What O'Level's did you do in the 1980's?

[AnnMcGuinness]

I'm just wondering what o'level's you guys did in the 1980's. My eldest son is currently doing his GCSE's and my only daughter is currently picking her's.

The reason I'm asking is because there seems to be completely different GCSE options than there were in the 1980's when I did o'level's.

In the 1980's in my school we all had to do English language, English Literature, Maths.

Turning to the options block you had to choose a language I chose French and you had to choose a Science I chose Human Biology. Then you had three remaining option blocks. I choose Home Economics, Admin and Typing as well as History o'level.

My friend said to me who went to my school said she done o'level's in the options she picked was Physics, Home Economics, French, Geology and Accounts.

When i seen the option blocks for my children's GCSE's i seen Geology and Accounts is no longer and option. I am wondering what were you O'level options in the 1980's and is there any you done that isn't on offer for children taking there GCSE's today.

Kind Regards

Ann😀

We had to do Maths, Eng Lit, Eng Lang, a science, an Art subject, a humanity. Then we got 2 other free choices. I picked Biology, Art, History, Drama, Economics

1980 and 1981 (top set did Maths a year early)

Compulsory:
Maths
English Language
English Literature

We then had to take either RE or CSR, one language and one science plus various options from different blocks (presumably so they could timetable them). I opted for:

RE
History
Geography
Russian
German
Chemistry

My mum reckoned that I took exactly the same Maths syllabus that she had done in 1944

I did Latin as well as French and usual sciences etc.

At my school, Eng Lang, Eng Lit, Maths and French were compulsory. Then we could choose 5 other subjects from blocks, but had to choose at least one science and one humanity. Out of my selection, I think Geology and Latin are much less commonly found on timetables today, but that was probably true in the early 80s as well. And German was probably more popular than it is now.

1986
English Lang
English Lit
Maths
Statistics (got a U!)
History
Biology
Physics
IT (we thought we were very futuristic at the time, although, as it was Wales and the WJEC has never been the most modern of Awarding Bodies, we had to learn ticker tape language!
Control Technology- a very early form of robotics
French

My O Levels were in the 1970s, taken at a very selective grammar school

I did

English Language
English Literature
Maths
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Geography
History
French
RE
Art
Needlework

The only options were the art and needlework - others did more languages like German and Latin but I dropped those in favour of the less academic options.

English, RE and Biology were taken a year early so only nine in the final year.

English Language
English Literature
Music
Maths
French
German
Latin
Ancient Greek

I took my O levels in 1987. DS will take his in 2025 in exactly the same subjects (I'm obviously a great influence!), plus he got an extra option to me. Both of our schools were big local comps - me city centre, him large rural catchment.

For both of us, compulsory subjects - Eng Lang, Eng Lit, Maths, and a language of our choice - again, both schools taught French and Spanish.

Options chosen by both of us - triple science (1 combined option for ds, 3 sciences taught individually for me), Spanish and Music. DS is also doing History. At my school, you didn't have to take a science, at ds's you have to take at least double science. I think that's National Curriculum though?

The options available to him were pretty similar to me. I could have chosen "Office Practice", her could have chosen "Engineering". I really wanted to do Photography, but my school only taught that to the kids they didn't think would pass any academic exams. Photography and riding a moped!

1982: I did just Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Eng Lang, Eng Lit, RE, Latin, French.

I couldn't do Biology as well as it was Phys&Chem OR Biology.

I should have done History but dropped it as couldn't learn it. I think History these days is more interesting and better taught.

1988
English language - compulsory
English literature - compulsory
Maths - compulsory
French - compulsory language
Biology - compulsory science
History
Geography
Commerce

Forgot cookery! Had to do either cookery or needlework.

English language
English literature
Maths
French
German
Spanish
History
Geography
Economics
Integrated Science (two O levels)

I should have done Latin as well but the teacher ran off with another teacher and they couldn’t get a replacement.

1976
English language
English Literature
French
German
Latin
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Human Biology
Government and economics
History

1987 in a large but good state comprehensive:
Eng Lit
Eng Lang
Maths
Physics
Chemistry
Art
French
Religious Studies
History
1988 -Economics in one year in first year of 6th form.

English language
English literature
History
Latin
French
Russian
Maths
Biology
Physics and chemistry combined

1980
Compulsory: Eng Lang, Eng Lit, Maths
At least one science: Physics, Biology
A language; French, Spanish
Humanity: Geography
Plus CSE typing, which has proved surprisingly useful

1980 large comprehensive
Eng Lit
Eng Lang
Maths
Maths with statistics
French
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Geography
Religious studies
Economics

I had kids in my late 30s and was one of the last years to take O levels in 1985 (and one extra in 1986). My sister did GCSEs in 1988. Her DD and my DS2 are just about to start GCSE courses in year 10, my DS1 is about to start A levels.

