Does double science trilogy limit you compared to triple?

[lll36]

DD's just move school for Y10 and her new school only offers double science AQA. DD really likes science and may even study a science related degree. However, we've read a few sixth form policies and only allow students to a science at A level if you've done triple science. And even if she is allowed, would double science limit her from doing well?

DB and I both did double science, went on to do science A levels and the science related degrees. No it won't stop her doing this.

I came out with a BSc 2:1 and DB an MSc first, so no it won't stop her doing well.

My dcs school only offer double, they send about 10-15 to Oxbridge every year, and similar plus numbers of medics.
Your only issue might be if genuinely all the local sixth forms need triple for science ( none of them do round here but policies do vary), however if that is the case i would very surprised at a local school only then offering trilogy ( combined) so i suspect there will be sixth forms locally that will accept it.

My DC go to a highly selective grammar school which offers both double and triple science. I would say 90% of them are doing double! The way the subjects were organised, they had so many subjects they had to do, they either had triple science and only 1 option choice or they did double science and had 2 option choices. The science teachers said it wouldn't make no difference when it came to the 6th form.

From my general reading around the subject I have come to the following conclusions:

• you can succeed with science A levels having done double
• if a school offers triple and does A levels, then it may 'expect' pupils to have done triple and thus a double pupil may have to work harder to catch up on assumed knowledge from GCSE
• if moving to a school for 6th form where triple is offered then again you may have to work to catch up
• if going to a larger 6th form college they will be used to having pupils who have only done double, and will to some extent allow for that

N.B. My conclusions may be wrong.

My girls' grammar only offered dual award. Plenty of girls went on to do science A levels, degrees, and careers.

Because lots of schools only allow the most able to do triple science I think it has become a bit of an unofficial shibboleth to identify the high achievers, but as pp demonstrate this isn't always the case.

I speak here as a Physics teacher and this is only my personal opinion:
I would be much happier with someone who got an A (in old money) from dual over a B at triple choosing A Level Physics - though I would still obviously take the student with the B, just be a bit more nervous about their outcome at the end. That said, I would really hope that the Physics components of their grade were at the A!

Being able to show an in depth understanding of the topics covered is more important than having been introduced to the topic but not understanding it terribly well at GCSE.

I doubt it. DH did triple science and i did double. We both went to oxbridge to study medicine. Lots of my contempories doing sciences as undergrads had double science gcse - but relevant subject (s) at a level.

My dd is in Y10, the way the school do it they don't decide until the Christmas of Y11 which students will do double and which will do triple, it depends how things go teaching the new GCSE.

I have said to DD that given the choice it would be better to have 2 x grade 8+ than 3 x grade 7 and she agrees so if she is borderline she will do double.

I know of schools that offer both double and triple award but realise that choosing triple reduces other options at GCSE, so to encourage breadth 'allow' teens to do double but if they then want to do A level sciences (where their own 6th form prefers triple) they offer the triple element at summer school so they can start 6th form with the requisite GCSE knowledge (if not the 3 GCSEs). I'm guessing they must offer the triple element for each of the 3 sciences. So, maybe your school offers something similar OP, or perhaps the 6th form colleges that request the triple award.

Imo it isn't the group who are Oxford candidates who are disadvantaged, it's the group just under that. If you're very able at science then catching up on things that you didn't do at gcse whilst also doing a-level shouldn't be a problem. Although I do think it depends on what they do instead, big difference between doing dual and an option they chose with good teachers, and doing dual aimed at dc who are lower achievers along with an option they neither need or want.

But if you are simply good then that extra can make the a-level a lot more work if you start by playing catch up. Especially so if the sixth form is geared towards those who mainly did triple.

The new 9-1 Science double award equivalents e.g. Trilogy (AQA) have more content than the old specifications and should be better preparation for A level.
The main issue though is taking the option that would give your dc the highest grades at GCSE so pupils with 77 may be better equipped for A level than those with 666.
Some schools may restrict pupils taking Triple either to enable them to take another subject or to make the average pupil grades higher.
It's slightly dodgy imo for a sixth form to have sixth form entry criteria that effectively prevent pupils transferring from other schools taking certain subjects. Could it be that they haven't updated this for the new GCSEs yet?

Why don't some of these schools not offer triple (separate) sciences? Is it a cost issue or lack of teachers?

Sorry, meant to say why they DON'T offer triple Sciences?

I work as a biomedical scientist and did double science - didn't limit my choices

Gruffalos
In the case of my dcs school, neither. They think double provides ample grounding for A levels in science if opted for, and it gives them and the kids time for other subjects.
In my case i would be quite happy if with the new spec gcses we only offered combined to all. Certainly as a bio teacher it provides an adequate grounding for A level, and as we take in at sixth form from numerous schools, at least 2 of which do not offer triple, in their cases i suspect due to lowish pupil numbers at gcse ( rural schools) we teach from that start point nayway for the majority of topics.
I have also known too many kids who have only done combined/double/dual ( whatever the govt wishes to call it at any one time) who have been very successful at A level to have any negative preconceptions about kids coming in with this ( whereas i have a massive issue with admissions letting them onto our courses with Cs).

DS school offers triple science but don't restrict it to the most able, they just say you need to be prepared to put in the work.

DS decided it was too much work and has opted for double. But he has more of a languages/humanities "bent" anyway so I suspect he will not want to do A level science.

I do wonder why we force everyone to do all 3 sciences these days though, whether that counts as 2 or 3 subjects. At my school you had to do at least one science (I did Chemistry and dropped the rest), at DH's school you had to do two so he did Chemistry and Physics. Having to do all 3 must pull down people's grades at times, eg if you did Chemistry GCSE you might get an A in old money but having to do all 3 as a double award might pull you down to a B or even a C.

I guess covering all 3 sciences (whether as double or triple) is regarded as good general knowledge for life. It would be a shame to give up a science all together at only 14.

"But if you are simply good then that extra can make the a-level a lot more work if you start by playing catch up. Especially so if the sixth form is geared towards those who mainly did triple."

I agree with this ^^

One of the girls at DD's school dropped biology because she was the only one in the class who hadn't done unit 3 as she only took double science. The teacher was clearly aiming the lessons at those who had done unit 3.

This girl has also left the school to redo year 12 elsewhere.