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The English Baccalaureate

The English Baccalaureate was introduced as a performance measure for the 2010 school performance tables. It is not a qualification in itself - it is simply an indication that a student has achieved a particular combination of GCSE subjects at grade C or above.

Why was it introduced?

The performance measure was introduced to encourage schools to offer a core of traditional academic subjects to their students, following a decline in the study of subjects such as history and modern foreign languages at Key Stage 4. It is also hoped that the performance measure will discourage schools from promoting vocational qualifications that do not prepare pupils for higher education or employment.

It is also hoped that the English Baccalaureate will address some of the discrepancies between schools in disadvantaged and more affluent areas. Currently, pupils from disadvantaged schools are ten times more likely to take a vocational qualification than their counterparts in affluent schools, and are much less likely to take individual academic subjects. Only eight percent of pupils qualifying for free school meals took the English Baccalaureate subjects in 2009/2010, compared to 24 percent of pupils not qualifying for free school meals.

What subjects are included?

The subjects that must be taken for a learner to have achieved the English Baccalaureate are:

  • English (not including English literature)
  • mathematics
  • two sciences
  • history or geography
  • a modern or classical language.

These can be taken as GCSEs, Cambridge International Certificates (formerly known as iGCSEs) and Edexcel Levels 1 and 2 Certficates.

Why were these subjects chosen?

The Government chose the English Baccalaureate subjects based on a number of factors, including progression to further and higher education. The following table demonstrates the correlation between the English Baccalaureate subjects and stronger progression to and during 16-19 education:

KS4 outcome No pupils Attempted at least 1 A levelAverage no A level entries
Achieved 5 A*-C (including equivalents) 360,888 66.6% 2.3
Achieved 5 A*-C including English and maths (including equivalents) 275,780 75.2% 2.5
Achieved 5 A*-C (full GCSEs) 270,375 76.7% 2.5
Achieved 5 A*-C including English and maths (full GCSEs) 248,138 78.5% 2.6
Achieved English Baccalaureate 88,159 94.9% 3.1


KS4 outcome Average points score Achieved 1+ A grade Achieved 3+ A level A grades
Achieved 5 A*-C (including equivalents) 753.2 18.5% 5.5%
Achieved 5 A*-C including English and maths (including equivalents) 785.5 23.8% 7.2%
Achieved 5 A*-C (full GCSEs) 787.0 24.4% 7.3%
Achieved 5 A*-C including English and maths (full GCSEs) 799.2 26.2% 8.0%
Achieved English Baccalaureate 890.9 43.7% 16.0%

For more information on the English Baccalaureate, please see the Department for Education website at:

www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/qualifications/englishbac/