Single science GCSEs at private school

One of my dcs is at a russell group uni studying medicine, he only has bio and chem gcses for a particular reason. ( he didn't study physics past 14, in fact as he is a summer born he was still 13 when he gave it up)
Whilst it was a little more diffiuclt at ucas time as some unis wouldn't consider him, there were plenty that would and it has not caused him any problems on the course, bar the ocassional need to peruse the internet.

Please do not compare what people did 20 years ago with what they do now.
The system and qualifications have changed beyond recognition

Yes IGCSE has separate subjects - the school in question only does IGCSE which made life pretty hard for their girls at maths AS but that is another story.

The relevant issue was that having done the IGCSE she did not have the grounding in the other sciences that is now essential for A level
the syllabus assumes that kids will have done double or triple award prior to A level

At my (top tier) boarding school in the 80s you did Physics&Chemistry OR Biology. So people wanting to do medicine for example had to actively not do biology for O level. Crazy!

bluelilies there is a double award equivalent for the iGCSE as well as ordinary GCSE.

Our school offered all three separate sciences and every child was entered for all three.

I only did Biology (mid 90s) - I chose to do languages instead of sciences at GCSE and so only had to take one science.

talkinPeace - I don't think that is the same for all exam boards though. The IGCSEs that some private schools do definitely only offer single sciences - so there's no option of single or double science. You either do all three separate sciences or miss some out completely. IMO that system only works if you're a very selective school teaching only sciency kids that can cope with the three separate ones. Otherwise, they either have to miss some out completely - like the OP's friend's DS - or they get a lower grade because they lose the plot with the harder content.

Conventional GCSEs are
single award (B1 C1 P1)
double award (B1 B2 C1 C2 P1 P2)
triple science (B1 B2 B3 C1 C2 C3 P1 P2 P3)

some private schools allow kids to do just the modules of a single subject
I cannot see why

at DDs college there was a girl who came from the local Gels boarding and because she did not have the modules in the other two sciences, she really struggled in her AS and eventually had to drop it.

You are probably right about Biology/Physics. I think it's the fact that what he's missing is Chemistry.

There's a fair amount of Chemistry in A level Biology. Not having the basics of GCSE chemistry could well mean he has a lot of extra work to do to keep up.

I did GSCEs (I've just turned 45) and did Physics and Chemistry not Biology. It seems like a reasonable choice to me if you are unlikely to want to do sciences at A-level. And I can't imagine needing Physics for Biology or vice versa. In fact, I started doing A-levels in Physics, Chemistry, Maths, FMaths before changing my mind.

My children's grammar schools require that they do 3 sciences. I can see why they do it, but it doesn't seem right for everyone.

And I'm 42 & went to state school. Everyone had to take either Biology or Physics then Chemistry was an extra option. No one did 3 sciences including a friend who is now a science teacher.

This is interesting as I'm hoping that when the time comes DS will be allowed to take single chemistry & physics only at his private school due to an extreme phobia rather than fail double science.

But it is unusual & one wonders at the logic behind this schools decision. It seems to me they are assuming that all students will continue into their 6th form rather than apply elsewhere. I'm incredulous that the implications of only doing 2 separate sciences were not explained.

I'm 43. We did single sciences. I dropped physics- hated it. My biology teacher was livid as I was closing off science based degrees and probably A Levels. I didn't care. Science never sang to me the way arts and languages did.

Dn just did biology gcse at his private school. Suited him well but didn't do or want to do science A levels

What made me wonder, was that he seems to be looking at doing biology for A-level. If he was adequately prepared before making his GCSE choices, then he should have known this might be an issue.

Can say that not having dual or triple science will not be a problem for university applications (assuming they're making suitable course choices and not going for some sort of bioscience or clinical subject). Most universities dont look in too much detail at GCSE subject choices, they look at the grades. Taking only one science has been great for my DD, she was quite capable of taking all 3 and would have been predicted A* but she hated Chemistry and tolerated Biology. Instead she's been able to continue with subjects she loves. Forcing her to continue with subjects she doesn't enjoy would have made the GCSE slog even more miserable.

It doesn't really seem fair to allow children who might want to take science subjects at A-level and beyond that their choices are going to be limited.

Parents and pupils are told this.

Some view it as a positive - they can drop the sciences they don't like at 14, and do humanities/MFL etc instead.

Personally, I wouldn't send my DC to a private school that didn't insist on triple science for those who were capable, but each to their own.

Did the school at least prepare them for the fact that not taking all three might limit further science options?

It doesn't really seem fair to allow children who might want to take science subjects at A-level and beyond that their choices are going to be limited.

Years ago loads of people did one science O level but obviously not scientists. It just means he will need to look at subjects where there is no need for Chemistry GCSE. There are plenty.

Sorry meant stop him doing A level biology. It has a very large biochem element

Double science involves studying 3 sciences, not 2. It just means it's worth 2 GCSEs. Triple science gives individual grades for all the sciences and state schools will insist on doing all 3. Even single science means studying all 3 sciences !
However some private schools let them only do some of the separate parts of triple and as your friend has found out it's s pretty bad idea. 14 is very young to drop chemistry and it is fundamental to some A levels and will stop them doing certain degrees. So in answer to your question, yes it will mean he can't do A Level chemistry as he was by understand the biochem bit.

Triple science is the 3 sciences individually. A lot of academic private schools opt for the 3 sciences. At my school the bottom set did dual award, unless you were very weak in one subject when you were offered the option of doing 2 sciences. So friend did biology and chemistry. School would rather have someone get 2 As then say A, A, D (triple science) or 2 Bs if they did dual award. Not sure it was best for my friend, but best for the schools standing in league tables.