GSCE Options

[laurensmith]

Hi ,
I'm new to this forum .My child is choosing her GCSE options , and so far she has picked doing music and business studies early and history and spanish late . In future life she would like to do something that revolves around medicine . Are these suitable subjects to take ? Do you think they are all heavy loaded subjects I am very confused ! Can someone please help me !

As long as she is taking triple science then she should choose ones which will get her good grades and she enjoys

Agree with Lizs. She should choose subjects she enjoys & that, hopefully, she will get good grades in.

With regard to a career in Medicine, she would need to take at least 2 science A levels (Chemistry, plus Biology to keep the most medical school options open), plus 2 others, and will need to pass these at top grades...
So, working backwards, taking triple science GCSE would make the big step up to science A levels easier...

The other options she chooses for GCSE ought to keep a range of career options open. The choices you mention will certainly do that.
The Russell Group of top universities have produced a document called "Informed Choices" to help students choose their A level subjects for different degree courses, which is a little premature for your DD, but that you might like to refer to:
russellgroup.org/InformedChoices-latest.pdf

AT DS school triple would be one of the options, so could only choose 3 of the items you list. I would check if that's true for your DD.

Thank you LIZS and Careersdragon .Your advice was really helpful!Thank you once again.My dd's core subjects are triple science, 2 english ,maths and citizenship short course , then for non-core subjects she gets to choose 2 early and 2 late.Do you think taking music and business studies early would be hard? Would it be heavy subjects at the same time ? Will there be a lot of course work for both ?

Sorry Lauren, I don't know enough about the relative workloads to advise you on that. Do you mean that they take 2 option choice GCSEs in Y10 and 2 in Y11?

We have impression music can be an easy option, but only looking for C in it and I think it's obvious you have to have some kind of native ear for music to make a go of it at all. Business studies is usually labeled a soft option (not that hard at all).
Weird, we haven't been given early/late option at all!

Music an easy option?! Where or who told you that? It has composing and performing aspects to it and is time consuming.

Yes careersdragon , in my dd's school she has to take two early options in year 10 and 2 late options for year 11 .
I agree with storynanny , music is time-consuming !

Oh well, that'll be another E, then.

Chemistry and biology are absolutely essential as others have said so the triple science is good as a core GCSE.

Music is a very heavy workload but I've known people do it alongside triple science. Art is similar with a heavy workload but if either music are art are a hobby then it's not so bad.
I think business studies is seen as a soft GCSE and not one of the facilitating subjects that the Russell Group like, though that is more of an issue at A level than GCSE.

when you say "take" do you mean have exams in those years?
my dd does Music and I've heard that soem schools aren't that good at getting high marks in this subject
have you checked for that
if your dd likes Music she should be able to do well in this subject
History relies on good essay writing skills and obviously helps if they like the subject :)