Yr9 Options... two MFL, two humanities, no arts - feasible?

OP, it looks a good strong set to me as long as it's what she wants. Wouldn't worry about lack of arty subject as she has that covered with extra curricular.

Starball, consider advising your dd to learn a minimum amount of case study facts (dd told me she only needed 2 per study - fixed things like the date or number of casualties/whatever) but to be creative with inventing other supporting info. Both my dc did this and did very well. Just be careful that supporting info is both believable and not easily verifiable (ds fell down in his mock here, making up some outrageous claim, but learned from the experience). Dd actually created a whole fictitious case study in her final GCSE exam and got 100% (but she does have the luck of the devil to be fair).

Arts subjects are only really relaxing if you're good at them, IMO. My yr9 and yr8 dds both love art, graphics, resistant materials and want to take some of them at GCSE, but I was the type of child who found MFL or history or maths the easier, fun options compared to the practical subjects. Our school tried hard to make the most academic kids take a "fun" option but we all rebelled and ended up having Chemistry in the "fun/creative" option column.

I'd say 2 MFL and 2 humanities sounds great, nice and broad without needing an arts subject.

Drama GCSE is different from LAMDA. My DDs both did LAMDA to grade 8 and drama GCSE. Drama at A level goes very well with English if that is to be an A level choice. There is a lot of rehearsal time though. If the school is red hot at drama it is a brilliant choice. My DDs school had a formidable reputation for drama and feedback from examiner said it was the best performance she had seen and everyone got very high A* marks. Therefore worthwhile. Languages are also very worthwhile as fewer people are doing them and can result in offers from universities if combined with a very popular are subject, eg history. Two languages at A level definitely is better than one for aspiring linguists.

In my view workload is not an issue that should be considered. Everyone these days does about 10 GCSEs so how do you make the workload less? Choose breadth, good combinations leading to strong A levels and the art subject should be something enjoyable if it is needed. In my view not compulsory though. OPs DC has a very good choice so no problems really but if drama could be an A* option, then do it. I would say two languages is better though.

I think you're right, Friday, and having looked at the schools options booklet she will be nudged towards the triple. Since she hates leaving things half done that is probably best for her anyway. If she can't do an art option alongside her core subjects we'll have to look at the trade-off between art and humanities. She won't drop History, she absolutely loves it... Well, we'll continue discussions so that whatever choice she makes it will be an informed one.

Doing triple science would give her one option, but she would like two and she prefers chemistry and biology to physics.

T&T is right. No school is likely to offer that. "Double Science" will be P1, P2, C1, C2, B1 and B2. I would be astounded if a school were willing to timetable C1, C2, C3, B1, B2, B3 for the tiny minority of pupils that would want to study that as "double science" instead. P3, C3, B3 will only be taught to those doing triple science.

Teen that is what I've told her might happen, in which case I will encourage her to go for the triple option because she's definitely in that top group. Meanwhile I have told her As long as she has the chance of art options I think she will be happy, and then if she wants to do a science at A-level she can specialise.

Pointy You give the impression that you think is she does double science she will be able to drop physics. Are you sure that is the case at your school? Usually (but not always) doing double science means doing 2/3rds of the syllabus in each of the 3 subjects. You gets A core GCSE result and an Additional one. (Also my DDs school does triple in the same time as double, just faster, so it doesn't use up an extra option. they just limit it to the top 25% of pupils).

I don't have any GCSE-aged kids, but when I was doing them (2003-2005) I did two languages and had no problems, aside from occasionally lapsing into the wrong one in lessons :p Although I did take an arts subject too (music). I'm not convinced it really matters toooo much what you pick for your options, unless you specifically want to do one at A-level or beyond. Is there a chance she might want to do Drama at college? I know for music A-level having done the GCSE wasn't a requirement, but it might be worth looking into just in case.

My DD1 is in Yr8 and we are already thinking about this... Her school allows 10 GCSEs and our instinct is to do double rather than triple science so that she can do either Art or Drama - she really wants to do an art subject, but definitely wants to do English x2, History, Geography, Maths and a MFL (probably German). Doing triple science would give her one option, but she would like two and she prefers chemistry and biology to physics. She is also very academic and I worry that the school will push her towards triple science because she is more than capable of doing it, at the expense of one arts subject.

DS1 has to do Maths, English x2, Science x3 and German.
He's also going to do History & Classical Civilisation.
This leaves one slot, which is likely to be filled with ICT or Economics.
He has no interest in arts subjects and we're not going to force him.

My DS is Y9 and soon to take his options. He is academic and won't be doing any creative/practical subjects. He doesn't enjoy than and isn't particularly good at them, although bizarrely he often gets high levels because most of these subjects require a certain amount of academic input in terms of planning/writing up etc and he is always good at that.

