Valerie Jones: The government says A levels will remain the gold standard

Those staying on at school or college will be able to study around five subjects in the first year, with three of these being continued to full A levels in the second year.

The changes to the A level system have been prompted by concerns that pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are specialising too early.

The Education Minister, Baroness Blackstone, described the package of reforms as an "important element of our programme of extending choice and raising standards for young people."

She said: "I do not believe that our youngsters are any less capable than those in other countries, and our reforms will ensure they are stretched to achieve their full potential."

Baroness Blackstone: "A-levels have played an important role for the last 50 years and will continue to do so"

The reforms, to be implemented in September 2000, will provide schools and colleges with the option of implementing them or continuing with the traditional three A levels.

Under the new system, pupils will be able to study for five Advanced Subsidiary (AS) qualifications in the first year. This will allow students to continue combining arts and sciences beyond GCSEs.

There will also be a new qualification in "key skills" - information technology, numeracy and communications.

And upgraded work-related General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) will be introduced, including a six-unit Advanced GNVQ equivalent to a single A level and graded on the same A-E scale.

Ministers have also moved to meet concerns over the growth of "modular" A-levels, which are examined in units instead of one final exam. Critics argue that these dilute academic standards.

David Willetts: "The danger is that these proposals will be implemented with little preparation or planning"

All subjects will be available in traditional form, and even modular courses will include final exams which cover all the material studied. However, coursework limits will be relaxed from 20% to 30% of work in most subjects.

At the same time, tough new papers are due to be introduced in some subjects, replacing the old S level papers. These are designed to give the most able students the chance to demonstrate knowledge in depth of the A level syllabus, and ministers expect that they will become required qualifications for entry to the country's top universities.

But the Shadow Education Secretary, David Willetts, criticised the government's handling of the reforms. "The government has been sitting on this review of A levels for far too long and teachers have been let down by their dithering," he said.

"There is now precious little time for exam boards and schools to prepare for very significant changes as early as next year."

And the General Secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, David Hart, said the government had not gone far enough.

David Hart: "The government's policy is far too timid"

"It has no intention of making such a curriculum compulsory, because it is not prepared to invest any additional money in the staffing, training and other needs which will be a direct result of broader programmes of study in the first year of the sixth form.

"Unfounded fears of being accused of diluting standards clearly dominates the government's post-16 agenda."

Research published last month suggested that employers might not be convinced about the advantage of a broader curriculum than the current A levels.

The Centre for Economic Performance, based at the London School of Economics, found that employers still favoured young people with a narrow range of traditional A levels - such as three sciences or three arts subjects.

This was despite calls from employers' organisations for a broader, European-style curriculum instead of the current A levels.

However, there have already been moves from some schools, particularly independent schools, to move towards a baccalaureate system in which sixth formers study a wider range of subjects.

This week, Sevenoaks School in Kent announced that it would be abandoning A levels in favour of the International Baccalaurate.