Do kids have to be super clever to be able to do triple science at gcse

[Lardlizard]

Can, you choose to do this as an option or can the school say well you are not quite cut out for it

babdoc the option to do science a levels is still open regardless of whether you’ve done double or triple. I did three science a levels and a science degree with double award science.

DS1 did triple science last year and got 3 x 8's. He is bright, but no genius and worked hard. There is a lot of content and a fair amount of maths. One third of his timetable in years ten and eleven was science and it is pretty fast paced, a lot of new learning was still being done almost up to exam time.
He enjoyed it but is now doing three, non science A levels.

Whilst schools will allow you to do science A levels from double do bear in mind that if the majority of an A level set have done single then there will be a gap that will have to be bridged and that will be at pace as A level sciences are tough.

I think they have to have an aptitude for science. Triple is compulsory at DC's school. For DS1 that was great as he would have been more inclined to do Humanities but ended up in a medical related field, taking sciences to A levy. But DS2 suffered with low grades at GCSE due to triple Science. He'd have aced the chance to do Geography instead of Chemistry.

•DelurkingAJ there’s no correlation between doing only double science and a level outcome (except where students weren’t allowed to do triple because of ability). Normally you can’t tell who has done which by the first half term.

Our school tests the children in year 9 and those with the highest marks are invited to choose triple science. They also take into account their current levels.

They advise triple only if they love science and think they want to specialise in it and do A level although they stress they can do science a levels with double

My DS was offered triple but as he had more interest in humanities declined as triple means they get one less other option. He got 88 for double. His best friend who is genius level also declined triple and got 99 for science so it’s definitely not the less clever children declining triple. However, I think to spend that much time doing science they do need to like it otherwise what’s the point?

Ds1 did double science, got 9,9 and is now doing physics A level. You only need a 6 or above to do a subject you have done before so English or Maths or any Science at his outstanding sixth form and it seems to be the same for most schools according to the threads that have been going on the Further Education board.

The only A level that required a 7 was Further Maths.

Some Grammar schools want 5 GCSEs at grade 6 and above, most others want 5 GCSEs at grade 4 and above.

Lots of schools only offer the double as taking a triple takes up an option subject slot in the timetable to ensure they get through the content, so then you end up with only 3 option subjects rather than 4.

I would rather my son aced out the double, which he did, rather than get lower grades for the triple.

I am a Science teacher with a PhD in a Science subject. Triple is hard. It has a huge amount of content to cover which means realistically there is little time for revision in school. Some of the work will need to be done independently. At my school it is only really offered to the top set. Mu school did not do triple when I did GCSEs so I did dual (new combined). It did not hold me back for A levels or degree pr postgraduate. The biggest thing that will prevent a Science based degree as an option are GCSE and A Level grades. If your child is likely to cope with the workload and put in lots of time outside of lessons, and is academic then it will be fine to do triple. It is far better to do the option which gives the best grades- so if they have more time for revision etc and less content to cover translates to a 9-9 than that is far better than getting three 7s in triple. My A level students who do best are the ones who did best at GCSE irrespective of which GCSE course they did.

Apologies for typos. A very wiggly DS meant writing proved a challenge!

I was predicted A in science so got put in for triple science, but I found it too hard and kept asking to do the double paper, I took the double for mocks and got A and they pressured me to do the triple, despite me finding it very difficult. I eventually agreed to do triple, and came out with a C 😔 wish I'd stuck to my guns. That triple paper was harddd (I failed one mock of it, and got a C on the other), whereas I found the double easy to get an A on (I took 4 different mock papers and got A for all) I think they pushed me as they didn't have enough in the school taking it, but it was obvious I wasn't cut out for it. I would have much preferred to have an A at the double paper than a C, as on your CV they just look at the grade A or C. Which looks better!?

At my school, one sixth of Yr 11 do Triple. There isn't any extra time allocated to them , so they work at a faster pace, have more independent learning, and less revision time in lesson before study leave starts.

