The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) requires pupils to get good GCSE grades in English, maths, sciences, history or geography and a language.
"Last year 96% of pupils sat an exam that included English literature and more young people are achieving the higher grades in English each year, " said Mr Knight.
This is a new measurement of how many candidates in a school achieve good GCSE grades in English, maths, two sciences, a language and either history or geography.
Every one of the 117 pupils entered for GCSEs at Colyton Grammar School in Devon got at least five good grades including English and maths, achieving the best results for GCSEs in England.
Mr Lightman, leader of the Association of School and College Leaders, told MPs that he believed that the exam grades for pupils taking the English GCSE in the summer had been been forced downwards in an attempt to balance an "over-generous" marking in January - in a way that was unfair for individual students.
And soon some 2, 300 pupils in Wales received higher GCSE English grades.
Head teachers' leader Brian Lightman, who has campaigned over GCSE English grades, says it shows trust in the exam system is at an "all time low".
Markers have highlighted problems with basic English in this year's Standard Grades and Highers.
In Wales nearly 2, 400 pupils had their grades raised for GCSE English after the Welsh government ordered a review.
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She said there had been many "significant unknowns" in changes to modules of the GCSE English exam, which had to be resolved in the final awarding of grades.
Mr Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the rise in challenges to results was "no surprise" after the unresolved dispute over GCSE English grades.
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