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Original poster

GCSE options help!!!!!!!

64 replies

morehelpneeded123 · 10/02/2014 22:17

My DD is choosing her GCSE's. she is very acedemically able but really struggles with languages (but at her school its compulsory to do atleast 1 MFL)

she currently wants to do

English Lit
English Lang
Maths
Triple award science
Geography
Food
French or German (undecided on which one)
and then Either History or Drama

i want her to do history as we have been told by her teacher that she can easily get an A* but she wants to do drama more. history teachers face fell when she said she was only considering as he though it would be a definate.

What should i do?

(she will probably end up with a B or C in whichever language she takes)

OP posts:

FirConesAtXmas · 10/02/2014 22:23

Any possibility of replacing either the geography or food so your dd can do both history and drama?

PandaG · 10/02/2014 22:25

honestly? She has a fab set of choices already, including a humanity, so all doors are still pretty much open for her.

If she really wants to do Drama let her, but make sure she knows that it is a shedload of work, and that sometimes other people in your group don't work as hard as you would like and may have implications on you. (this was my sister's experience anyway - things may have changed now? - I would check thios out with Drama teacher as to how the practical stuff is marked, and what the weighting is).

I think Drama is a time -heavy GCSE, as you have to rehearse etc with others. Make sure she is going into it with her eyes open. Or, would she be happy to participate in extra-curricular drama to get her performing fix?

Best to do what she really enjoys, especially as she has 8 academic subjects and the EBAC covered already. - but to know Drama is not a walk in the park :)

Pregnantberry · 10/02/2014 22:33

My OH used to teach German, and he has described it as a popular second language for mathematicians, in that there is a lot of logical structure to it compared to other European languages.
Just thought I'd pass that on but not sure if it will make a difference! If your DD is good at memorising then there are grammar tables you can download and they can be very useful and you don't have to be good at languages to store them in your brain.
Some French expert will come along and disagree with him but I'm just the messenger.

meerschweinchen · 10/02/2014 22:34

Personally, I'd suggest History, but she's got lots of good GCSEs there, so in the long run it won't really matter. With languages, people often tend to either find them easy or struggle, and will do so regardless of which language it is, so she's probably of a similar ability in both. If she scientific, I'd be inclined to suggest German, as it's a logical language, so might appeal to her more? I'd go with her gut instincts though, these decisions aren't THAT crucial at the moment (unlike A-Level options where it is more important, and your decisions can have an impact on Uni options etc)

Original poster

morehelpneeded123 · 11/02/2014 07:24

no chance of her dropping geography or food, she loves those subjects and the teachers lover her

OP posts:

Chopchopbusybusy · 11/02/2014 07:34

Let her take drama if she wants to. The rest of her subjects are fine. My least favoured subject on the list is food as in my experience they do very little cooking and a lot of taking about packaging
She can always go back to history for A level if she wants to.

BeckAndCall · 11/02/2014 07:37

I think her history teacher is overselling how easy it is to get an A in history! That's not my anecdotal evidence from my own DC and their friends - I'd say history and geography are the toughest of those subjects to get an A in - cue someone with a stats table to prove me wrong!

Nothing wrong with the range of choices she has already so unless you think she's going to want to do social sciences, history, or English at uni, then the choice wouldn't really matter ( and then only very slightly)

Original poster

morehelpneeded123 · 11/02/2014 07:42

we've already discussed food with her teacher. shes good at the practical and the written and loves science, she is aware there isnt much cooking and that it isn't a doddle but is determined to do it

OP posts:

ThreeBeeOneGee · 11/02/2014 07:48

It might be an idea to find out what the grade spread for the 2013 candidates was for each of these subjects. For example, DS1 goes to a partially selective school that is high in the state school league tables, but there were some surprises in individual subjects: the highest grade in Drama was a B, and in FoodTech, 3/4 of candidates got a C or below.

ThreeBeeOneGee · 11/02/2014 07:50

I'm not saying this is the case at your DD's school, but I would want to have the information before deciding.

