Dr Donovan said.

Image by Pavel Danilyuk