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Secondary education

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Original poster

GCSE options / is Business Studies viewed as a 'soft' / easy subject or well respected these days?

118 replies

Boysandme · 14/12/2014 15:06

DS1 has to pick options soon for his GCSE subjects.

I know some subjects are viewed as soft subjects and also that business studies has been up and down as to how well respected it is.

Anyone know what the current thinking is?

Thanks

OP posts:
MackerelOfFact · 15/12/2014 07:33

I did business Studies at GCSE and A-level and it been the most consistently useful-in-real-life subject I have studied. From consumer law to employment law, basic accounting, budgets, understanding of various business models, marketing techniques, etc - it has proved handy in every job I've ever had and I think many elements of it should be a compulsory part of the curriculum.

TheFirstOfHerName · 15/12/2014 07:33
  1. Slot one: Triple science if he wants to do this.
  2. Slot two: a MFL
  3. Slot three: History or Geography
  4. Slot four: whatever he wants. Business studies is fine as a ninth GCSE.
TheFirstOfHerName · 15/12/2014 07:35

Having said the above, I don't have History or Geography GCSE and it has never been a problem.

dodo3 · 15/12/2014 08:29

When DD was applying to 6th form indies all of them asked how many A* she had, not one asked what subjects she took.

GCSEs really aren't important. Doing subjects you enjoy is the best way forward as the child is more likely to do well if they enjoy the subject.

summerends · 15/12/2014 08:31

boysandme what are the alternative choices for your DS?
I would think that if it were a choice between BS and for example PE or theatre studies or ICT and your DS had more inclination towards the former then that would provide him with useful skills. If he is highly academic and could do another humanity or MFL etc with reasonable enthusiasm then he should do. I don't think economics at GCSE as an academic subject is particularly useful. Most take it up at A level.

TheWordFactory · 15/12/2014 08:45

Yes it is considered a soft subject.

However, one soft subject is not fatal amongst 9 other rigorous subjects.

MassaAttack · 15/12/2014 08:46

Out of interest, why is it considered soft?

lem73 · 15/12/2014 08:54

My son has just started his gcse business and it's not a soft option. I did business studies in first year at university and he's already done more in marketing than I did. I also am pleased with how much theory and practice are linked. However the main point is that he enjoys it. If you like something it makes revision slightly less tedious.

TheWordFactory · 15/12/2014 08:54

I think part of it is that to understand much of any real use about how businesses work, you need grounding in economics and the law.

At GCSE it's just not possible to make any proper headway into these things, so, by necessity, the GCSE is perfunctory.

A bit like GCSE law. Almost dangerous to know a bit IYSWIM.

senua · 15/12/2014 09:26

I agree with TheFirst. He appears academically able, so he ought to try to get the EBacc - get History or Geography in there.
For the ninth subject it doesn't really matter: if he enjoys BS and is more likely to bag a good grade in it, then go for it.

MassaAttack · 15/12/2014 12:36

You could say the same about most GCSEs though Word. I'm not picking an argument btw, just pondering.

Original poster
Boysandme · 15/12/2014 13:27

Thanks again all.

My gut feel is to try to persuade him to get the ebacc, then one for interest/fun, whatever he picks.

Lots of good opinions which will provoke discussion and thoughts, thanks all.

OP posts:
dodo3 · 15/12/2014 13:33

Disagree with comments here. No subject is considered soft at GCSE only A level.

TalkinPeace · 15/12/2014 14:42

Geography and or History will be a lot more useful and open a lot more doors

TheWordFactory · 15/12/2014 16:06

massa I think GCSEs in say Business Studies and Law are different to others in that in order to learn anything of any value about these areas you need to have a fairly good grasp of first principals.

They don't build step by step like other subjects eg French.

Bonsoir · 15/12/2014 17:15

I don't really see the point of GCSE Business Studies.

RabbitOfNegativeEuphoria · 15/12/2014 17:21

Business studies is very definitely a soft subject. At both GCSE and A level.

TheGreatGatsby2 · 15/12/2014 17:26

Dd was forced into taking it in a way, a teacher knocked her confidence in science so she decided not to do triple and opted for double science. There was only cooking , DT, art and IT she could take for 10th subject. Was gutted as she couldn't take a 2nd language with double science as she had always wanted.
Sorry but 'soft option for lower set kids' made me fume. She worked hard and got 9A* and 1A at GCSE. Admittedly, dd didn't want to take it and had no real interest in it, but there were a lot of intelligent people that took it because they were interested in it. The 'it's for thick kids' is very wrong and a horrible assumption in itself.

MillyMollyMama · 15/12/2014 17:40

There are so many education snobs commenting on this! Business Studies, Art, Drama and Music are all very worthwhile subjects provided they are studied alongside the eBac subjects. Also, no school should restrict an able linguist to just one MFL GCSE. No wonder we struggle to get language graduates!

TheWordFactory · 15/12/2014 17:44

Milly art, drama and music are all well worth studying at GCSE and considered perfectly solid.

Business Studies just isn't.

And there's no point trying to pretend to DC that is has equivalent value. Well you can tell them that, but you'd be doing them no favours.

TheFirstOfHerName · 15/12/2014 18:02

Although 'facilitating subjects' describes A-levels, there is no doubt that some GCSEs are more useful than others in terms of meeting entry requirements for post-16 courses.

There is definitely a hierarchy of how essential each subject is. I see English and Maths as being at the top, because they are needed for so many courses. GCSE Business Studies is much less useful from that point of view; it's hard to think of a course that would require it.

The reason for doing GCSE Business Studies would be because he finds the content interesting, not because it will increase the post-16 options available to him.

RabbitOfNegativeEuphoria · 15/12/2014 18:04

I'm not being an education snob, I'm being a business snob. BS GCSE is not worth studying, not because it is not educationally rigorous but because it lacks worthwhile content. It's desperately superficial and would be regarded as irrelevant by anyone recruiting into a business related trainee programme.

blueemerald · 15/12/2014 18:04

BS A level is considered a very soft subject. You can argue about the rights and wrongs of that (and other subjects too, I'm personally stunned that Computing is considered soft. It was the harder than my "facilitating" subjects [english and history]) until the cows come home but it will not change the fact. Please don't mislead your children.

RabbitOfNegativeEuphoria · 15/12/2014 18:09

A useful rule of thumb would be - if you don't need an A level to study a degree with the same name (e.g. economics, business studies, law, psychology) then it probably is soft. It may be difficult, but that's a different issue. Many people studying maths at A level find it blissfully easy, that doesn't stop it being regarded as a 'non soft' A level.

TheFirstOfHerName · 15/12/2014 18:09

DS1 is doing Classical Civilisation GCSE for no other reason than that he enjoys it. It is not going to be listed as an entry requirement for any A-levels or university courses.

It is probably considered a 'soft option' but is actually moderately rigorous, especially the paper on The Odyssey.

He is doing plenty of 'well-regarded' subjects: Maths, English Language, English Literature, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, German, History & Latin. So I think it is completely appropriate for him to have one subject that he is studying just because he likes it and finds it interesting.