Schools should steer bright pupils away from “soft” A-levels like media and business studies to avoid damaging students’ chances of getting into top universities, a report suggests.

The National Council for Educational Excellence says every school should advise pupils on which courses to take from the age of 14 to push high achievers towards more taxing subjects.

One in three A-levels is taken in a subject that academics at top-flight universities consider poor preparation for university, another study found last month.

The Sutton Trust, an education charity, says forty per cent of pupils receive little or no information about applying to university from their schools.

The new report, to be presented to the Government this summer, is also likely to call for a national advertising campaign to persuade poorer pupils to apply to older universities.

It will also propose a league table of universities based on their level of access to less well-off students.

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