Courses such as fish husbandry, nail technology and horse care will no longer count as equivalent to GCSEs. From 2014, only 70 "equivalents" will count in the GCSE tables and on a like-for-like basis with GCSEs.

Figures from the Department for Education show that the numbers of teenagers taking equivalent vocational courses has risen massively in recent years - from 15,000 in 2004 to 575,000 in 2010.

The move could make schools less likely to continue to offer such qualifications, however the government has instructed schools to wait for its final list before changing their timetables for September 2012.

The announcement follows a review of vocational education carried out by Professor Alison Wolf, a public policy expert. She argues that pupils need to acquire "broad skills" to enable them to thrive over a lifetime of change.

The education secretary, Michael Gove, said: "The weaknesses in our current system were laid bare by Professor Wolf's incisive and far-reaching review. The changes we are making will take time but will transform the lives of young people.

"For too long the system has been devalued by attempts to pretend that all qualifications are intrinsically the same. Young people have taken courses that have led nowhere."

Further information
www.education.gov.uk