Our school also offered 16+ courses with the chance to get an O-level and a CSE certificate,

Maths (everyone 16+, 3 papers with the 3rd for higher set students and needed to get higher than a C grade - two subjects in greater depth and at a higher level than normal O-level courses apparently) and English language were compulsory
French (encouraged/expected if you were already and still studying it, with sets studying at O-level, 16+ and CSE - the only other student who did the same A levels as me did 16+ and she might have been the only one (of 8) to get an A at A level so I think her course might have been better preparation!

Then we had 5 options across 3 subject areas - Sciences, Humanities and Creative or practical. I did Integrated Science - 2 O levels with a mix of 3 sciences although apparently there was less Chemistry and more Physics on our sylllabus), German and History. This meant I couldn't do Eng Lit (I had to drop one of the 3 subjects I most wanted to do), but I did study it at A level and as part of a slightly unusual degree course. Unfortunately Creative or Practical didn't include Typing and Office Practice and I didn't think I was going to do well in any of the options - I did Domestic Science and was advised to give up when we changed teacher half way through!

I also did Latin over 3 years and took the exam at the end of the 1st year of 6th form. The exam was odd compared to other language subjects/other subjects generally as it was biased towards rote learning rather than understanding how the language all worked, and we weren't very well taught.

I think the idea behind GCSEs as dreamed up originally was better but unfortunately education reforms have brought back a lot of the flaws of the old system in terms of dividing students up, often on questionable assumptions, and narrowing options quite early, then A*s, then the 9 point scale (and how long before they say, oh we need a 10 to distinguish some students and their elite schools even more?)

Maths
English Lit and Lang
Geography
General Studies
Chem
Bio
Physics
French
German

I wasn't allowed to do art or design tech as I was a girl (!). I had to really push to do two languages as they wanted all girls to do admin and typing or home economics

I did mine in the 80s but I was in the first year of GCSEs. I have one O Level (French) because I took it a year early. All the rest were GCSEs, which were Maths, Eng Lang, Eng Lit, History, Biology, German and Latin. I did another (Classical Civilisation) alongside my A Levels. Maths, both Englishes and at least one science were compulsory.

1983 for me and did:
English language
English literature
History
Geography
Maths
French
All compulsory
Art
Domestic science
Commerce
By choice
And RE as a CSE...also compulsory.

There wasn't much choice back in the day :-D

DS is doing much the same as I did....

Eng Lit
Eng Lang
Maths
German
Geography
Chemistry
Biology
Physics
DT (I did technical drawing)

He had a bit more choice, the option to do combined science, French, Spanish, art, computing, PE, History, Philosophy, RE, business, economics.

I could have done Home Economics.

There is more variety of languages studied in schools now. When I was at school it was nearly all French and then if you were good enough you would be offered another language - I did German. However, at my kids' secondary kids only get to study one language until year 9 and that is just another option so I think it gets squeezed out. My boys enjoyed Spanish at primary, especially DS2, but neither have chosen it for GCSEs. School does offer lunchtime and after school support for kids to study a language already spoken at home and with family - and I think this is great for those students.

I have a friend who uses her Kurdish and Turkish a lot in her "day jobs" and as a councillor with lots of constituents in her own ward and across the borough who speak one or both of those languages. But at school in Turkey until she was 14 formal study of Kurdish wasn't allowed, and when her family came here some of her younger siblings got the chance to study it at school in a way she never did; she still feels she missed out. Another friend speaks Cypriot Turkish quite a lot and understands more standard Turkish pretty well, but her parents spoke that to her at home until they were advised by schools to speak English to their kids, but actually spoke (Cypriot) Greek (her mum's actual first language) to each other, and that friend wishes she could speak/understand Greek better.

First year to do GCSEs, we had free reign, no option blocks.
I did French, Spanish, English lit, History , Geography, English Lang, French, Maths, Biology, General Studies
I wanted to do Latin rather than Biology but school insisted we did at least 1 science .

Oh, and I think almost everything is much better taught these days, even at my kids' comprehensive with a very mixed intake by both class and background, apparently a majority of families whose first language is not English. The language thing I think is sometimes interpreted in a negative way by education documents etc - additional language families may mean academics, teachers and all kinds of professionals who speak 2-4 or more languages really fluently, people who might not be doing "professional" jobs but have lived here for many years and are as fluent as anyone. Some come here in the middle of their education but have done really well - one of DS1's friends also had a chance to get really fluent through his friends out of school.