How important is it to follow the EBac route?

Kids should always be allowed to choose and study the subjects they enjoy, to the extent possible, and should never, ever choose subjects based on what you think might look good on a CV to impress a university or employer.

Following the "I am academic so therefore I must study..." route leads to possibly a good, well-paid high status job but likely one which is very dull and can end in stress, burn-out and all kinds of unhappiness in life. Let them find out what they love and go for it. The best careers are often ones people make up for themselves.

This thread started 5 years ago, the EBacc seemed almost irrelevant then and now in 2017, no-one seems to attach any meaning to it at all. Schools don't talk about it, they still rate themselves on number of A*-C passes at GCSE, parents don't seem to care, the Government who introduced it are suspiciously quiet and I haven't heard of a single employer or university who have required it for anything!

So nobody knows of a single non-language degree course where a language gcse is requires?

My kids are doing Ebac but not because it's required, important or that they paid any attention to the need for it...they chose their options based on their interests. Thankfully.

The point of the ebacc is to ensure you have a well rounded education and haven't closed doors prematurely early. So yes, I think it is important and am glad that my ds has chosen a humanity (in fact he's doing two) an MFL as well as English/Maths/double science.

Personally I think the ebacc should be compulsory, it's not all about grades, it's about having a decent education (as someone told me on here when I complained about double science and asked why people couldn't just choose to do a single science (eg drop physics and biology and just do chemistry, if that was their best science).

DD is at end of Year 11 and just happened to choose subjects covered by the Ebacc. She's applied to three Sixth Forms and none of them raised it. She wants to do a Music Degree, if not a Geography Degree and has been researching their requirements, Ebacc hasn't come up!

I have not come across any apprenticeship requiring a language so would be interested in who is. And UCL do not require a language. You take one in year 1 if you've not got one - which is a large amount of students. It's on their website so v easy to check. Getting best marks is most important thing so do what you are good at

But you can still gain a place in UCL without a language - you just have to take a language module in your first yesr. Sometimes you need a MFL language to study English otherwise it's all about the grades - they want the best eight GCSEs you've got!

Can anyone explain to me how EBAC can / could / might affect or limit A level options? Realise this may vary between schools and colleges.

There is so much conflicting information about this. I've heard before that UCL require a language gcse for some courses - because those courses require a year's placement abroad - but I have yet to hear of a single other one. Links/evidence please!

Which ones lego can you give us some links?

Some great graduate training schemes require a language at GCSE so I would definitely try for it if a pass is realistic option even if lower grade than another subject.

Makes no difference whatsoever. No university needs a language (UCL let you study one there). No one cares about the EBAC. Except league tables. I'd say study what he enjoys and will do well in.

Really wanted to know how is your DS doing now?

If he wants to do dentistry he needs to have everything he possibly can get- and a MFL will be important.

Who is this 'we'? DS wants to do Dentistry. Applicants do have to have GCSE English/English language; English literature is not accepted as equivalent. So clearly some admissions tutors are interested.

I think people need to look at the requirements for the degree their child wants to do; if their child doesn't know yet, then they should do the broadest possible range of subjects so that a wide range of degree courses remains open to them.

Agree totally with not dropping an MFL if you're aiming high university-wise - but please don't worry about having Eng. Lit instead of Eng. Lang, or not having History or Geog and therefore not techincally have the EB - trust me we're not interested!

It is a not to do a MFL at GCSE- it might well close doors that the child doesn't even realise yet they want to go through. It's also a mistake for a NT child to drop something because they find it difficult or "don't like" it.

titchy But the OP is asking about language, and people are saying "don't worry even though it's part of the EBacc". What I'm trying to say is - some uni's and some courses already ask for a GCSE language. Because it is being listed as part of the EBacc, which unis will assume more academic students are likely to try to fulfill, it's likely that in future more unis and courses will make it a standard requirement, because they feel they can "expect" it.

I'm quite bothered by advice not to worry about it, as DS went through uni applications last year, and had to cross off one course that could well have suited him, because of an absolute requirement for a GCSE level language which he didn't have. So he had zero chance of getting onto that course, no matter how good he was at the actual subject, or his Higher results, or anything else.

Gawd, this is a bit of a headache; DSy7 failed German+French the other day & is talking about dropping them. I hate the way they are taught (seems standard approach for English schools, in spite of being obviously pants, sob), not surprised he's failed, so would be content to let him drop, EXCEPT that I read things like it will mean a difference to whether he might get accepted on a particular Uni course in SIX years time. What a crazy system, that I have to make decisions about his future 6 years hence. I didn't even start studying French until I was 16 (sigh) & I reckon I have about O-level equivalence, nonetheless.

Re university entrance requirements - THE EBACC IS NOT A QUALIFICATION ergo it can't be on any university's list of requirements.

Trust me - admissions officers are NOT going to be trawling through all their applicants GCSEs and ticking those than have 2x Science, 1x English (and checking it's the right sort of English), 1xMaths, 1 x Historyor Geog and 1 x MFL. Cheching Maths and English yes (and maybe a language), but not all the others!

Offers will be made based on predicted A Levels, then AS results, THEN GCSEs or interview.

University requirements don't currently list EBacc as a specific thing, but I think you're naive if you think the contents of the EBacc are not going to have any effect on what universities require for entry. There is likely to be an assumption that "the right sort of students" will have done what is in the EBacc, and requirements are likely to reflect that, sooner or later.

Certainly have no intention of forcing anyone to do anything.

How do you know that Michaela?

The EBacc is ab irrelevance for university entrance and you should ignore it.

The EBacc shows that a pupil is an academic all-rounder; that they like, amongst other things, Humanities.
Your DC doesn't like Humanities.
So they don't get the EBacc.
QED.

You can't pretend that s/he is something that they are not. If they really are that dead set against Hist and Geog then don't force them to do it. Just demonstrate to University or employers that they have picked up the relevant skills (analysis, comprehension, essay-writing, etc) in other places eg Eng Lit or perhaps RE.