How many free choice options is 'normal' for GCSE?

[Takver]

Didn't want to derail the other thread, but I've been wondering this. DD is in yr 8, but has friends in yr 9, essentially they only get 3 free choice options. Is this par for the course? (They do 10 GCSEs + short course RS, but the other 7 are compulsory subjects.)

[ATailofTwoKitties]

I'm honestly not sure what's normal!

DS1 and DS2 are/were at different state secondaries, both pretty good. The differences were quite interesting, as was the bland assurance from each school that this was the best and only way to do it!

At one, triple science took up one of the 'free choice' slots, at the other it was shoehorned into the space for double science.

One insisted on a language and a humanity, the other didn't.

One offered any combination they could staff, the other set the options in blocks and asked children to pick one from each block.

One offered art/music/Latin/Italian/extra maths as 'twilight' sessions for those who wanted it -- but charged for them. The other offered twilights in dance and music tech, free of charge.

The unscientific result is that one boy has 9 good GCSEs, the other has 12 at rather lower grades.

[TheObligatoryNotQuiteSoNewGirl]

I had (5 years ago) 4 choices. Maths, English Lit, English Lang, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and RS were all compulsory, and then we were encouraged (had to ask the head for permission to do otherwise - but loads did) to pick History/Geography as one option, MFL as a second option, and a Technology as a third option. So really there was only one 'free choice', but then the head was pretty flexible - I did French, German, Geography and Music.

[bruffin]

DD and DS had a choice of 3 + a limited choice of twilight.

[TeenAndTween]

DD1's comp.

Compulsory -
Maths, English (1 or 2 depends on ability), Core Science, ICT (of some kind depends on set), Short course RE

Plus 5 options. One of these normally takes pupils to double science, but it is not appropriate for all. Triple science can use up either 1 or 2 options.

I really like the flexibility.

[Pantah630]

loose triple science at DSs school has always been taught separately as individual subjects, I don't know if that's the case across the board in schools though.

I did O levels/CSEs in '86, only core were english lit, english language and maths, I picked I had no say really my father picked them commerce, physics, geography, french, German and TD, they were all options we didn't have to pick from a set group as far as I remember. Personally if I could go back I would have picked history instead of german.

[Pantah630]

Those with children limited by schools to 9/10 GCSEs how much teaching time per subject do your DC get? DSs school are on a two week timetable with 50min lessons, some doubled like PE. They manage to fit in 7 sessions of English, 6 Maths inc F.Maths for top sets, 4 of each three sciences (though that's being spread over three years, not two), 5 for each option subject 4 for RE (PRE) and PE and 2 for IT. Are those studying less getting much more time per subject overall?

[ErrolTheDragon]

My DD's they have to do 2xEng, 3xscience and maths; then they have to do an MFL (which she'd have much preferred not to); not sure if they have to do a humanity or are just strongly encouraged to (but they allow RE as one as well as Geog and Hist, pupil choice more important than Gove ). They do 11 so 3 more choices. (plus non-exam RS/cit, and some of them also did AS critical thinking and some of them are doing an Additional Maths qualification). This seems like a pretty good balance - she's doing Computer Studies, Electronics and Drama for the extras. They don't have the 'option block' concept, just had to specify a reserve subject in case the timetabling just couldn't be done (AFAIK though they usually manage).

Back in the 70s our school only let us do 8 O-levels which was far too limiting - as I planned on being a scientist, 3sci, 2xeng, maths only left room for one language and geography. Lots of girls shunned the sciences (maybe just did Biology). Mind you, there weren't so many possibilities - apart from languages and humanities there was Art and ...er... think that might have been it!

[skylark2]

DS had sort of four, but one of them had to be a MFL.

None of them were completely free choices as they were all in option blocks.

My school in the mid 80s was like Takver's - only maths and English were compulsory but then you were picking one subject per block, and the first block only had sciences, the second only had languages, the third only had arts and crafts, the fourth had only humanities... and there were a couple which were a mixture so you could do multiple sciences and languages. I don't remember anyone doing all three sciences - I didn't (and never even considered it) and I ended up doing a science degree.

