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Original poster

How many GCSEs?

64 replies

3littlebeans · 07/03/2023 13:10

So my daughter's grammar school has 10 GCSEs as the norm.

How many do schools usually do? Is it better to get say 8 or 9 good grades than 10? Or will 10 with a few lower grades be okay? I like the idea of breadth but with content heavy GCSEs just wondering what people's experiences are.

For example another local school does 9 and often 2 of those are BTecs or similar so less focus on end results (I think) which makes getting "8s and 9s" easier.

This is all pretty hypothetical as she's doing 10 but presumably dropping to 9 wouldn't be the end of the world if necessary (other than timetabling).

OP posts:
Dodgeitornot · 07/03/2023 14:00

8-9 is the norm around here. 6-7 for kids with SEN. More than that is really hard logistically once you have exams, even if you can handle the workload. Each subject has 2-3 exams each and they're long. It's much more exams per subject than the old GCSEs.

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 07/03/2023 13:58

3littlebeans · 07/03/2023 13:51

9 GCSEs seems standard at the other comprehensives near me. It's interesting to see how it varies.

On a complete aside home schoolers often do far less - or the 5 required for 6th form!

I think 5 or 6 is too limiting, personally.

DD would have struggled with option choices if limited to 9. As it was, she was gutted about having to give up a second foreign language in favour of doing triple science.

As it's a grammar with presumably bright kids, I should think they will easily take 10 in their stride and still come out with mostly 8s and 9s in any case. And having the extra subject does help them to keep their options open for a bit longer, so I think it's a good thing overall.

Maybe not so good for kids who are less academic and need more time to focus on fewer subjects. Ideally, I think comprehensives should be flexible about the number that kids take... but who knows, maybe they usually are?!

Original poster
3littlebeans · 07/03/2023 13:51

9 GCSEs seems standard at the other comprehensives near me. It's interesting to see how it varies.

On a complete aside home schoolers often do far less - or the 5 required for 6th form!

OP posts:
MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 07/03/2023 13:49

My dd was at a state comp and did 10 plus FSMQ (an extra maths thing). I think that's pretty standard, isn't it? It's a perfectly manageable workload in our experience, and dd was pretty busy with extracurricular stuff as well.

JamesGiantPledge1 · 07/03/2023 13:46

2 children at different state schools. One did 11 plus further maths, so 12 in total. Interestingly (or bizarrely), further maths was taken a year early and so before the normal maths GCSE. The other child did 11 in a different state school. The only subject where there was a problem with getting through all the content before the exam was geography. Personally, I’d avoid that subject if it’s not passion and the child is doing 10 GCSEs as it’s a large syllabus and has 3 exam papers.

Original poster
3littlebeans · 07/03/2023 13:45

Thanks Clary. I went to a Russell Group uni and had mostly As. I used to feel embarrassed about my "B" which is ridiculous looking back!

It was then (in the dark ages) not uncommon for private schools to do 8 and aim for v high grades but didn't know how it worked these days.

My musing was that a 5 in textiles or drama for example would still have been a useful course to have taken even if it brought their average down.

OP posts:
clary · 07/03/2023 13:40

My dcs school did 9, or 10 if chosen (based on ability) to take triple science. This allowed a bit of a range - ds2 had to take MFL and humanity but then at least had two free choices.

GCSE grades not so key (4s and 5s in non a level choices fine, whatever you read on MN) unless applying to top unis (in which case likely to get higher grades anyway). Mate of ds is at Cambridge with a 6 (the horror)

Original poster
3littlebeans · 07/03/2023 13:37

Oh completely agree the Btecs are hard work. I wish our school offered them though as I think the coursework/performance can be a welcome break from final grade exams. When I was at school my drama gcse was completed before the exams started! There wasn't even a drama exam in those days!

OP posts:
Original poster
3littlebeans · 07/03/2023 13:35

Interesting re further maths. Our school doesn't offer that!

And for the state school doing 11 and further maths! Wow. That's much more than. The grammar here (all do triple science.)

OP posts:
froomeonthebroom · 07/03/2023 13:34

I'm a TA in secondary and the vast majority take 10 (a few ehcp students take 9 and have interventions during the 10th subject).

Btecs are at least as much work as gcses, if not more. I support in Music, Perf Arts and IMedia and the coursework is really hard and involves a lot of self motivation to do work at home. They are very time consuming and some have final exams too.

Original poster
3littlebeans · 07/03/2023 13:34

I'm not particularly after my daughter dropping one currently - it was more idly thinking if she did would it be an issue numbers wise.

Interesting that some schools do more as I thought the trend post GCSE reform was to do less. I know of another school like Partners where they do 9 as standard or 10 if triple (how do they timetable the extra content!?)

OP posts:
PartnersInCrime · 07/03/2023 13:30

Maths, English x2 Triple science for the top 2 sets and then 4 options

SheilaFentiman · 07/03/2023 13:27

DS1 is doing 10 plus additional maths (private school)

It’s unlikely your DD would be allowed to drop one as she would then have unsupervised free periods.

SweetChilliGirl · 07/03/2023 13:24

My daughter is at a state school. The standard number is 10 but the top science set do triple science, and the top half of the top maths set also do further maths. So my daughter is doing 11 GCSEs plus further maths.

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