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 Despite heavy criticism the English Baccalaureate is already proving to be highly successful in encouraging secondary school pupils to stick with key academic subjects.

The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) initiated by the Department for Education (DfE) as an additional measure in the performance tables published in January 2011, is aimed at increasing the proportion of pupils taking core academic subjects most valued by universities and employers.

However, the certificate has received an outburst of negative feedback from teaching unions and the Labour party as they claim it limits student’s options by punishing those who want to pursue more practical courses, and could lead to a plunge in those taking subjects such as music, art and religious studies.

But the DfE argues that the EBacc is not compulsory and is only one measure of success, insisting that pupils will continue to have the liberty of studying what they feel is right for them.

To achieve the EBacc, students are merely required to score a GCSE grade C or above in English, maths, a language, history or geography, and two sciences, leaving plenty of room for them to pursue other subjects as well.

The Conservatives have persistently claimed that the Labour regime “dumbed down” schooling and education standards, as pressure for schools to perform in the league tables pushed students in taking on easier subjects such as media studies, photography and dance. Several studies have exposed that this has had a severely negative impact, instigating a shortage of graduates with skills in science, technology, engineering, maths and foreign languages, which are immensely essential in today’s economy.

A research carried out by the Confederation of British Industry last year revealed that young people could improve their job prospects if they studied business studies, maths, English and physics or chemistry up to their A-levels.

While a position paper released by the British Academy back in February warned that an increased lack of foreign language skills among UK youngsters could be detrimental to the country’s social, cultural and economic well-being. It highlighted that languages are extremely crucial at a time where the job market is growing more international, adding that language skills are essential to safeguard UK’s trade with other countries and in maintaining a competitive level.

The Education Secretary reiterated that subjects such as physics, chemistry, history, geography, French and German give students the opportunity “to succeed in every field”.

“The numbers studying a proper range of rigorous subjects has been in decline. Now, thanks to our English Bacc, that has changed,” Michael Gove said.

“More young people are now following the courses which the best colleges and top employers value. The Government is committed to raising standards for all children and ensuring every child has a proper rounded education.”

The EBacc has already received an overwhelmingly positive response from students; figures today show that 33 per cent of pupils taking GCSEs next year will be doing a combination of subjects that could lead to an EBacc, with 47 per cent of pupils in 2013.

In 2010, just 22 per cent of GCSE-stage pupils were entered for the EBacc.

The survey of almost 700 maintained secondary schools by the National Centre for Social Research highlights that the progressive take-up of history, geography and languages, is evidence that the EBacc is reversing the long-term drift away from these subjects, and that they are restoring the levels of a decade ago.