English Baccalaureate explained

The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is not a qualification in itself, but rather a performance measure used in England to assess how many students in a school take and succeed in a specific set of academic GCSE subjects. It was introduced by the UK government to encourage a more rigorous and broad curriculum at Key Stage 4.

EBacc Subject Requirements

To count towards the EBacc, a student must take GCSEs in two of the following five areas aiming to achieve grade '5' or above:

English: Both English Language and English Literature

Mathematics

Sciences: Either Combined Science (worth two GCSEs) or two separate sciences (e.g., Biology and Chemistry)

Humanities: History or Geography

Languages: Any ancient or modern foreign language (e.g., French, Spanish, Latin)

There is an expectation that pupils who have studied French, Spanish or German at Key Stage 3 will continue one or more of these into Years Key Stage 4. 

We would advise pupils planning academic courses at University to consider these subjects when selecting their options.