Latin or economics gcse?

[Lfs2126]

Looking like last option may be between these 2 subjects. Would appreciate any advice please:)

[Themumsnot]

I am under the impression that Economics is not a well-regarded subject at GCSE, whereas Latin most definitely is. You could not, for instance, pick up Latin at A-Level without having done the GCSE (or at least it would be pretty difficult to do so) whereas there is no problem starting Economics from scratch at A-Level. But if it is the last option and your DC has chosen sensibly for the others than I would suggest that the one they want to do most is the one they should do. My Y11 DD1 is working her boots off for GCSEs at the moment and the thing that makes the slog bearable for her is that she genuinely enjoys all the subjects she has chosen.

[Lilymaid]

Agree with Themumsnot - most students take up Economics at A Level without having studied it before and a Latin GCSE is better regarded than Economics GCSE.

[Bossybritches22]

However just check on A-level choices following on, many state schools have dropped Latin at both GCSE & A-level,sadly.

Depends what your DC wants to do & what they would enjoy most as they'll do better if they really enjoy it-DD1 loved Latin but DD2 hated the thought of it.

[BeingFluffy]

I must say my DD loved Latin and would have loved to continue to A level.

The only slightly negative thing is that it is difficult to get an A* because the standard is incredibly high - it tends to be taken by clever children at selective schools.

In my opinion it is much more difficult than the modern language GCSEs.

[Abra1d]

Latin is better regarded than Economics. It is hard, no question.

[YokoUhOh]

I got A* in GCSE Latin a long time ago and I think it impressed the Oxford admissions tutors. I think Economics is a good A level subject, but probably less well regarded at GCSE.

[TalkinPeace2]

speaking as an accountant

LATIN

Applied subjects like Economics should only be started after the grounding subjects are all in place.
For Economics, the groundings are Maths, English and History

[MordionAgenos]

Yep. You don't need an economics A level to do an economics degree. And that says it all, really.

[bruffin]

My ds is taking a Latin gcse in 6the form. It may just be a short.course but he seems to think it is easy.
He says it is just a passage of translation into English and an essay on any aspect of Roman life written in English.

[almapudden]

Latin, for all the reasons that others have given and I teach it.

[TunipTheVegemal]

Latin, just because.

[Lfs2126]

Some v good advice here thank you!. Ds finds some Latin tricky, endings etc, but gets good marks when he applies himself. would have to pass a aptitude test to do econ though so I thought it would be better regarded. we were thinking about it because while he's not keen on geog persay,he does like human geog ( wealth distribution,tourism etc).

[TalkinPeace2]

Silly thing with Latin.

Walking round Wisley with my sister yesterday - and her work with a medical company helped her understand the Latin plant names ....

Geography : I'm biased - it was my BSc but YES its the secret grounding subject for economics. Understanding the WHY of societies is so useful.

[TimeChild]

Wow! Got to speak up for Economics here.

Latin is soooo boring - I've got A at O level for it and never saw the point. Also I thought it was quite easy, much easier than French and German which I also did for O level.

I am an Economics graduate and it is not an "applied" subject - well it's as applied as medicine is. The grounding for it is philosophy and mathematics and in my view absolutely vital for helping understand all the important things happening in the real world today - eg euro crisis, debt crisis, how banks work etc. Should be taught at some level to all secondary children in my view then we will have a more economically literate society.

Really can't see the popularity of Latin at mo. I think its just fashion.

[TalkinPeace2]

well it's as applied as medicine is.
show me Medicine GCSE ....

Economics can ONLY be understood by those who have a broader education - part of the fuckup of the current system is too many people reaching positions of responsibility without experience

[TimeChild]

And what has Geography got to do with economics?

[TalkinPeace2]

Timechild
utterly shedloads - an understanding of globalism and colonialism for a teeny start
the relationship between industrial revolutions and resources
the structure of settlements

[TunipTheVegemal]

Economics is interesting, but I think what people are saying here is that at GCSE level Latin is likely to be more satisfying and better at proving your ability hence better regarded by employers.
I don't think people are dissing economics per se.
When I did GCSEs there was very little opportunity for genuine intellectual challenge in most subjects (just pots of rote learning) and Latin felt very valuable because of that.

[LapsedPacifist]

Latin.

[TimeChild]

Agree that being literate and numerate will help in the study of economics, as for most subjects if that's what you mean by a broader education?

Understanding how market forces work, how banks create credit, how interest rate works are surely an important part of understanding how the modern western society works.

I would say that if more people in positions of responsibility understood economics we wouldn't be in the situation today.

[TimeChild]

TalkinPeace, looking at your examples, I would say that the situation is the opposite - ECONOMICS underpins geography rather than the other way round!

[TimeChild]

Turnip, I only did O level Latin not GCSE, but what we were taught was deader than the language itself. We hardly studied any real Latin, ie those classics written in the Roman times. For most of the course we studied some made up stories about Marcus and Sextus written by someone at Longmans publishers.

What is the intellectual challenge in that?

[TunipTheVegemal]

It sounds like you were badly taught. I had excellent Latin teachers who were very good at both making the ancient Romans come alive and making it feel relevant to modern culture. Also in my day you did large chunks of original Latin even for GCSE. In general people only become Latin teachers if they are super-keen (it's not like there are loads of jobs) so the average Latin teacher is usually pretty good these days.

[TimeChild]

Turnip, you are probably right that I was badly taught (though still managed to get an A)...

Glad to hear that things have improved today although I still wonder how much relevance the lives of the ancient Romans (fasciniating as they are) have with much of today. I guess that's just me.

[Caoimhe]

My nephew is doing both Latin and Economics at GCSE. He is finding Economics a total doddle. I am an Economics graduate too and the stuff they learn at GCSE level is hardly worth bothering with.

I am a fan of financial education in schools but GCSE Economics isn't what children need to know!