Yr9 Options... two MFL, two humanities, no arts - feasible?

[MrsMot]

Dd's options booklet came out today and she's really swithering about what to choose.

Basics will be Eng Lang and Eng Lit, Maths, French, Geography, triple science. She is desperate to use her 'optional' slots to take German and History - she's currently 7B for both humanities and 7C for both languages.

She does Drama out of school and is working her way through her LAMDA exams - if she had an extra option this is the subject she'd take.

She genuinely can't choose which humanity to drop should she have to, she loves both and it's already been suggested she'd be more than capable of taking both to A-Level. There is the possibility of short courses in Geog and History but they would limit her ability to take them further.

Her school will let her take that combination but from people's experience is having an arts subject important? Dd is my eldest and it's sooooo long since I did GCSEs I've nothing recent to base anything on!

I don't have any GCSE-aged kids, but when I was doing them (2003-2005) I did two languages and had no problems, aside from occasionally lapsing into the wrong one in lessons :p Although I did take an arts subject too (music). I'm not convinced it really matters toooo much what you pick for your options, unless you specifically want to do one at A-level or beyond. Is there a chance she might want to do Drama at college? I know for music A-level having done the GCSE wasn't a requirement, but it might be worth looking into just in case.

Pointy You give the impression that you think is she does double science she will be able to drop physics. Are you sure that is the case at your school? Usually (but not always) doing double science means doing 2/3rds of the syllabus in each of the 3 subjects. You gets A core GCSE result and an Additional one. (Also my DDs school does triple in the same time as double, just faster, so it doesn't use up an extra option. they just limit it to the top 25% of pupils).

Teen that is what I've told her might happen, in which case I will encourage her to go for the triple option because she's definitely in that top group. Meanwhile I have told her As long as she has the chance of art options I think she will be happy, and then if she wants to do a science at A-level she can specialise.

Doing triple science would give her one option, but she would like two and she prefers chemistry and biology to physics.

T&T is right. No school is likely to offer that. "Double Science" will be P1, P2, C1, C2, B1 and B2. I would be astounded if a school were willing to timetable C1, C2, C3, B1, B2, B3 for the tiny minority of pupils that would want to study that as "double science" instead. P3, C3, B3 will only be taught to those doing triple science.

I think you're right, Friday, and having looked at the schools options booklet she will be nudged towards the triple. Since she hates leaving things half done that is probably best for her anyway. If she can't do an art option alongside her core subjects we'll have to look at the trade-off between art and humanities. She won't drop History, she absolutely loves it... Well, we'll continue discussions so that whatever choice she makes it will be an informed one.

Drama GCSE is different from LAMDA. My DDs both did LAMDA to grade 8 and drama GCSE. Drama at A level goes very well with English if that is to be an A level choice. There is a lot of rehearsal time though. If the school is red hot at drama it is a brilliant choice. My DDs school had a formidable reputation for drama and feedback from examiner said it was the best performance she had seen and everyone got very high A* marks. Therefore worthwhile. Languages are also very worthwhile as fewer people are doing them and can result in offers from universities if combined with a very popular are subject, eg history. Two languages at A level definitely is better than one for aspiring linguists.

In my view workload is not an issue that should be considered. Everyone these days does about 10 GCSEs so how do you make the workload less? Choose breadth, good combinations leading to strong A levels and the art subject should be something enjoyable if it is needed. In my view not compulsory though. OPs DC has a very good choice so no problems really but if drama could be an A* option, then do it. I would say two languages is better though.

Arts subjects are only really relaxing if you're good at them, IMO. My yr9 and yr8 dds both love art, graphics, resistant materials and want to take some of them at GCSE, but I was the type of child who found MFL or history or maths the easier, fun options compared to the practical subjects. Our school tried hard to make the most academic kids take a "fun" option but we all rebelled and ended up having Chemistry in the "fun/creative" option column.

I'd say 2 MFL and 2 humanities sounds great, nice and broad without needing an arts subject.

OP, it looks a good strong set to me as long as it's what she wants. Wouldn't worry about lack of arty subject as she has that covered with extra curricular.

Starball, consider advising your dd to learn a minimum amount of case study facts (dd told me she only needed 2 per study - fixed things like the date or number of casualties/whatever) but to be creative with inventing other supporting info. Both my dc did this and did very well. Just be careful that supporting info is both believable and not easily verifiable (ds fell down in his mock here, making up some outrageous claim, but learned from the experience). Dd actually created a whole fictitious case study in her final GCSE exam and got 100% (but she does have the luck of the devil to be fair).