GCSE options thread

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Anyone want to chat about supporting your DC to make best choices for them? BTECS too!

Hmmm, I wonder if art is the right choice for my DS?

It certainly my wasn't for me. I got an F!

Mind you, he is far more hard working than I ever was!

DS2 is choosing this half term.

He only has one choice really as he has to do Spanish and either History or Geography (hate Geog so History it is) and then, being DS2 (plays footy, cricket, badminton, table tennis, does pole vault, javelin, gymnastics...) he will do PE... - hence just one option.

Hesitating atm between Comp Science, Ethics and Phil (advised not byDD as all her mates hate it but teach at options eve was very persuasive) and a surprise late entrant of Food and Nutrition mainly cos of the link to sports science.

I'm thinking Computer science would be useful but what do people think?

Computer science would be very useful but my ds' school has emphasised that it is a hard GCSE and you have to be good at Maths.

Food and nutrition could be a good one - and he'll have no shortage of friends if he can cook well ;)

My ds is doing core GCSEs English Lang, English Lit, Maths and double science - and has chosen a MFL, History and Geography for his options.

I am confused about the sciences. I thought you effectively got one grade but it counted for 2 GCSEs. So if you took them now in 8 subjects and got say 4 As and 4 Bs, and one of the B's was in science, you'd effectively have 5 B's. The core/additional thing has confused me. Could you potentially get one grade in core and a different grade in additional?

Cary ..if he wants to get into Sport Science being tech savvy and having a good grounding in mathematical concepts..there is lots of spss statistics and the chance to work with equipment such as eye trackers/ performance analysis software etc...it really can't harm

my favourite yes they could. Dilfferent units for each exam.

@myfavouritecolourispurple,

the core / foundation thing confused me too. Maybe foundation/core both = double science?

How I understand science in English schools is: There are usually 2 tracks. The less science-interested kids take "double" science. They get 2 identical science grades which covers generic sciences. 2 x B or 2 x D or whatever.

Then there is "triple": 3 grades in science subjects: biology, physics & chemistry. These can be completely different grades: eg, A, B & D. Our local schools require at least one option slot to be filled with the triple science option, in order to get those 3 separate science grades.

Not sure if core/foundation has anything to do with kids doing triple sci.

Thanks for the thoughts on comp sci. I will ask where teach as well as I know not a lot about it.

Re double science - it's two exams, but they both cover all sciences. You get two GCSEs, yes they could be different grades.

Triple science is a GCSE in biology, one in physics, one in chemistry. So three different exams and three potentially different grades. Obviously triple covers the sciences in more detail than double.

DS will be doing

Maths
Eng lit
Eng Lang
RE
Science, he is borderline between doing double & triple, not sure which he'll be doing yet
MFL, choice of German, Spanish and French, I expect he'll do German
Practical subject, I expect he'll do PE
2 options from range of practical, creative and humanities subjects - he will definitely do History and probably Geography or Business Studies

So 10 if he does double science or 11 in total, if he does triple science. Art and music took up a lot of a neighbour's DD's time, but then again she is a dedicated sort, and may have worked harder than the average teen. My DS's approach is bare minimum to get by without getting told off, except PE which he loves.

Dd1 chose fine art, health and social care,sociology,history for her options but can change her mind up to February 3rd

DS has already had to submit his options. He has to choose four (one language, one humanity plus two), and also a reserve. He's at a selective school, so all the boys are expected to do the usual English, English lit and maths, plus triple science. They have to do RS in Y10, and then have the option to continue to do the GCSE in Y11. He has chosen History, German, Latin and Geography, with Computing as his reserve.

It's a rather academically heavy selection, with no art/DT/drama type of options, but that suits him well as he's an academic kind of kid.

Dd has to choose her options, she can pick 4 which must include a language and a humanity. She's finding it really hard to narrow down her choices. She wants to include a practical subject and thought DT but at parent's evening the teacher was not particularly enthusiastic about her. We also spoke to computer studies but the teacher didn't seem to know who she was, until she checked her sheet and then said she was doing very well.

The subject teachers that were most enthusiastic were Geography, Latin, German and History. The French teacher was also very positive. Dd was erring towards French but I think that is because she is top of set 2, the teacher said she will probably move her to set 1 where she will be in the middle. Her Latin teacher whispered to dh to make her choose her subject as we were leaving her table. Poor dd hates making decisions but she has to put her ideas forward next week, and then the teachers will create the options blocks.

Do you think doing a language, history, geography and Latin is too much for GCSE? She's quite academic and would be aiming for A's with some A*'s in the old grading.

Mysillydog, very similar situation here. DS is also finding it hard to chose his options. It's new to me as it was an obvious choice for DD.

DS has to pick 4 options too. I thought for sure Computer Science would be one of them as he is performing very well (5+) as he is in Maths (6-) and last year, he went on about how he loved it. I assumed he would want to evolve in that field so it came a surprise when he said he didn't want to take it. I am trying to dissect his reasons from what I can get out of him, and it seems that it isn't his teacher (he had him in Y7 and was ok with him), nor that although he does well he finds it hard, but he insists that he only enjoys a small aspect of the curriculum (coding) but not the rest at all.

He was selected (as I am assuming was your DD Mysillydog) to take the English Baccalaureat pathway, which would mean History or Geography, a Language and 2 other options. He has been debating between history and geography and was going to do French, but after parents' evenings and his teacher saying that there were no more controlled assessments and me telling him that there was a huge jump from Year 9 expectations and GCSEs (ie, able to write about a page!), he reconsidered.

He now says he wants to do triple science and PE (that was always a given) and Geography and History. I am surprised at history as he never used to really care for it and used to hate writing essays, but somehow seems to have matured in that respect has he got good feedback in English and excellent in History and good grades (5- in English and 5+ in History).

I am now debating whether to accept his choice or whether to continue trying to convince him to consider Computer Sciences.

My daughter's got 3 option slots if she does triple science (was dabbling with doing 2 separate sciences, dropping biology, but seems to have been convinced 3 is appropriate - she is very academic). She'll be doing German (only just started) in a compulsory language slot and dropping French. She's currently suggesting History, Music and Art, but still interested in Geography, and not totally ruled out Latin; I rather think she would enjoy moving on to literature study in Latin, starting to get the "payback" from the learning you have to do to get to that stage.

I'm conflicted about Art - she's not a natural artist but has always been drawn to structured creativity; having changed schools this year she seems to be getting on better in art than DT so far. I just suspect it will take too much time for her to do it justice. But it is an ongoing interest so I'd feel bad if I started advising her not to continue it... I did wonder about suggesting she drop music and do grade 6 music theory "instead"; but she is at a school that takes music seriously so I think they will run the GCSE in a constructive way for their best musicians.

Dd2 wants English x 2, maths, double science, music, drama, history, re, Spanish

DD goes to a grammar school, so the options are very very limited.

English Lang
English Lit
Maths
Triple Science
RS long course (no choice)
History
Geography
PE

What have I forgotten?

Bit worried that she's got too many heavy subjects. She might drop Geography for Computing but she's in two minds.

Anyone have an opinion about whether it's a good idea to do both history and geography? She is very organised and academic. But I also don't want her under a lot of pressure.