Year 9 Options, What has your child chosen?

DS2's exam choice would probably out him IRL.

Salskey, do you mean everyone else at your son's school, or on this thread? If the second, I wouldn't worry.

DS1's (outstanding) school suggests 9, with 10 possible only for those keen enough to do twilight lessons.
DS2's rather less outstanding school is letting him do 11 but strongly hinting that he may be overdoing it and they'll review at half term.
His old school insisted on 11 with one taken a year early, but they are a bunch of achievement mad obsessives hoping to improve their GCSE stats.

I was surprised how much variation there seems to be!

DS's GCSEs

Maths
English (Lang & Lit)
RS
IT

Options:

Single Sciences
German
Geography
Art

DD1 will be doing:

COMPULSORY
Maths
Eng Lang
Eng Lit
Biology
Chemistry
Physics

OPTIONS

French
History
Art
Drama

She is really looking forward to dropping RE!!- her most hated subject.

Also whats Ebacc and arent all subjects GCSE, sorry we're new to this, in our day it was plain old CSE, O levels, A levels.

our ds1 yr8 was asked to choose 3 options plus the compulsories. He chose Art (design) Spanish and History. Everyone else seems to have chosen 4?! should I be concerned?

My DD1 is in Y9. She will do

Compulsory:
Maths (IGCSE)
English Language
English Literature
Physics (IGCSE)
Chemistry (IGCSE)
Bology (IGCSE)

Options:
Spanish
History
Drama
Music

Everybody takes 9 or 10 at her school (depending on whether they do double or triple award science).

Talkinpeace - I didn't know you could officially count music and dance grades towards UCAS. Good to know.

DS1 in Y9 is doing:

Compulsory

Maths
English language
Triple science (actually double is compulsory, but top 50 get the chance to do triple, so started GCSE course in Feb)
RE 1/2 course
Electronics (one DT subject compulsory)

Options

ICT
Geography
French
RE other 1/2 course

So that's 10, but only because he is doing triple science and the other half of RE, so most will do 8 or 9.

I'm not sure about English Lit? I'll have to check, but I think only the top set do it and he's second set?

No EBacc compulsory.

ragged When I wrote ungraded what I meant was that DS1 will be taking lessons (in PE and RE and I think PSHE?) which don't lead to any qualifications. I think they're meant to be character building iyswim (I can't think of a better way of describing it!)

DS Year 9 No pressure to to Ebacc, a language has always been encouraged on academic pathways.

Compulsory
English x 2
Triple science (already started, done over 3 years)
Maths (just starting, exam at end of Year 10, AS or Statistics in Y11)
BPE (short course which is apparently half a GCSE)
PE and PD non graded

Options
Music
Italian
Geography
Geology

So 10.5 GCSEs, plus whatever Maths he does in Y11.

He is hoping to be Grade 8 on his instrument, but possibly this might be in sixth form.

DD Year 9 just chose

Eng Lang, Eng Lit, Maths, Spanish, Triple Science, Geography, History, Latin, Statistics, Textiles
opted out of RE
hoping that they will find staff time for her and the other geek girls to do French as a twilight
non examined - PE and PSHE (which is apparently current affairs by then)

by the end of year 11 will be at grade 7 in Flute and grade 5 + in Modern and Ballet - all of which count towards UCAS

Compulsory subjects- double English, maths, iGCSE triple science, PE and RE, (all full course)

Ebacc compulsory- Spanish/ Geography
Free choice-ICT, Music and Drama

13 in total but her school does them over three years.

My dd year 8 and picks 2 options this year then 3 more in year 11. Compulsory.:Maths, English, double science, IT, RE, PE. Options: History and Spanish. No idea yet for year 11!! want to be equine vet so guess that will determine

I am always amazed at how many others are doing. How do they fit it in the timetable?

At Ds1's school people do 9, 9.5 or 10. Ds1 is doing 10 and that is simply because he is doing Spanish half off-timetable (after school class) and I have given him permission to drop the non-exam RS lesson. There is no room to do more than that.

Did I read that right, Circular's DD is doing 14 GCSEs? And many of the others are taking 12-13, few are taking less than 10. I'm impressed so many of you can remember it all, was that off top of your heads? Are all your DC high achievers, are any of them in the low-achiever bracket?

And what does it mean to take something ungraded, is the result simply a pass/fail note?

How many (if any) exC activities do they tend to do, with such workloads?

dd1 is already doing
Maths
English x 2
Triple Science
German
RS
Product Design
Latin
Drama

dd2 has just chosen
Maths
English x 2
double or triple Science - she hasn't decided yet
RS
French
Spanish
History
Textiles

Oops, forgot to mention that he is also doing GCSE French this year, which has freed up his options as he will already have a language, but means he will not get as good a grade as he would if he took it in two years' time. Anyway, that's a whole other thread!

DS2 in in Year 9 and has chosen...

Compulsory:
Maths
Science (has chosen triple)
English Language
English Literature

Optional:
History
Geography
Philosophy & Ethics
Drama

He had more choices than my DS1 (now in year 12). DS1 had to do both ICT and RS.

DD2 is in year 9 and has chosen...

Compulsory:
Maths (take in yr 10)
Statistics or Further Maths in year 11 depending on Maths grade
English Lang
English Lit
science
RE (no exam)
ICT - OCR certificate (supposedly 2 GCSEs but obv not!)
PE (half GCSE)
PHSCE (no exam)

Options
Spanish
Music
Triple science option
Geography

I am assuming Maths is still as above as that is what DD1 in year 10 is doing - but don't know if new government changes will mean that changes? We have had a letter saying that yr9 triple science students will not be taking exams until 2014 (whereas DD1 in year 10 is taking triple science with 3 modular exams in each spread out over years 10 and 11). Can see DD9 may get bored with science as they have already started the GCSE work so no exams until 2014 is a long way away!

My son is in GS year 8 and they start GCSE in Year 9 so have 3 years doing syllabus. His options are as follows;

English Lang
English Lit
French
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
RS
Maths

Options
Spanish
Geography
Economics

DD has chosen

Compulsory:

English lit
English lang
Science Double
Maths
RE ( no GCSE award 1 lesson a week )

Options:

Geography
French
Drama
Dance
Textile Design

DS's are;

Compulsory:

Maths
English Lang
English Lit
Double Science
RE (short course)
ICT (standard course)

Options:

History
Geography
BTEC Art & Design
ICT (visual media course)

My DD has
compulsory:
Maths
English language
English literature
short course citizenship

Options:
Triple science
German
RS
drama
music
short course general studies

Oh and Ds1 did:

The same compulsory ones and then:

Sports studies
History
French
Art

He is now doing Biology, Sports Science and History A Levels and has offers to do Physiotherapy and Sports Science at university.

Failed with my striking out there!