GCSE choices - don't know where to begin

[tatt]

we have to make choices soon. Our child is reasonably good at everything but not outstanding at anything. Likes art/ design & tech best and is currently keen on animation. Possibly looking to a career in something like graphic design or website design but we're concerned they may be very competitive ad not good choices fo someone who also wants a lot of money. Help - how do you decide?

By itself, I'm not sure how to handle the fact that they have X% pass rate.
I'd need to know what the rate was for comparable schools, since some subjects have different pass rates anyway.
Also "pass rate" can mean effective filtering out of marginal candidates as well as good teaching.
When I see 98% pass rate for physics, something feels wrong. Even allowing for the dumbing down of sciences, I don't think 98% of randomly chose kids simply aren't up to passing it. That is reinforced by the much lower pass rate in maths which has a lot in common, but it's harder to push kids parents away from maths.

I smell the scent of books being cooked...

Maybe you have a really good physics teacher, or maybe staff who want good looking numbers.

Rarrie, I'm interested in your point about teachers not "being allowed" to give careers advice.
Was it an explicit prohibition, what were the boundaries ?
I've met loads of people who have been told by teachers that their subject is useful. This lie seems most prevalent in languages. That's not quite formal careers advice, but it's human nature to want to believe that what you do is of some value, and for others to share that opinion.

DominiConnor, not all schools have randomly-chosen pupils.

Depends on the school DC. If it is selective, I would expect most children to pass GCSE science.

Last year I taught the top 3 sets in out comprehensive school. I would say that the top two sets were Grammar School standard. For those two sets I got a 100% pass rate. For the top three sets I got a 95% pass rate.

Overall, taking all of the classes across he school we got around 70% pass rate

Foundation in science limits them to a C grade

GCSE Foundation paper - highest grade that can be achieved is a 'C'
Intermediate paper is a 'B'
Higher paper is A*.

Sorry - that was in response to Annicissima

can a teacher on here explain the thing I don't understand which is how you can sit a GCSE and not be able to get an 'A' grade? My dsd has changed schools and it seems to be impossible for her to do 11 GCSEs now in courses that allow her to get A*. I don't wholly understand the 'new' system (sorry but I did my O levels in 1974!) - is there anywhere I can see it all written down? I'm worried about her being hampered for Uni entrance - she's bright and I'd expect her to go to Uni I think. She has to make her choices by end of March and it's areally hard task getting her to sit down and look at teh options.
thanks!!

OK, I can explain from the point of Science.

Children can work towards a foundation of a Higher level of study. The kids doing the higher papers study more demanding topics. The foundation kids miss these specific topics.

When they sit the papers the foundation papers start with easier questions and get harder. The Higher papers start with the hardest stuff from the foundation papers and then get harder. Foundation goes from grade G up to Grade C. Higher goes from Grade D to A. It is slightly* easier to get a grade C on foundadtion, the kids tend to be more relaxed etc, have more time to revise stuff as the trickiest stuff isn't on heir sylabus.
So if you are worried that someone is on the C/D boarderline, they may be better doing foundation

Well it depends on the school. Private schools have careers departments and the employee there is a school employee. Parents like me go in and help and give mock interviews to pupils.

But I would always say as parents we have a responsibility to help the children double check what the school is saying about whether XYZ is worth doing. Many academic private schools don't do foundation GCSEs so anyone is in with a chance of an A* but if it's not a very academic school then your children might be put in that group which means however hard to work they will get no As. That could be disastrous later of course. I hope parents know these things. They aren't hard to find out on line. Never just reply on school.

Message withdrawn

Mainly for winterpimms - sorry for the delay.

Well compulsory ICT in years 10 and 11 can mean lots of different things. Often, it means sitting GCSE ICT but (and this can get confusing) often only a short-course GCSE which is worth half a GCSE. If your child's school allocates 2hrs per fortnight then that's the mostly likely option. However many schools are able to get kids through a full-course GCSE in the time. As several people have said, ICT GCSE is not a difficult qualification. Most schools spend literally a few weeks on theory teaching for the exam and about 85% of the 2 year course doing practical skills (as it should be).

Right the DiDA question. DiDA stands for a Diploma in Digital Applications. One DiDA consists of 4 modules:
1 - Using ICT (standard, boring PowerPoint, spreadsheets and databases with a website and a decent context for it all). It does not teach advanced skills in any of these - more appropriate use and fitness for purpose.)
2 - Multimedia (animation, video editing, Flash if that means anything to you)
3 - Graphics (creating and manipulating graphics)
4 - ICT in Enterprise (kind of like Youth Enterprise but the business is fictional).
All teach project planning and tracking, website creation skills. It's very applied - and very wide.

(Still with me?)

So a DiDA is all 4 units and worth 4 GCSE points. You can also do a CiDA which is a Certificate in Digital Applications. That is 2 units - one of which MUST be Unit 1 but the other can be any of the others and is worth 2 GCSEs. Also there is AiDA - not an opera but an Award in Digi..... It must be Unit 1 and is worth 1 GCSE.

