Teenagers who fail to achieve a grade C or above in GCSE English and maths will have to continue to study the subjects under new government rules.
From this term onwards, 16-year-olds whose results fail to hit the mark in the two core subjects must resit their GCSEs or continue studying for alternative qualifications accredited by exams regulator Ofqual.
These would be functional skills or maths courses deemed by Ofqual to be a “stepping stone” to GCSEs.
The move follows recommendations by Professor Alison Wolf in her 2011 review of vocational education.
At the time, she said it was “scandalous” that half of 16-year-olds were leaving school without good GCSEs in English and maths.
She called for any teenager who failed to gain a grade C or above in English and maths to continue with the subjects she considered “most important in the world”.
She said the recommendation was the “single most important” in her review.
Following the government’s announcement, Prof Wolf said she was “delighted” to see her recommendation implemented.
Figures show that among young people aged 19 last year, 285,000 left school aged 16 without a C or higher in both English and maths – and still had not gained the qualification by the time they were 19.
Only 21 per cent of those who failed to gain good English grades the first time around continued studying, the Department for Education said. For maths, the figure was almost the same, with 23 per cent choosing to resit.
The reform comes alongside the government’s move to keep teenagers in school for longer, raising the compulsory participation age from 16 to 17. In 2015 it will be raised further, to 18.
Education Secretary Michael Gove said: “Good qualifications in English and maths are what employers demand before all others. They are, quite simply, the most important vocational skills a young person can have. Young people must be able to demonstrate their understanding of these subjects.”
Read more: What career options do GCSE leavers have?
Prof Wolf said that the move will have a “hugely positive impact on the ability of hundreds of thousands of young people to get good jobs.”
The change comes amid growing calls from a number of groups for all youngsters to continue studying maths after GCSEs.
Mr Gove has previously said that within a decade, he wants to see the vast majority of teenagers studying maths up to the age of 18, and the Government is developing a new set of post-16 qualifications in the subject.
A poll published by the Sutton Trust last month found that 64 per cent of 11-16-year-olds in England and Wales were in favour of young people at school or college studying maths and English up to age 18.