The Curriculum and Assessment Review has laid out a blueprint for some of the most significant changes to England's education system in over a decade. Its authors frame the approach as "evolution not revolution", building on existing strengths, but the proposals are far from minor tweaks. These are recommendations from the review; check the government's response and DfE announcements for what has been adopted and when.

The six recommendations at a glance:

  • EBacc: removed as a headline performance measure; the "EBacc bucket" stays within Progress 8, renamed "Academic Breadth".
  • GCSE exams: total exam time cut by at least 10%; exams at 16 retained.
  • V Levels: a new "third pathway at level 3" alongside A Levels and T Levels.
  • Maths and English resits: a new "level 1 stepped qualification" for learners with the lowest prior attainment.
  • Citizenship: statutory in the national curriculum from Key Stage 1, with more financial literacy, media literacy, democracy and climate education.
  • Triple Science: a student entitlement for any student who wants to study it.

1. The EBacc is sidelined

The review recommends removing the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) as a headline performance measure. It concludes that the measure narrowed the curriculum and harmed student engagement, disproportionately reducing the curriculum breadth available to disadvantaged students and those with SEND and pushing them away from arts and vocational subjects.

"it is clear that the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) performance measures have to some degree unnecessarily constrained students’ choices. This has affected their engagement and achievement, and limited their access to, and the time available for, arts and vocational subjects."

The core subjects are not abandoned: the "EBacc bucket" would be retained within Progress 8 but renamed "Academic Breadth", giving schools more flexibility to build a curriculum that serves all their students.

2. GCSE exam volume is "excessive"

"England is by no means an international outlier in providing national exams at 16, and these remain important for discerning routes for 16-19. However, it is an outlier with regard to the volume of this assessment. The amount of time that young people spend in exams at Key Stage 4 has become excessive."

The review rejects calls to scrap exams at 16, calling them the "fairest way of assessing students nationally". It recommends reducing total GCSE exam time by at least 10%, which would return classroom time currently lost to exam preparation.

3. A new post-16 pathway: V Levels

The review identifies a gap for students not suited to A Levels or the occupation-specific T Levels. A significant number of young people, disproportionately from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and those with SEND, are left without a clear, high-quality option. It proposes a "third pathway at level 3" built around new V Levels, to provide an "ambitious, high-quality and cohesive offer" leading to "meaningful and rewarding destinations".

4. Maths and English resits

40% of students do not achieve a Level 2 qualification (equivalent to a GCSE grade 4) in both Maths and English by age 16: 21% fail both subjects and a further 19% fail one or the other. 20% still haven't achieved it by age 19.

"Securing level 2 in Maths and English by the age of 16 has a strong impact on young people’s life chances. Yet too many struggle to achieve this, especially those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds or those with SEND. We believe that far more are capable of reaching level 2 in English and Maths than - despite 12 years of schooling - do currently. It is imperative that we narrow this gap."

For learners with the lowest prior attainment (grades 1 or 2), the review finds that re-enrolling them on the same GCSE courses is ineffective because it does not address their "fundamental knowledge gaps". It recommends a new "level 1 stepped qualification": a structured route instead of "resit until you pass".

5. Citizenship, financial literacy and media skills

The review recommends making Citizenship a statutory part of the national curriculum from Key Stage 1 (age 5). Many of these skills currently sit in inconsistent, non-statutory PSHE lessons; this would make them an entitlement for every child. The curriculum would include more explicit teaching of:

  • Financial literacy (budgeting, debt, interest)
  • Media literacy (identifying misinformation, critical thinking)
  • Democracy and government
  • Climate education

6. An entitlement to Triple Science

Access to Triple Science is inequitable: "only 13% of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds take Triple Science, compared to 28% of those not disadvantaged." The review recommends a "student entitlement to Triple Science so that any student who wants to study it can do so", removing a structural barrier to science A Levels and STEM degrees and careers such as medicine and engineering.

What happens next?

The review sets out an evidence-led blueprint for a fairer, more modern and less burdensome system. The critical question now is whether it will be backed by the political will and long-term investment needed to turn these goals into reality for every child in every classroom.