Can anyone talk to me about Core Science GCSE as opposed to Triple Science please ?

[AnyFucker]

My DC just got refused Triple Science at yr 9 options and told that Core Science is adequate

I am not convinced this is a good thing. DC is quite "sciency" and likes medical type stuff although not chosen exactly what career yet. School attendance is excellent and grades are good so far.

I am not happy about this. Can anyone help me form an appeal ? All I seem to be aware of is that anything vaguely science or medical based in Higher Education would require something better than a combined science GCSE.

6 exams isn't triple science - it's double. Triple is 9 exams, although they're only an hour each.

It is possible to just do Physics 1, phys 2 and phys 3 (and an isa - the practical bit) to get a Physics gcse, but state schools very unlikely to offer this.

Triple science is - from this year onwards - 9 exams at the end
whatever went before has ceased
if its less than 9 exams, its not triple science
the curriculum changed for the current year 11 onwards
no modules
no exams part way through

Although talkinpeace they can still do core in year 10, then additional and further additional in year 11. They'll be examined on the exact same modules, but won't get 3 gcses naming the individual science, rather 3 gcses, one of which is core science, the second of which is additional science and the third further additional science.

It depends which board you are doing. Last year dd1 did 9 in AQA which is 3 units for each science (although the 2 and 3 papers were right after each other). This year, dd2 is doing 6 with OCR which have 6 units for each paper and split them 1-3, 4-6. Both doing triple.

DD is doing triple (AQA IGCSEs) and has all exams now (end of year 11). 2 exams in each. So it is possible to be doing triple and only have 6 exams.

Very interested in this discussion.

DD1's school changed to offering double only for her school year just as they received their options. Sciences were by far her favourite subject and she went on to get A / A and moved to a grammar to take science A levels. She struggled for first term to keep up in Chemistry with the rest of the class who had taken triple as they had a head start on some of the content but the school were excellent and offered lunch time catch-up sessions just for her. She went on to get A's at A level and studied Chemistry at a RG university.

DD2 now at same original school who have since moved back to offering triple which she has taken (year 11 now) but she was borderline at the time and because of experience with DD1 she wanted to keep options open for A level. With hindsight this was probably not the right decision.

If she had opted for double, she would have taken 3 exams in year 10 and just had the 3 to take this year but instead due to the change to linear model she is in the middle of 9 exams this summer on top of everything else, and revision has probably been at around 75% on the sciences alone, potentially to the detriment of other subjects.

She has no interest now in taking sciences further and is predicted B's which will be great if she does achieve this. My worry is that she may slip to C's or even drop a grade in subjects she is taking to A level. We will never know for sure what would have happened if we made a different decision in year 9 but fingers crossed for results in August!

BB, I am reading your post carefully

DS1 is OCR Gateway, and is definitely triple with 6 exams. No idea how it is split into units though.

The double sets in his school did the Core last year and Additional this year.

AF, good luck with this and I think you are absolutely right to ask more questions.

I just asked DD2 if she would make a different decision if she could go back and she surprised me by saying no she is really glad she has taken triple science as she likes the idea of putting Biology, Chemistry and Physics separately on her CV rather than Core and Additional Science. Strange the things they think of but if that thought motivates her to get through last exams, then cant be a bad thing!

I don't think that doing double science rules out a science future, nor should it mean that the classes would have lower attainment students in. My friends dd did double science not triple, even though he knew he wanted to be a scientist, because she didn't want to drop some other subjects ( our local school timetables triple science as 3 option choices). She went on to do science A leveks and is now at Oxford Uni studying chemistry.

My ds1 didn't want to do triple science as he preferred history, geography etc. So he did double, but the school puts everyone in sets for double science so he was in tbe top set with other pupils who were working at a simikar level.

Ds2 has chosen to do triple science and as far as I can see, it doesn't involve more depth, just additional subjects to be covered.

However, if a child wants to do triple AND reaches the level required by the schol, then it's worth asking the school to think again.

You are right Ruddy about the content as they sit the same papers for units 1 & 2 and for Biology DD1 found the transition to A level fine but for Chemistry the paper she had missed from doing double covered formulas that she had to be taught to keep up with the rest of the class. I guess an unusual scenario as she was the only one who had taken double.

