| 1928 | Quatre chansons françaises | Confirmed | 15' |
| 1931 | Plymouth Town (ballet for small orchestra) | Confirmed | 25' |
| 1932 | Sinfonietta, op. 1 | Confirmed | 15' |
| 1932 | Sinfonietta, op. 1 (version for small orchestra) | Confirmed | 15' |
| 1934 | Simple Symphony, op. 4 | Confirmed | 17' |
| 1936 | Irish Reel (for orchestra) | Confirmed | 3' |
| 1936 | Irish Reel (for wind band) | Confirmed | 4' |
| 1936 | Our Hunting Fathers, op. 8 | Confirmed | 27' |
| 1936 | Russian Funeral (for brass and percussion) | Confirmed | 6' |
| 1936 | Soirées musicales, op. 9 (Suite of Five Movements from Rossini) | Confirmed | 11' |
| 1936 | Temporal Variations (for oboe and string orchestra) | Confirmed | 15' |
| 1937 | Mont Juic, op. 12 (Suite of Catalan Dances, with Lennox Berkeley) | Confirmed | 12' |
| 1937 | The Company of Heaven (cantata) · chorus | Confirmed | 45' |
| 1937 | Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, op. 10 | Confirmed | 25' |
| 1938 | Piano Concerto, op. 13 (original 1938 version) | Confirmed | 34' |
| 1938 | Piano Concerto, op. 13 (revised 1945 version) | Confirmed | 33' |
| 1939 | Ballad of Heroes, op. 14 · chorus | Confirmed | 15' |
| 1939 | Canadian Carnival (Kermesse Canadienne), op. 19 | Confirmed | 14' |
| 1939 | Johnson over Jordan (complete incidental music) | Confirmed | 35' |
| 1939 | Johnson over Jordan: Suite | Confirmed | 18' |
| 1939 | Les Illuminations, op. 18 | Confirmed | 21' |
| 1939 | The Spider and the Fly | TBD | 4' |
| 1939 | The Sword in the Stone: Concert Suite | Confirmed | 10' |
| 1939 | Violin Concerto, op. 15 | Confirmed | 31' |
| 1939 | Young Apollo, op. 16 | Confirmed | 10' |
| 1940 | Diversions on a Theme, op. 21 | Confirmed | 23' |
| 1940 | Sinfonia da Requiem, op. 20 | Confirmed | 20' |
| 1941 | Fourteen Folk Songs (arranged for voice and orchestra) | TBD | 16' |
| 1941 | Matinées musicales, op. 24 (Second Suite of Five Movements from Rossini) | Confirmed | 13' |
| 1941 | Overture: Paul Bunyan (for orchestra) | Confirmed | 5' |
| 1941 | Overture: Paul Bunyan (for symphonic wind band) | Confirmed | 7' |
| 1941 | Paul Bunyan, op. 17 (operetta in two acts) · opera · chorus | Confirmed | 114' |
| 1941 | Scottish Ballad, op. 26 | Confirmed | 13' |
| 1942 | Movement for Clarinet and Orchestra | Confirmed | 6' |
| 1942 | Movements for a Clarinet Concerto (devised and orchestrated by Colin Matthews) | Confirmed | 17' |
| 1943 | Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal (rejected movement from the Serenade, op. 31) | Confirmed | 5' |
| 1943 | Prelude and Fugue for 18-part String Orchestra, op. 29 | Confirmed | 9' |
| 1943 | Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, op. 31 | Confirmed | 24' |
| 1945 | Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, op. 33a | Confirmed | 17' |
| 1945 | Passacaglia from Peter Grimes, op. 33b | Confirmed | 7' |
| 1945 | Peter Grimes, op. 33 (complete opera) · opera · chorus | Confirmed | 147' |
| 1946 | Occasional Overture in C, op. 38 | Confirmed | 8' |
| 1946 | The Rape of Lucretia, op. 37 (complete opera, revised 1947) · opera | Confirmed | 107' |
| 1946 | The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, op. 34 | Confirmed | 17' |
