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Original poster

GCSE Choices 2013 (exams 2015) support thread

206 replies

DizzyHoneyBee · 11/02/2013 15:27

Here we go....options choices this month, exams in summer 2015. We're choosing options at the moment but I've not come across a support thread.

Does your DC know what they want to do already or are they needing a lot of help deciding?
Where have you gone for information?

We get a booklet this week apparently and then have a meeting at school to discuss listen to a sales pitch by the teachers discuss the options that are best and then we have about 2 weeks to make a decision.

OP posts:
cricketballs · 22/02/2013 20:08

Lynette - I am pasting a post I put on MN earlier this year to put your mind at rest regarding Business...

There is a huge preconception that business is a soft subject mainly mn however if you actually look at the spec there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.

The subject content has a huge range from ownership types, legal, finance, HR, motivation, basic economics, marketing amongst other things which gives students a insight into the world of work and a taste of the different aspects to a business which every working adult will face at some point in their careers.

The skills needed to achieve a high grade are on a par with the traditional academic subjects, for example there is a lot of analysis and evaluation skills needed; especially in the controlled assessment.

Business Studies enables students to understand the real world that is happening now; gives them an insight into what they will be facing (no matter what career path they follow) in the future; gives them a taste of several different aspects to a business and is one of the most popular subjects studied at degree level in either its pure business form or as an specialised aspect.

But my main defence of my subject is that this is basic common education that every young adult needs to make sense of the world we live in, to make sense of the decision that are made at work, to try and make sense of the decisions made by governments, to understand the implications of these decisions etc - in fact it should be compulsory Wink

Jux · 22/02/2013 20:03

DD has just chosen. There wasn't a great deal of choice, tbh, as apparently she had to do 3 sciences (it's the law??? Dd did not say this, her tutor did). This meant that in the end she had to choose between art and music, which was a massive problem.

So she is now doing

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Ancient history - which apparently is two GCSEs
Maths
English
Art
PE
RE
French
German

She's fab at French, English and History, RE and Art. Is not so hot on maths, but is somewhere in the middle of the top set (but she hates it). She's not done any German but nor has anyone else at the school so they have an introductory course at the end of this year to prepare them. Her language teachers seem confident.

It looks like a lot of work to me. Mind you, it was normal for pupils to do 10-12 O levels in my day (I didn't!), so maybe it's OK?

LynetteScavo · 22/02/2013 19:38

5madthings, are you worried about no language?

DS will be doing
(compulsory)
English X 2
Maths
Science X 3
RE
PE (GCSE)
(options)
Geography
Product Design (I want him to do something vaguely arty)
Business studies - which I'm now going to desperately try to change to History. DH is rolling his eyes. DS says "whatever".

5madthings · 22/02/2013 19:03

We are at this stage as well, ds1 is aug born and in yr 9. He moved schools in nov as we werent happy with old school. The new one is great.

He has to take

Eng lang and eng lit
Maths
Triple science
Citizenship studies/re
Ict btec

Then will also do
History
Georgraphy
Computer science
Statistics

He is in top sets for everything and doing great, his parents evening was embarrassingly positive just before half term. But i am pleased he has settled in so well and is now enjoying school again :)

LynetteScavo · 22/02/2013 18:44

OddBoots, personally I think it's better to do less subject, and achieve higher grades than do more subjects and do less well in each one.

I think as long as you have 5 B's required to do A'levels (that's what it is for DSs school and the other school we were considering for A'levels - don't know about elsewhere) then it should be fine. I think Uni's, unless the course is really popular, look mostly at A'level results, and people get far too worked up about what GCSE reslults will mean long term. Although I'm prepared to be told otherwise.

OddBoots · 22/02/2013 11:33

I've been a little worried as ds seems to only being doing 7-9 GCSEs (Eng lit and 3rd science depends on his results in a few months) which is standard at his school and that doesn't seem many but now looking at the university entrance requirements I think maybe doing fewer of them but spending proportionally more time on each shouldn't hinder him much if at all. I could just be talking myself into that to stop myself getting into a panic though!

LynetteScavo · 22/02/2013 10:58

Thank you. So it doesn't seem to make any difference if he does photography or BS - and I'm sure he will do much better in BS than photography.

I'm going to speak to the school about him doing History rather than BS. It's a lot of humanities, though- RE History and Geography, isn't it? Confused

Original poster
DizzyHoneyBee · 22/02/2013 09:32

Other stuff from informed choices that looks useful to know:

Universities may ask for a specific number of GCSEs (or their equivalent).
For example, a number of medical courses ask for five (sometimes more)
A* grades.
GCSE English or another standard level equivalent is very often required at
Grade C at least. At many universities, this is a universal entry requirement
for any course. Mathematics is only slightly less commonly asked for.
Occasionally, a university will require a foreign language for entry to any
course, for example, University College London has introduced such a
requirement from 2012 entry.
For many courses a B grade at least in GCSE English is needed with
science and engineering courses in particular often specifying this. Equally,
courses such as Business and Psychology, which may attract applicants
who aren?t necessarily strong mathematicians, commonly ask for a B grade
in Mathematics and, in some cases, sciences.

As this document demonstrates, the English Baccalaureate includes
academic subjects highly valued by the Russell Group but it is not currently
required for entry to any Russell Group university.