It does sound as though schools have different approaches as DD2 studies triple in same time as the double students so she will have one extra GCSE at the end and taking triple has not meant sacrificing another subject.

A couple of posters have stated that an IGCE is 'easier'. Why is this? Genuine question. And if easier, why do more schools not offer them?

Sorry, AF, don't mean to hijack your thread - just interested.

Sorry, that should be IGCSE obvs

LaydeeC the IGCSEs are taken by many independent schools and quite a few state schools. It is said that the questions are phrased in an easier to understand English syntax (believable) which might make the core questions easier for some pupils. There are certainly some mumsnet posters here that believe independent schools such Westminster, St Pauls and KCS choose IGCSEs to improve their results because GCSEs might be a bit too hard for their pupils .

Hijack away ! (you are bumping my thread )

I don't think they do an Isa for the IGCSE either - these are harder to get good marks in than the written paper well my DDs found this

I agree it's not the case that all those doing double science not triple are lower ability. My dd (yr9) is top set science and was strongly encouraged to do the triple, but if she did she'd have to drop one of Spanish (to me, languages are an essential, she needs at least one), History (so she'd have no humanities subject) or Art or Graphics (her two best subjects which she loves and excels in). So triple science is out, and she'll be top set for double science instead.

There must be many other dc who are able to do triple but not totally driven science-wards. Dd is not likely to want to study medicine, vet science or a hard science at university, from current interests, so she would only have been taking triple science as a badge of being permitted to choose it, not for any intrinsic value.

The mostly are at DDs school, because they do it in two slots. There's no point in opting out, it doesn't let you do anything else.

I shall be very interested to see the triple grades, as they have been doing loads of extra sessions.

DD says she's glad she didn't do triple because of this and the three very long CAs they had to do (Dyslexia and CAs don't mix).

I'm guessing not having these is advantage of iGCSE.

Watching with interest. DD (y10) current revising for Core science with first exam next Friday. Science is not her strong subject, though ok at Biology. Quite frankly I am decidedly stressed at the idea of to physics and chemistry papers being on 10 and 12 and am anticipating a difficult couple of weeks if she has any chance of getting C's.

DS is only year 5 but really enjoys science. I've got 2 years until we have to decide on an Upper School and what happens with Science will probably be a big part of this choice. With the new GCSE's coming in with the number grades, what is the plan for science ? Will they still be double or triple or something else.

WynkenBlynkenandNod

Tensions running very high with DD right now. We have never pushed her but did tell her we expected maximum effort for core science revision these two weeks but she isn't.

She's doing the Foundation paper and we would be very happy with a C. But she has seen that the course she wants to do doesn't ask for a C in science just Maths and English and has clearly decided she can't be arsed which is really pissing me and DH off.

It would piss me off too.

My DSIS was never given the option of doing O levels rather than CSEs (so has the mixture of D/E equivalents) and despite many many secretarial qualifications and tears of experience, it still slightly annoys her she can't put on her CV a nice solid line of academic qualifications everyone values.

I guess it's incredibly hard, with all the focus on A/A* in the media, to impress on DCs how much better 5Cs 3-4 of them in academic subjects looks, than that A couple of Cs and a raft of DS and Es.

I'm amazed at the number of parents that believe the schools act in their own interests when putting students forward for double or triple science.

The teachers would rather maintain a borderline student's enthusiasm for science and have them do double, than turn them off science completely by being under the kind of pressure experienced doing triple. I would have thought parents would want that too. Especially where the DC loves science and wants to carry on studying it at college.

It beats me why anyone would push for 9 science exams at the end of Y11 instead of 3 in Y10 & 3 in Y11. Unless it's vital for the chosen career or the student needs stretching. The children of all the science teachers in DH's department have done double, even those who've been recommended for triple, because the teachers genuinely don't see a disadvantage in it.

It depends on the 6th Form of course, but round here solid B/A in Core and Additional will get you onto any of the science A levels, where the student can specialise and will hopefully still love the subject.

I do feel that in many cases it's just a kudos thing, ie. my DC is clever enough to do triple science. DH has 6 triple students whose parents overruled the school's recommendation to do double and they're all struggling to keep up. Yet, apparently the school had its own agenda when not recommending them for triple.

It's better to look at the end game. Surely a CV with A/A* in double science, followed by strong A level results is better than B in Biology, Chemistry and Physics? DH seems to think so anyway.