Doing triple science out of school

[ramennoddles]

I have metioned in a previous thread that DD's school does not offer triple science even though she really wants to do it. Do you think she could take a test privately out of school? But would we have to pay extra so she can do praticals out of school?

When my son was that age triple science was not available at his school. He was still able to study sciences at A level and he could have done all 3 subjects if had wished. It didn't hold him back from what he wanted to do, he is now a junior doctor.

Does her school have a sixth form attached? It's unusual for a school not to offer triple science/separate sciences as it does benefit those going on to A level science. Though it isn't essential, double science students will usually be accepted innto A level courses provided they get the right grades. But A level is a big jump on from GCSE and a double science student will have gaps in their knowledge.

Saying that, if she can't do it at school in normal curriculum time, I don't think it is really worth her while doing it in her own time. She will have enough homework and study and stress as it is. She will be better off spending the summer between GCSE and A level doing some study to bridge the gap. There such study guides available to help.

Following on from what i said on the other thread:

You can't do this with the new 9-1 science GCSEs, IIRC - DD's school discussed it with me, and I looked up at least the board they do to verify it.

Previously, the triple could be a 'top up' from double, and thus taking the extra modules out of school was possible.

They no longer offer triple in that 'layer cake' structure, so the only possible way forward would be to do double in school, then a completely different set of three qualifications of the three separate sciences out of school.

I also don;'t think that the 'gap' between double and A-level will be as large as it has been before, due to the much greater content of the new double.

Better to spend the summer studying the extra material informally than try to take effectively 3 new GCSEs out of school.

If you look at AQA, for example

here

They offer:

• 3 separate sciences OR
• Synergy (seems to be single award) or Trilogy (double award)

Core / Additional / Further additional have been archived.

It's in the new GCSE regulations somewhere.

She should sit the exams in her school.

Depending on the exam board, the topics covered in the double science course may be a subset of the topics covered in the triple science course. I think this is true for AQA.

However, you'd need to find someone to teach the remaining topics, do the practicals somewhere, and enter your child for all the triple science exams at an exam centre (six exam papers for AQA) which they'd have to do on top of their double science exams (required by school) and their 20-odd GCSE papers in other subjects.

The CIE iGCSE courses have an Alternative to Practical paper, but the courses have a lot of content to learn and triple science would be 9 exam papers.

However,

Better to spend the summer studying the extra material informally than try to take effectively 3 new GCSEs out of school.

^ This.

Agree with cake. It's not possible the way you suggest.

If she's desperate to do it, I have in the past agreed to enter a child at the parents expense and their expense at tutoring the child for the extra work. She can't do combined science and then bio, chem, Phys. (They are on the same day for a start - for aqa anyway).

Synergy isn't single award. There is no such thing anymore. Synergy is the same content as trilogy just in a different order and mixed up exams. Our school has shelved it as there are no resources and it just doesn't flow well.

As I said. You can't just do triple as an extra 3 GCSEs. At least not in the same year. You need to talk to the school.

As your other thread told you. Triple isn't necessarily the right decision. If she is bright enough to get a top grade, I'd concentrate on that rather than 3 lower grades.

I did 2 at school and the third at night school for GCSE level then 2 in 5th year and 1 in 6th year for higher

I don't think it's reasonable to expect a 15/16yo to do extra study on top of the full curriculum the school will be giving.

I think you have massively let your daughter down by not addressing this issue a couple of years ago. It would have been obvious two years ago that your dd was good at sciences and you would have been selecting GCSE choices last year when there still would have been time to come up with another plan, look at other schools etc.

Given that you have left it far too late, your best option is to stick with the double science and then in the summer between GCSE and Alevel get some additional tuition in the sciences that she wants to continue with to cover the missed topics then.

But it's not possible now!

OP, did you contact the sixth form centres like the PP in your other thread said? I wish bloody triple didn't exist with all the trouble it causes me.

Disclaimer. I did triple. As extra at a grammar school that only offered double. Many moons ago. It's a different kettle of fish nowadays. Not possible in same year. Plus if you took all 3 separate sciences aswell as combined science it would be odd to any sixth form centre that knows the new GCSEs.

I thought that the new GCSEs contained a lot more content so there wasn't the massive gap to A level anymore?