DS has 5 months of Year 12 left and is still considering switching subjects

[WrongDimension]

My son has about 5 months of Year 12 left and is considering switching back to Maths after he dropped it for Computer Science. His other subjects are Geography and Sociology, and he picked Computing because to have the option of doing a Computer Science degree open for the future. He knows that a lot of them require maths but he doesn't think he is capable of applying to those as they require an A grade and he only got an 8 at GCSE Maths. The ones that accept a B in Maths would also accept Computer Science he says.

The issue, then, is that he hasn't done any of his Computer Science work since switching to it a few months ago. He's really far behind and says he's worried that he won't be good enough at the subject to get a good grade (without actually bothering to try!). And he thinks maybe he has a better shot at getting a B or an A in Maths because he has some foundational experience with the GCSE but is pretty new to Computing.

I am honestly very confused why he switched in the first place, if he should switch back to Maths, and if March to September is enough time to learn AS/Yr 12 Maths if he works very hard. I told him that there isn't much point in worrying about being able to get a B, that both subjects are hard but possible to do well in and he should just stick with Computing because the school won't let him change this late without better reasons. Is my thinking correct?

Why has he not done any work for CS? Does not bode well for taking it at uni. A level Maths is a huge step up from gcse. Would he consider restarting year 12 in September?

You really need to talk to his tutor/form head head of A levels- who ever it is in charge of this. Get their advice, plus also do some research yourself on the grades and subjects required. He might not be correct in his assumptions.
I agree with PP that if he hasn't don't any work in the subject why on earth is he thinking he should do it at University? What are his long term goals? How is he doing in his other subjects?

@ukborn

You really need to talk to his tutor/form head head of A levels- who ever it is in charge of this. Get their advice, plus also do some research yourself on the grades and subjects required. He might not be correct in his assumptions. I agree with PP that if he hasn't don't any work in the subject why on earth is he thinking he should do it at University? What are his long term goals? How is he doing in his other subjects?

He doesn't really know what he wants to do at University (maybe maths would be better as it keeps options open?), he just knows what he doesn't want to do, but wanted to keep Computer Science as an option because he liked the GCSE (although didn't code much) and is interested in his cousin's CS degree work.

He's done very little work at home because of seemingly big problems with procrastination and studying at home - probably partially my fault too. But in the last month he says he fixed up and revised all of the Geog and Sociology work as well as some future Year 12 content (although he should've worked on CS instead methinks) and says he can dedicate most of the next 6 months to Yr 12 Maths or Computing.

As for grades they've always been high in most subjects and he's not used to having to study a lot outside of school. Luckily the grades in all 3 subjects are good but he hasn't been tested on programming stuff for CS, only theory.

You're right we should have a talk with the school.

He has considered retaking Year 12 and isn't against the idea, apart from being worried about how the other students and teachers will view him (especially having to repeat the year because they couldn't be bothered to work hard enough). I'm guessing from the comment 6 months isn't good enough for Year 12 Maths and he should have the full year if he wants to switch to it and better his chances of getting a good grade. What do you think about the difficulty; can the A-level be conquered with hard work and an 8 from GCSE? How bad is the jump from Year 11 content to Year 13 content?

Firstly, if he is considering retaking yr12 he needs to find out if his sixth form will let him do it there. My friend's child needed to resit 12 due to complete lack of effort, they said either he needed to choose other subjects or resit elsewhere. I think it is to do with funding but also why should they offer a place to someone who has not committed themselves to their studies first time round?

Secondly, if he is interested in computer science and uni then he should never have dropped maths, yes he could have got an A with effort from a grade 8, and it doesn't bode well with him having not done any computer science work since the swap. You have to love your uni course choice. Realistically with £9250 fees and probably the same again in maintenance loan/parental contribution it is a shit load of money to spend per year.

The jump from GCSE to A level is a step but if they are committed to their studies and put the effort in, ask for help when needed then they will succeed.

At my DD's sixth form you could only swap subjects in the first two weeks.

@WaterTheBasil

At my DD's sixth form you could only swap subjects in the first two weeks.

Pretty much the same for us but people switched as late as January with lots of convincing from parents and students.

I'm thinking maths would've been the better option but I don't think 6 months is enough time. I know Further Maths students finish it much faster than that but he doesn't seem confident in his aptitude and needs as much time as possible.