I can't see the point of forcing him to do these subjects in the interests of being more "rounded". I'm a firm believer in kids being allowed to go with what they're good at, what they enjoy and, if they're really focussed on pursuing a particular career, what might help them with that.

My DS is quit literally counting down the days until he doesn't have to suffer art and textiles any more.

DDs school only allows 9 GCSEs to be taken so leaves few choices.

I'm not convinced that drama GCSE is the best choice for her as it seems to rely a bit too much on group work so will be assessed partly on other people's work. May be bad news if others in the group are not pulling their weight.

She takes part in several local drama, dance and performance groups - is always rehearsing for one show or another - so not sure what the GCSE will add.

I'm a bit concerned it may be quite time consuming for very little gain.

We're just choosing now . . DD is academic and will be taking the obligatories (Eng x 2, Science x 3, Maths and French as her MFL). She's choosing Latin, History & Geog as options. If she gets the chance to do an extra, it'll be creative but, TBH, drama/photography/dance is something she can do extra curricularly. I really wouldn't worry about the lack of an "arts" GCSE, esp as her CV will detail her LAMDA stuff, thus demonstrating her breadth of interests

Check the topics being studied for History.
It could be 20th Century History or it could be Medicince Through Time and Wild West.

Also, might sound stupid, but does she have to stay at her school for A level, or could she go elsewhere? The 6th form colleges round here don't require History GCSE to do A Level. But you can't do langauges from scratch (except Italian).

That said, she looks bright enough from her levels. If I were her Mum I'd be nudging towards 2 languages & 2 humanities. At least they are under her control, whereas drama depends partly on skills / inclination of other people on the course.

You might be able in some schools to do A level History without GCSE but the experience you get with interpretation of sources etc. is invaluable. Interpreting sources isn't quite the diagnostic process you learn in Science, especially since it is all about subjectivity. There are skills of empathy you need in History to perhaps an even greater extent than when interpreting literature! Not quite the same signposts. Plus my DDs enjoyed the curriculum and found the knowledge they gained of the lead up to WW2 and the American Civil Rights Movement worthwhile in itself.

And though my DD didn't do two MFLs because she expected to need them in the future she was offered an internship in scientific research in Germany this summer and having German at GCSE was actually a requirement.

not answering the arts question, but I took A level history without taking o level (I am old) and as your daughter is pretty bright no reason why she cannot pick history up later.

Beat me too it.

She can obviously write an essay (English lang and lit) and be a diagnostician (sciences) so should be able to pick up history at A Level if she wants to.

Also she is doing an art, she is doing drama.

Starball really? both my DDs found Geography relatively easy.

My older daughter did two MFLs and History and Geography. In fact though a Scientist and now doing Natural Sciences at uni she sacrificed triple Science in favour of double Science in order to keep them all up, along with RMT (woodwork and metalwork in old money ) School advised the breadth would be in her favour and that as others have highlighted it is good to have a subject that gives you a taste of something different, a change being as good as a rest. She really enjoyed RMT and can actually wire a plug / change a lightbulb I think getting 10 A* and doing 4 science /maths subjects at A level were far more important in terms of uni entrance. I understand that some unis will even count Geography A level as a Science for entry purposes.

History does have a heavy workload at GCSE but the other three were about average. Drama also has a heavy workload though (though quantity rather than quality, a lot of writing up of the practical stuff) and I have known DDs' peers give it up feeling it wasn't worth the heavy workload whereas History most definitely is. It has a reputation of being demanding of skills as well as knowledge and being a good preparation for A level. My other DD is doing humanities so doing the two plus one MFL was a no brainer.

Both my DDs carried on with LAMDA to grade 8 which I gather counts as an AS level in terms of points on your UCAS form? Anyway neither saw any point in doing O level as well, and both were in theatre groups outside school as well as one appearing in a west end production. She just completed her UCAS application and to be honest her drama merited only one sentence and that about what she learned about Shakespeare's writing through performance. They want evidence of your enthusiasm for your chosen course and that you will succeed, as practically every pupil who has had the opportunities will have lots of extra curricular, and they cannot disadvantage those who have not had the opportunities. And as uni admission officers on her have admitted most of the time they don't have the time to look much beyond predicted grades at A2.

DD1 has found geography a grade A pain in the neck.

There are masses of examples (case studies) to learn as well as the general theory.

Your DD may really wish she didn't have these, history and two MFLs worth of vocab to learn.

My DD did Lamda and is doing gcse drama. The gcse seems to have a different approach and she is enjoying it.

The 2 languages and 2 humanities sounds fine to me.

I'd be encouraging her not to more than one language and to take history. History really develops their essay writing and analytical skills.

It can be pretty tough doing both language orals at the same time, as well as other exams.

is having an arts subject important?

No. Not unless she wants to take that subject further. If she is passionate about the subjects she wants to do, she should do them.

I advise my students to find someone who is doing their proposed option choices and speak to them. You'll get an honest response of what the workload is like that way.