Charles Clarke, the Education Secretary, today welcomed plans for the biggest shake-up in school exams for 60 years, but appeared lukewarm on some of the more controversial proposals.

In a landmark report published today, the former chief schools inspector Mike Tomlinson proposed scrapping most GCSE-level public exams in favour of internal assessment by teachers.

Over 10 years, A-Levels and GCSEs would disappear and their courses would be absorbed into a new four-stage diploma system, with major public exams only at the age of 18, he said.

But in a Commons statement giving his initial reaction after the report was published, Mr Clarke insisted that the current system was not being abolished - and he stressed that external, public exams were here to stay.

The Education Secretary also defended league tables which publish individual schools' results, saying that they were essential and would not be scrapped.

Earlier, Mr Tomlinson said while accountability was important, league tables may have to change if they were to survive the reforms he was proposing.

Mr Clarke complimented the Tomlinson working group on 14-19 reform for producing "a cogently argued, challenging and compelling vision of the future".

But he went on: "I am determined that any evolution of the system must increase public confidence in it.

"Therefore my approach will be to build on all that is good in the current system, including the real and great strengths of A levels and GCSEs.

"The Tomlinson report rightly confirms their place in the system and seeks to build on them. They would stay as the building blocks of any new system."

Mr Clarke added that while "doing nothing is not an option", he would respond in detail to the report by publishing a White Paper early next year.

The Government asked Mr Tomlinson to review education for 14-19 year olds because of growing discontent that the current system of exams was failing the brightest pupils as well as those who would prefer vocational courses, and no longer provided a guarantee to universities and employers that pupils were competent.

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