Look at the student section on the DiDA website - it's pretty helpful.

The fact of the matter is if you are bright and want a career in top end programming then do maths. Before being an ICT teacher I was a (much more highly paid) programmer and consultant - and I did a Geography degree - although I have Maths A-level.

However for kids who want to gain v useful project and technical skills then it's great.

Freddiecat, DS2 plans to do the IT GCSE - proper one, in the same group as History, Latin etc.

Worth it? (His other options will prob be History and RS)

Well yes I would say so. The theory side of it is not demanding as I said. The coursework though is good as it has a very real life basis. For most boards they have to select a business or organisation (most make up something realistic) and then create a database and a spreadsheet plus some promotional material.

IME it helps if the children take an interest in this outside of school. Selecting a real business is infinitely better. Nowadays we have to make up the bit about them not having a computer in the company as clearly they all do, but I think it really helps kids to see how small businesses operate practically. At the weekends you can encourage him to take photos to include in his project etc. Try and find out from the teachers what the timetatble is for starting the coursework as most kids don't tell their parents anything.

Thank you, that's good news

School is usually pretty good about sending letters home about coursework requirements and deadlines - whether they get from DS2 to me is another matter of course. But he is, so far anyway, well-motivated and loves messing about with images on the PC (prefers nicking other peoples' pics to taking his own!)

Bit late posting, but since I have not long left college (3ish years) I figured this might be of use?

I was told by my careers advisor that often a lot of IT companies look for maths over IT at A-level/GCSE because IT is constantly changing so often by the time you have the qualification, it is redundant. Apparently maths shows you have the right brain for it(?) I know a very-able-with-a-computer friend of mine is doing a degree in Maths for this very reason.

HTH

Your careers advistor is right about maths being a more useful A level than IT, but flatly wrong about why. It illustrates why I think careers advice in school is so crap.
I used to be an IT director, and now pimp maths/IT people into banks. We don't count A level IT as a qualification, putting it below RE. That is a vierw shared by the less wreteched British universities.

IT does not change that fast. Of the main programming languages C/C++, SQL and Basic are 30-40 years old. Java the "new" langauge of the web is a mere 15 or so. The processors used are structually unchanged since the early 1990s, and the web dates from then as well. Someone who was frozen in time 10 years ago could sit in front of todays Windows, Excel or Internet explorer, and only notice a few extra buttons, and it going a little faster.
It's not a left/right brained thing, it's a "no-brain" thing. IT is a subject to allow dim boys to get an A level.

IT is a very hard subject. But the A/GCSE levels have nothing to do with IT. They are "inclusive", ie designed so that anyone who puts in a bit of work can pass. The trick is to pick up an A level IT book. You will understand it. That really shouldsn't be true should it ?
Would you expect to understand a maths or physics text if you hadn't taken the subject ?

Thanks for the info freddiecat.

Hoping all will become clear at the meeting next week. The bit I am finding confusing is whether the ICT you take as a core subject, is a full GCSE at her school.

She wants to take History, PE and will probably take the CiDA or DiDA. Just wondering if she takes the DiDA, whether this would be a good balance of subjects, as it would take up 2 options.

Thanks again.

Also taking French and double Science.

Hi, can I quickly add (as a GCSE Art and Design Teacher) If they love art it is a fantastic subject which can lead to a huge range of higher ed courses (there are more A and D courses than any other subject, loads you or your child won't of thought of). However if they think art is just alright and it might be an easy course (loads of students do) then be warned it is a lot of work which if you don't love drawing etc... may get boring.

I would never put anyone off doing it but have seen so many students give up because they thought they didn't have to do much work! But also seen a lot of students (not necessarily talented) excel because they enjoy it and can loose themselves, in what can be a stressful 2 years.

winterpimms - my ds is in the last year of CiDA. He's really enjoyed it. We chose it over DiDA because of it taking up too many options. Plus he has to take GCSE PE as he's at a Specialist Sports college .

Freddiecat - Interesting info on DiDA. Is it fairly common in schools?

Top end programming - what languages are you thinking of?

DC - you are confusing the GCSE/A Level ICT course with GCSE/A Level Computuiing/Computer Science. ICT is not the same at all and was never intended to be the same. Infact some schools still run both, especially as A Level.

ICT is applied - so no programming, etc. For that you need to be looking at the computing qualifications.

ICT is often highly biased towards coursework , with some exams. So, not study intensive at the end, but spread out over the years with projects of various forms. This is why the exam papers look easier than those subjects which are exam heavy.

At GCSE level I would encourage and advise, but not force. Nothing worse than having a child in your class who doesn't want to really do that subject! Getting the higher grades are more important than the number, once over 5-6.

Saggar - good to hear that he enjoyed the CiDA course. Know what you mean about DiDA taking too many options BUT if she can't make up her mind about the 4th option