Coursework was introduced along with GCSEs in 1988

The announcement, which includes scrapping coursework completely for maths, has been broadly welcomed by teaching unions in Wales.

The move comes after UK education secretary Alan Johnson announced similar changes for England.

The assembly government said it had been working closely with the UK government over the proposals.

The changes mean coursework will have to be completed in the classroom in an attempt to clamp down on cheating and pupils receiving unfair assistance from parents and the internet.

Teaching unions are generally supportive of the announcement but want to ensure it will not mean extra work for teachers.

Assembly education minister Jane Davidson said she was committed to making sure pupils were assessed in a "fair and robust way".

You can't have a system where you had different rules in coursework in England and Wales Jane Davidson AM

She said: "It is really important that people do respect and reward the hard work undertaken by pupils."

She denied being pressured into a sudden decision, saying she knew Alan Johnson was going to make his announcement at the Labour party conference on Wednesday.

"This is work we have done together because England and Wales are joined together in a national qualification framework."

Coursework for maths will go from September 2007. However, Ms Davidson said coursework was an important element of some GCSEs.

"There are different kinds of needs in the different subjects. In art, music, drama and PE, there's a huge amount of coursework that has to be done and teachers were strongly in favour of keeping coursework," she told BBC Radio Wales' Good Morning Wales.

"The issue about how we get the right supervision is a complex one. The timetable for that will depend on negotiations with schools, local authorities and examining bodies."

She said the fact that some areas of England used the WJEC examining board meant it was vital to have uniformity.

"You can't have a system where you had different rules in coursework in England and Wales."

'Good thing'

Rhys Williams from NUT Cymru said: "The only concern I have is about the timing. It is a shame that Jane Davidson didn't announce this last week.

"On the whole teachers are in favour of coursework as it gives a child more time to investigate further, and teachers appreciate assessment.

"We need to be fair and closer supervision can only be a good thing.

"I don't think that we face a crisis in cheating, but it's fair and makes sense to implement this before it reaches a crisis."

Plaid Cymru's education spokeswoman Janet Ryder said the announcement showed Jane Davidson was "following the London line, rather than coming up with ideas herself".

Figures for 2005 from the Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales (now part of the Welsh assembly) showed 364 WJEC candidates were caught for GCSE plagiarism in coursework.