GCSE options

[Horsegal]

So, my DD is in year 8 and has to choose her options a year early. Personally I think this is a bit young to be choosing as she is only 12! It is a grammar school, so everyone has to do 11 GCSEs ( very different to my day! )
She has to do

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
English language
English literature
Maths

However, for her 5 options she wants to choose

Art
DT
History
French
Business studies

Should I encourage her to drop 1 or two of the ' less academic ' subjects and do another humanity or MFL?

No. It's much easier studying what you enjoy. She has plenty of academic subjects already.

I don't see why you would need to encourage her to drop any of those choices. She has a humanity, triple science and a mfl. Art is a hard and I believe respected gcse. So she has a good, solid group there.

I don't know much about business studies or dt but I do believe that kids should take options which interest them. My dd chose photography and graphic design as two of her options. Along with art this meant she wouldn't have space for a humanity which worried me as she wouldn't get an english baccalaureate and some teachers voiced misgivings about this. I think her HOY gave us some good advice when she said dd should choose what makes her happy.

Those options sound fine to me (except maybe the 'business studies' - but I don't know what that covers). My Dd did the same compulsory ones, geog and german and then DT (electronic products), computing and drama - ie a rather similar spread. The Art and DT will involve a lot of coursework, certainly not soft options.

I would encourage her to switch business for something else, if she continues it to 6th form she'll be starting from scratch anyway in year 12/lower 6th. Maybe something like R.S instead?

Word of caution about doing Art and DT amongst 11, that is going to take up a lot of time, they are not easy options at all, anything creative is a lot of work.

Why does she have to choose a year early?

Thanks, this is good advice, I think I will let her decide for herself but we will maybe check what is involved in business studies.

I'm not totally sure, Rachelzoe it all seems slightly bonkers to me!

I would worry that both Art and DT would be too time-intensive. Otherwise it seems fine.

She definitely has enough academic subjects. I agree about art and DT. Also get her to look at what business studies involves as she may realise it is not interesting to her, or loves the idea.

My DD2 will also have to choose this year, she is also in Y8 at a grammar. Since she is one of or probably the youngest in the year, she is only just 12 now, it does seem very early. She will only get 2 free choices, the rest are mandatory -
English lit
English Lang
MFL (can choose between English or German)
Maths (this might be double but it might not any more because new syllabus - for DD1 it was double but that was then this is now)
RS
biology
Physics
Chemistry

She will probably choose history and music as her two choices. She may do drama GCSE outside school with her drama group.

She's fine with her choices (such as they are) and she's fine with the level of work etc. But still. She seems so little. Much littler than DD1 did (because she's younger in the year than DD1 and also very tiny). Yet in some ways she's been the most grown up of my kids for years (the amount of performance experience she has has given her confidence and work ethic unusual in one so young).

My DD at a comp also has to choose this year - its changed because of the new syllabuses.
She will do:
Eng Lang
Eng Lit
Maths
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
RE,
then she has four options but she has to keep a MFL, and choose one of History or Geography.
To be honest I'll probably let her pretty freely choose the other two. But we have warned her that 2 Art of Technology subjects can be a lot of work.