Combined science v triple

However if you want to any STEM subject at A-level, I cannot stress how important it is to do the triple course.

@bluegoosie are you a secondary school A level science teacher? Are you talking about the current spec? Apologies if you are but otherwise, this is contrary to all I have read on MN (and my ref to the current spec is bc I often see ppl posting about GCSE and A levels when they are referencing assessment that no longer happens, as relating perhaps to their DC or even themselves)

It’s more than possible to take A levels with double science at GCSE. The current spec means that the GCSEs cover a bit more content – so there would be that to catch up on, but otherwise not an issue.

@Hollyhedge as a PP says, you cannot know what the final grades will be. Triple grades of 6, 6, 7 would be unlikely to become 7-7 tbh; I would think 7-7 would be more likely to be 7, 7, 7 or maybe 6, 7, 8? But there is not much to choose. I think I have seen you post before but cannot recall what year your DC is in? Are they planning science A levels? If not then it makes little difference if you gain 667 or 77 in two or three of your GCSEs.

Caveat: I am not a science teacher but I know lots of them and they have all said the same, A levels perfectly possible with double; I also know a number of YP who have gone that route with success.

I think the real answer to the question depends on what options you want to have open for the future.

If you have no intention of doing STEM at A-level do for double science 7 7
However if you want to any STEM subject at A-level, I cannot stress how important it is to do the triple course.

The transition to A-level is really a huge jump in terms of knowledge breath, depth and complexity. Most GCSE subjects do not do a great job of bridging this gap. Double science does the worse job of all.

If you take double science course only, you are essentially creating a huge mountain to climb if you want to do any A-level subject. You will need to learn for the first time a lot of scientific principles that are taught in triple science in the summer before you start your A-level.

Even if you get lower grades in triple, you will have encountered the correct breath of content to allow you to step up to A-level.

Probably two sevens - but you don’t actually know what the results will be when you choose one over the other. Is 667 vs 77 actually the likely outcome?

My Dc took combined science and got 45. If they had taken triple, they quite likely would have got 466 or 467. Because they had one science they struggled with, and two they were reasonably good at, and for combined the two grades are tied to one another.

Just having less content doesn’t automatically mean a higher mark.

At the end of the day, a 7 is higher than a 6 and ive not heard of anywhere that cares about the amount of gcses done past 6 or 7.