Evolution will be a compulsory element of scientific and technological understanding, one of the six areas of learning proposed by Sir Jim Rose's review (News, 6 May).
The amendment follows protests from scientists and humanists. More than 500 people signed a petition on the Downing Street website calling for evolution and Darwin's theory of natural selection to be included in the new primary curriculum.
A second change is to make British history a key feature in the teaching of historical, geographical and social understanding.
All seven-year-olds will also learn a foreign language. Arranging the curriculum in six areas of learning rather than stand-alone subjects is intended to give teachers more freedom and flexibility about how they teach.
Schools minister Vernon Coaker said, 'Teachers will have more freedom to use their professional judgement and creativity to make links between subjects that make sense to their pupils: from linking history to the arts, or science to PE.'
Literacy, numeracy and ICT will be the 'backbone' of every lesson, he said.
Alongside the new legislation in the Education Bill, the Government published the results of a public consultation carried out over the summer by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency, with the views of more than 1,000 parents, teachers, children and education experts.
More than 70 per cent of respondents supported the proposed curriculum. Two-thirds of respondents (67 per cent) agreed that it would improve transition from the EYFS, while 17 per cent disagreed.
The new curriculum is to be brought in from September 2011.