The GCSE or other standard level entrance requirements for individual
degree courses are quite varied. In some cases, a particular subject or
grade is required at standard level if it isn?t being offered at advanced level.
The summary below gives an idea of some of the GCSE requirements that
you might come across for certain degree courses. Remember that these
are only examples. It?s important to check university websites for detailed
requirements before applying.
? Applicants to study Medicine are usually required to have very good GCSE
results in Maths, Science, and English.
? For a degree in English, universities often look for applicants to have a GCSE
in a modern or classical language.
? For a Business degree, a grade B in GCSE Maths is often required.
? A grade B in Maths and sometimes Science is often required for a degree
in Psychology.
? To study a science subject at university (including Biology, Chemistry or
Physics) applicants who are not offering Maths at advanced level will often need to have achieved a grade C in Maths at GCSE.

OP posts:
Original poster
DizzyHoneyBee · 22/02/2013 09:25

Apparently students applying to university should have at least two of the facilitating subjects at A level. It looks like GCSEs are less important, though they do say that Maths is important and you should have a C at GCSE or better if you are not offering Maths A level. I expect that depends on what you want to do at university but I think that a C at Maths GCSE is probably a popular request from universities for some degrees.

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Original poster
DizzyHoneyBee · 22/02/2013 09:23

I also found this:

The list of courses they like i.e. more theoretically based, give the greatest flexibility or "facilitate" in the admissions processes are as follows:

Mathematics and futher mathematics
English
Physics
Biology
Chemistry
Geography
History
Languages (modern and classic)

List of generally more vocational based qualifications they mention as less preferred include:
Photography
media studies
Art and design
Business studies

which was here

and these:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12365050

russellgroup.ac.uk/russell-gr...study-choices/

OP posts:
Original poster
DizzyHoneyBee · 22/02/2013 09:18

Horsemad, yes I have a horsemad in the family - my DD.
Re business studies and the Russell group, have a look at Informed Choices as it may give useful advice for that and other subjects.

OP posts:
LynetteScavo · 22/02/2013 09:07

Oh, thanks. As far as I know DSs school just offer maths.

Does anyone think Business Studies is an unwise option?

Incogneetow · 22/02/2013 07:46

FSMQ

At my son's school they just do the straight Maths GCSE at the end of yr11, no other Maths qualification.
There's really no need for them to do endless extra qualifications. He's doing them this time and is predicted A* in Maths, and a selective sixth form have happily accepted him to do Maths and Further Maths on that basis, even though many of their own students do FSMQ.

LynetteScavo · 21/02/2013 22:08

He's top set. What's FSMQ?

Incogneetow · 21/02/2013 22:00

In some schools top sets do Maths GCSE then statistics GCSE.
Others do Maths GCSE then FSMQ

LynetteScavo · 21/02/2013 21:40

treas mentioned maths x 2. What is that?

DS is doing Eng X 2 and Science X 3, but I haven't heard of maths X 2.

He has chosen Business Studies as one option. He is also doing RE (complulory) and Geography.

I'm panicking now that he should be doing History rather than Bushiness Studies, but as he is already doing two humanities it wouldn't matter. (He was thinking of photography, but is not artistic so I discouraged it, and pushed him towards Business Studies) It has be suggested to me that RG uni's won't like it, but I can't find any evidence of that.

MelodyBaker · 21/02/2013 21:28

I think she will go for It. It does take up a lot of time though. I never really got good grades in science and would like dd to have a chance.

Original poster
DizzyHoneyBee · 21/02/2013 21:20

Frogprincess, I just thought music would be good with there already being a good choice of academic subjects. I think the workload is hefty but have no experience other than what people have said.
Melody, I'd go for it, it's a good back up option and it's an extra GCSE.

OP posts:
MelodyBaker · 21/02/2013 18:32

Dd got a letter (she handed her form In 3 weeks ago) today saying she has been picked for triple science and it will not take any space up for her chosen options and too see her head of year tomorrow to tell her what she's doing.
It would be instead of core and additional.
What should she do? I think she shouldn't as she wants to be a history teacher and won't need it. She wants too but its 18 hours a fortnight...
Help!!! I thought we had done this bit

FrogPrincess · 21/02/2013 10:25

Thanks DizzyHoneyBee, may i ask why music rather than classical civilisation? And how heavy is the workload in Music? I assume for CC it will be similar to History?

Horsemad · 21/02/2013 10:19

Thanks Dizzy -yes, was rubbish family planning!! Grin

You have a Horsemad in the family I take it?

Original poster
DizzyHoneyBee · 21/02/2013 07:51

Welcome HorseMad, you'd get on well with my DD if your moniker is anything to go by.
Many sympathies re A level and GCSE timing.

OP posts:
Horsemad · 20/02/2013 22:17

Can I join please? Have DS1 doing GCSEs this year and DS2 is 14 this week & is just choosing options now, he wants to be a primary school teacher.

He is choosing

History
Geog
French
PE (GCSE)
Resistant Materials

will also do

Eng Lang
Eng Lit
Maths
Chem
Biology
Physics

They have to choose one reserve subject which in his case is German and one reserve technology which will be Product Design.

Not looking forward to 2015 as will have one doing A levels and one doing GCSEs Shock

Sparklingbrook · 20/02/2013 21:59

If they offer DS after school lessons he would have to get the late bus home. It leaves at 5pm. Sad

Original poster
DizzyHoneyBee · 20/02/2013 20:13

Don't say that!!! It'll be music if she does.....but hell will freeze over before she does that as she doesn't like any of the music teachers and it is a lot of work when she already has a fair whack of work with what she has chosen already.

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