We offer our most able Year 9s the chance to take Triple, they can turn it down. Most 6th forms, our included, allow science A levels on a 7-7, or a 7 in whatever science they want to take further. About 40% of our A level science students did Combined. Many of these go on to do science-based things at uni.

Hell, I teach an A level science, and I only did Combined science. My school didn't even offer Triple!

Our school only allow the top one set (out of 10 classes) to do it. 30 children

DD Has always been top sets, although finds English type subjects easier. Took triple as advised by school, she got 9s and 8s in all apart from science which was 3x6s.

With hindsight she wishes she’d done double. Along with maybe another humanity’s subject as she didn’t enjoy science at all and found it a real slog.

She had many many science teachers, so maybe that had a bigger impact on her than not naturally loving sciences...

At my children's school it is only offered to those they feel could do it. My 3 older children all do it xx

My daughter didn’t have a choice but to do triple science. She says they do triple as standard.

DS started triple science in Sept on the schools advice (I wasn't keen, but DS wanted to). At parents evening they suggested that he change to combined science as he's finding it really tough. He's doing much better and is enjoying combined science much more.

In a conversation with DS's science teacher he said that despite having a BSc and a PHd in a science discipline he has combined science GCSE. It really makes no difference, you just need to be prepared to put that extra work in in Y12 if you opt for science A levels. DS has already decided to do dual because he wants to be able to have more than one option. DD chose that also, and is on track for 99. She is expecting to do maths/science A levels and her teachers see no issues with her prospects.

And yes, as someone pointed out up thread, some schools only offer dual, so as far as I'm aware sixth forms and universities should be allowing for that in applications anyway.

This is really interesting because DD comes home with the “only the thick kids do double science mum”, putting herself in that bracket 🤷🏻‍♀️. GCSE options are approaching.

Maths is her worst subject at a really academic school (where I believe most kids do actually do triple) but she excels in everything non maths related. Oddly she is doing really well in physics, but despite how much I tell her that she is likely to struggle later on because of her aversion to maths (I did physics A level 30 odd years ago) she won’t listen.

I would be delighted if the school vetoed triple science for her.

My advice is to choose what she enjoys and what she finds easiest. She needs six 6’s at GCSE for her sixth form and isn’t likely to want to do anything science/maths related (other than to impress XH).

I am going relate some of the wise words on this thread later on.

This is really interesting because DD comes home with the “only the thick kids do double science mum”, putting herself in that bracket 🤷🏻‍♀️. GCSE options are approaching

Show her this thread! It's just not the case at all. DS's Biology teacher told him that he did combined science too.

In the science dept I work in. You need to be aiming for a 7 in maths to do triple. This course is harder and more maths based than previous syllabuses

At our school to do triple is an option the same as geography or history. So if because a student wanted to do another subject but wanted to go say chemistry at a-Level and chose to do combined at GCSE they still can

Oddly she is doing really well in physics, but despite how much I tell her that she is likely to struggle later on because of her aversion to maths (I did physics A level 30 odd years ago) she won’t listen

Please don't couch it in those terms! She'll believe you, and then she won't be able to do it. Maybe physics makes sense to her? Maybe the teacher is lively and brings the subject alive in a way her maths teacher doesn't. Maybe the physics teacher uses a different method in the formulae, one that she gets, but the maths dept teach a different one?

Help and support her maths, don't knock her performance in physics!

I absolutely will Alaska.

Unfortunately XH is very pushy, particularly where anything science is concerned so I am battling that and the effect it has constantly plus her perception of what she hears at school.

My advice has always been, make your life easy by doing what you enjoy/are good at.

If I had my way she wouldn’t be at a selective school as I think she would enjoy life much more in a less pressurised environment... but that’s a whole new thread.

Only very bright students are selected to do it at my school. They also have to do it after school as it's not built into the normal curriculum

Bully for you purpledaisys . You are not omnipresent