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GCSE Choices. How many "soft subjects?"

31 replies

cornflowerblu · 13/12/2016 15:17

My eldest had their GCSE talk the other day. They have to take English Language, English Literature, Maths, Double or Triple Science and RE (church school). If they take double science they have 4 other options, if they take triple science they have 3 other options.

DD wants to take double science, we support this as science isn't her strength and her choices are History, Geography, Statistics, Food Tech and Business Studies.

She's a high achiever and should get good grades, mainly A & A* in old grades maybe with a B in the sciences if she has a bad day. Her plan is Maths, Economics & History for A Level followed by a Russell Group University. My concern is whether she's choosing too many soft subjects. She is adamant that she won't do a language which disappoints me as I've got a language degree but the school don't make them and I don't want to force her into something she'll really hate for 2 years.

I suppose my question is, are these choices acceptable and reasonably regarded by the Russell Group universities. I can't see her being Oxbridge material but she'll certainly have places like Bristol, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham on her radar.

OP posts:
bowchikkawowwow · 13/12/2016 15:49

5 subjects to choose from?Shock what about art, music, p.e, psychology etc?

cornflowerblu · 13/12/2016 15:38

Sorry teenandtween That's the list she gave me, I don't think that she has chosen the final one. Good to know that the uni's aren't bothered. I don't know how fussy they are about the actual GCSE subjects.

OP posts:
cornflowerblu · 13/12/2016 15:36

I suppose Business Studies and food tech and I don't know how statistics is perceived. Maybe none of them are soft subjects, I just always had drilled into me to not do more than 1 subject which is perceived to be softer. Maybe they're all equally well regarded. I don't really know? She has no idea what she wants to do at university. She thinks probably something with History or Economics. By the way I'm not going to stop her doing whichever GCSE's she wants to do, it's her not me who has to study for them, I'd just like to know if the choices look ok and she's not limiting herself too early.

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TeenAndTween · 13/12/2016 15:35

You have listed 5 but she only gets 4 options?

The only one that is 'soft' is food tech, and that is a pretty useful subject and the practical element may provide relief within all the other more academic choices.

I don't believe the RG universities will care one jot about whether she has 1 or 2 'softer' GCSEs amongst a good clutch of traditional ones. (They do care about A level choices though.)

Heirhelp · 13/12/2016 15:25

What degree does she want to do?

Heirhelp · 13/12/2016 15:24

Which ones do you consider to be soft subjects?