| 1947 | A Charm of Lullabies, op. 41 (orch. Colin Matthews) | Confirmed | 12' |
| 1947 | Albert Herring, op. 39 (complete comic opera) · opera | Confirmed | 137' |
| 1947 | Men of Goodwill (variations on “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”) | Confirmed | 8' |
| 1948 | Lachrymae, op. 48a (reflections on a song of Dowland, for viola and strings) | Confirmed | 15' |
| 1948 | Saint Nicolas, op. 42 · chorus | Confirmed | 50' |
| 1948 | The Beggar's Opera, op. 43 (John Gay, realised by Britten) · opera · chorus | Confirmed | 108' |
| 1949 | Spring Symphony, op. 44 · chorus | Confirmed | 45' |
| 1949 | The Little Sweep, op. 45 (the opera from Let's Make an Opera) · opera · chorus | Confirmed | 45' |
| 1953 | Gloriana, op. 53 (complete opera, revised 1966) · opera · chorus | Confirmed | 148' |
| 1953 | Gloriana: Courtly Dances | Confirmed | 10' |
| 1953 | Gloriana: Symphonic Suite, op. 53a | Confirmed | 26' |
| 1954 | The Turn of the Screw, op. 54 (complete opera) · opera | Confirmed | 101' |
| 1956 | The Prince of the Pagodas, op. 57 (complete ballet) | Confirmed | 119' |
| 1956 | The Prince of the Pagodas: Pas de Six, op. 57a | Confirmed | 12' |
| 1956 | The Prince of the Pagodas: Prelude and Dances, op. 57b (selected by Norman Del Mar) | Confirmed | 27' |
| 1957 | Noye's Fludde, op. 59 (the Chester miracle play) · opera · chorus | Confirmed | 50' |
| 1957 | The Prince of the Pagodas: Suite (compiled Cooke & Mitchell) | Confirmed | 47' |
| 1958 | Nocturne, op. 60 | Confirmed | 25' |
| 1959 | Cantata academica, carmen basiliense, op. 62 · chorus | Confirmed | 22' |
| 1960 | A Midsummer Night's Dream, op. 64 (complete opera) · opera · chorus | Confirmed | 144' |
| 1960 | Billy Budd, op. 50 (complete opera, revised two-act version) · opera · chorus | Confirmed | 158' |
| 1962 | War Requiem, op. 66 · chorus | Confirmed | 85' |
| 1963 | Cantata misericordium, op. 69 · chorus | Confirmed | 20' |
| 1963 | Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, op. 68 | Confirmed | 34' |
| 1964 | Curlew River, op. 71 (first parable for church performance) · opera · chorus | Confirmed | 71' |
| 1966 | The Burning Fiery Furnace, op. 77 (second parable for church performance) · opera · chorus | Confirmed | 64' |
| 1967 | The Building of the House, op. 79 (overture, orchestral version) | Confirmed | 6' |
| 1967 | The Building of the House, op. 79 (overture, symphonic wind band) | Confirmed | 6' |
| 1968 | The Prodigal Son, op. 81 (third parable for church performance) · opera · chorus | Confirmed | 72' |
| 1969 | Children's Crusade, op. 82 (ballad for children's voices) · chorus | Confirmed | 19' |
| 1971 | Owen Wingrave, op. 85 (complete opera) · opera | Confirmed | 106' |
| 1973 | Death in Venice, op. 88 (complete opera) · opera · chorus | Confirmed | 145' |
| 1973 | Suite from Death in Venice, op. 88a | Confirmed | 27' |
| 1974 | Suite on English Folk Tunes, op. 90 “A Time There Was…” | Confirmed | 14' |
| 1975 | Phaedra, op. 93 (dramatic cantata) | Confirmed | 15' |
| 1976 | Praise We Great Men (completed Colin Matthews) · chorus | Confirmed | 7' |
| 1976 | Welcome Ode, op. 95 · chorus | Confirmed | 8' |