DS is doing no humanities at all - but he is doing three languages.

[TheFirstOfHerName]

In DS1 and DS2's school, all students have separate lessons in biology, chemistry and physics, with different teachers. 75% of them will get three iGCSEs in biology, chemistry and physics. The other 25% will get two GCSEs in core science and additional science. It isn't possible to just drop one science subject and continue with the other two. As far as I know, all KS4 science teaching includes all three subjects, and I think it will continue to do so.

[ATailofTwoKitties]

Shame, though. Some of us (me, DH, DS1) only ever wanted to do physics; wasting time on all that biology instead did seem a pity!

[Takver]

It's a hard one to call, though, Kitties. I only took physics (plus 'control technology' which was a more engineering-y DT sort of thing) - but realistically if I'd been forced to continue with Chemistry at least it would have given me more options later on.

DD's problem is going to be that she'd really like to take RM and textiles and drama, which is never going to be an option!

[Pantah630]

The drama aspect she could do out of school though, joining a local am dram society or drama group. Likewise art I think is a hobby that can take place outside of school and exam constraints, DS has changed his plans for the future and fancies architecture now, he's taking Graphic Products which isn't as good as art for that but there's nothing stopping him building his own portfolio of artwork to aid his cause or asking the art teachers for advice in break time.

I think it will be more a problem condensing their choices at A level to be honest, especially with the changes coming.

[ErrolTheDragon]

GCSE Drama is rather a different thing than doing am dram though - I'm not saying 'better', depends what you want to get out of it. You could say, why do History when there are books and Simon Schama series available.

[Takver]

I'd agree with Errol, it's not really the same. In fact, she already does a fair bit of acting outside of school, but there's a lot more content to a drama GCSE.

[Pantah630]

I have no knowledge of GCSE drama so wouldn't know, thought it would be good to keep an interest if you're so pushed for options something has to give. It's great she's already acting though. :)

[Bunbaker]

Pantah. At DD's school they don't do science over three years. All her lessons are an hour long and she has 5 hours of lessons per day.

They work on a two week timetable and it goes like this
English 7 hours
History 10 hours (she is doing this in one year)
Science 10 hours
Maths 7 hours
Art 10 hours (she is doing this in one year as well)
Citizenship 2 hours
PE 3 hours

Next year she will do a one year concentrated geography course and the other gap will be filled with more science because she is doing triple science..

Is doing 9/10 GCSEs that limiting? I don't think DD could cope with any more.

[Pantah630]

A lot more teaching time then bunbaker DS gets just under 6hrs English and even less for other subjects. I don't think 9/10 very good GCSEs are limiting in the long run at all, just in the short term for those that want to study lots of different subjects. At present DS is keeping to his MEL in the CA they've been doing since the start of term but I'm worried he'll stop putting the effort in at some point if it all gets too much or the school are way off when marking

Interesting to see History and Geography being concentrated to one year, that makes sense to keep the interest up if the teaching is good. Good luck to your DD, does she have her mocks for History soon?

[catslife]

Technically it was 4 option choices but if you choose Double Science that takes one option leaving 3 choices and if you take Triple Science that takes 2 options leaving only 2 other choices.
Apparently under the new best 8 system pupils have to take at least Double Science and single Science is now only offered to the lowest ability pupils.
For the free choices pupils had to take one EBacc option i.e. MFL, History, Geography, Triple Science or Computer Science.
The other choice(s) could be another EBacc subject or subjects from a list including Art, DT, IT, Drama. Music, Business Studies etc.
Takver we were told that it's only possible to take one DT subject to GCSE.
For subjects such as Music obtaining high ABRSM grades (in theory and an instrument) may be more appropriate for some pupils than doing the GCSE. Similarly dds school offers the LAMDA grades for pupils who are good at Drama but cannot fit the GCSE into their timetable.

[Bunbaker]

Yes she does Pantah630. In the next couple of weeks. She is one of the youngest in the year so she will still be 14 when she sits history and art GCSE.