BalloonSlayer · 11/02/2014 07:58

Can you make enquiries as to whether it really IS compulsory to do a foreign language?

MY DCs school say it is, but apparently if you really insist, they don't have to. But they keep this very quiet. HOWEVER I suspect the students who do get let off may be those who are unlikely to get a C anyway and it looks like your DD won't fall into that category even if they are not her best subjects.

wordfactory · 11/02/2014 08:36

Personally I would encourage food or drama, not both. At DC's schools, able DC would certainly be discouraged from two non trad subjects.

My preference would be drama, as it is excellent for presentation skills etc, but it depends on the interests/abilities of the student.

TeenAndTween · 11/02/2014 09:15

I agree with word, food or drama for an able pupil, it 'looks' a bit better.

That said, she isn't cutting down options for future if she doesn't do history, as you can do history A level without the GCSE.

Drama so far has been the lightest of DD1's subjects (y10), definitely less homework so far than her more academic subjects.

Original poster

morehelpneeded123 · 11/02/2014 16:22

Sadly no getting out of an MFL as the school makes all pupils do the Ebacc even if they could get an A in a different subject. i mean surely an A in history looks better than a B/C in French or german? :(

OP posts:

MillyMollyMama · 11/02/2014 16:38

TeenandTween. Just wait until your DD gets to the devising, rehearsing and presentation of the practical Drama next year! If you want a high mark, you work, hard! At my DDs school only one candidate got an A, ALL the others were A*.

Some teachers really know what they are doing with this subject and I would check out previous results at the school. If they are a top class drama school, then do it. It goes well with English.

I also think most schools would not be keen on a pupil doing A level history without the GCSE. The original choices look fine to me, but I would do History if she wants to do A level history.

Original poster

morehelpneeded123 · 11/02/2014 17:30

not interested in A level history or drama, just a case of what her 10th option is

OP posts:

buggeringon · 11/02/2014 18:55

Spanish is easier than French or german

Not drama AND food, one or the other

buggeringon · 11/02/2014 18:57

Dd was told not to do sports studies AND art, art and history was recommended

Dromedary · 11/02/2014 19:00

If you care about her doing the GCSEs that look good for later on in her education, drop food or drama, preferably food unless she has career aspirations in that direction.
French is arguably easier than German. Send her on a language exchange.

Original poster

morehelpneeded123 · 12/02/2014 16:12

we have done a german exchange and sadly it didn't help.
she really loves cooking and has been told by people she should be a chef so is considering this career path.

OP posts:

Theconstantlygardening · 13/02/2014 14:40

I think she needs to really think about the food option. Being a chef is really quite non-academic and TBH most chefs are churning out pretty run of the mill food in pubs and cafes. If she really wants to be a chef, encourage her to get good GCSEs, A levels and a degree in something 'useful' career-wise, then take a post grad course at a top notch cookery school such as Leith's or similar. That would give her far greater prospects than a BTEC or whatever in food.

Drama is not considered an academic GCSE so unless she is setting her sites on drama school or teaching drama then I'd keep that as a hobby to do out of school.

I speak as a teacher BTW.

Original poster

morehelpneeded123 · 13/02/2014 18:06

chef is just something her friends have put in her head and her school encourages doing one creative subject. it is an IGCSE not BTEC so still very academic.

OP posts:

Dromedary · 13/02/2014 18:13

A university will not consider Food to be academic, whether it is or isn't. But she could do Food as her non-academic option, and do history not drama. I think that should be absolutely fine, especially as she has an interest in food.

LauraBridges · 13/02/2014 21:06

Fopopd and drama are rubbish GCSEs to be honest.

Can she not do
English Lit
English Lang
Maths
Triple award science
Geography
French or German
History

That would be 9 good ones and then another one for fun if she wants to like drama etc.

Original poster

morehelpneeded123 · 13/02/2014 22:46

Dropping food is out of the question, thats decided. it just a case of history or drama for her 10th

OP posts:

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