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Secondary education

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Original poster

Is 12 GCSEs in one sitting madness?

82 replies

montenana · 22/01/2018 09:44

DD is setting herself to be sitting 12 GCSEs plus a higher level Maths qualification all to be sat in one sitting.

I don't think the school have quite realised...
DD is "up for it" and laughs when i say it's going to be too much. She is bright and hard working and certainly is taking it all in her stride at the moment.

Those of you who have been there - should I put a stop to it before she starts?

OP posts:
Couchpotato3 · 22/01/2018 18:14

You might find it helpful to look at this year's exam timetable when it becomes available - they seem to be fairly similar year on year.

LIZS · 22/01/2018 18:16

the risk is that she is fine through the course but then the actual exam period is far too intensive with a huge number of papers

Pretty much. Not necessarily a huge number of extra papers (Ad Maths was only one 2 hour paper) but just more to think about and focus on. Languages have recently changed too, more papers and orals within the exam period rather than assessment in advance.

BubblesBuddy · 22/01/2018 21:36

My apologies about thinking she was going into year 9.

What is she taking, exactly? I am a bit confused because with 12, so many options don’t seem necessary. My DD is a MFL grad and didn’t do Latin. It is not necessary. However if she wants to do Classics then she should do the Latin and Greek. Perhaps now is the time to think about that. I believe few universities offer Mandarin so is this necessary? If she’s more a Maths/Science child, then languages are not a top priority and 4 seems too much (have I counted correctly? Was a standard MFL in the mix?)

Surely she would maintain her academic position in the school without doing certain subjects to please the school? I am surprised they think 12 is a good idea. As most people think, 10 is a good number and does not cut out a single university! Lower grades do though and exceptional pressure.

eastlondoner · 22/01/2018 21:44

I did 12 because I wanted to. It was fine. If she wants to do it let her get on with it I say.

goodbyestranger · 22/01/2018 21:49

DS1 was my last DC to take twelve GCSE and did so in one sitting - no modules - in 2009 (when he was in Y10 - that was the school policy then, he wasn't special). He had to be incredibly organised and only did twelve because he didn't want to drop any of the subjects and although he did manage to get twelve A* he was a very, very calm and steady worker. The new GCSEs are different beasts and I think I'd dissuade him quite easily from attempting twelve in the new currency. The only possible justification for twelve is that the DC enjoys all the optional subjects and doesn't want to give them up just yet, or wants to pursue those optional subjects at A2.

goodbyestranger · 22/01/2018 21:50

eastlondoner when did you take your GCSEs?

eastlondoner · 22/01/2018 22:39

Before your son did Smile. I don't want to age myselfGrin

gruber · 22/01/2018 23:12

It is definitely worth considering the exam timetable, it might mean lots of clashes or some very intensive weeks where she may have 10 or 12 papers in a week back to back. Like pp have said she might well be fine through the course and then the stress of revising for all 12 May be too much. I did a very similar combination (including Latin/Greek) and honestly that wasn’t the problem, I enjoyed them and found them easy! It was just scheduling everything in. I ended up doing 10 in one go plus 1 MfL a year later in a 1 year course. Do look at this year’s timetable and maybe consider 11 or 10.

Julie8008 · 23/01/2018 02:45

Just seen the 2018 timetable.

Here is a breakdown of 11 GCSEs, there are no clashes.
Week 1: 4 exams

Week 2:
Week 2:

Julie8008 · 23/01/2018 02:45

Just seen the 2018 timetable.

Here is a breakdown of 11 GCSEs, there are no clashes.
Week 1: 4 exams

Week 2:
Week 2: Week 2:

Julie8008 · 23/01/2018 02:50

(hit post button to early)

Just seen the 2018 timetable.

Here is a breakdown of 11 GCSEs, there are no clashes.
Week 1: 4 exams
Week 2: 6 exams
Half Term
Week 3: 7 exams (but 2 are short MFL reading & listening)
Week 4: 6 exams
Week 5: 1 exam

Original poster
montenana · 23/01/2018 08:35

thanks everyone.
the school's response has been that they will keep a close eye on her through the course.

Greek she can drop at any time
Mandarin is the obvious one to let go...
extra maths is just another paper.

OP posts:
goodbyestranger · 23/01/2018 08:52

eastlondoner I wondered if you did GCSEs when they were relatively easy as they were in 2009, or years ago when they were hard. Please don't age yourself on my account!

OP my youngest is in Y11 and is also in top set maths doing the additional maths qualification but I don't count that as an extra GCSE. Is your DD doing eleven plus the additional maths or twelve plus the additional maths? Eleven plus that seems fairly standard but maybe on the heavier side but twelve plus that might well tip the boat (I'd probably discourage it with mine anyhow or at least certainly not encourage it).

goodbyestranger · 23/01/2018 08:58

Sorry, I've just gone back and seen twelve plus. Ignore.

Witchend · 23/01/2018 13:50

At dd1's school (standard comp) they all do 3 exams early (2 in year 9, 1 in year 10) then up to 13 in year 11-most do 11.
She did 4 early and 12 in year 11.

I think it is more than idea, but she seemed to take it in her stride.

goodbyestranger · 23/01/2018 14:08

Witchend which year did your DD take her GCSEs?

goodbyestranger · 23/01/2018 14:09

And are you sure they still follow that pattern? I ask because the trend is strongly towards a two year KS3 and a three year KS4 with all exams in Y11 and no early entry.

Anasnake · 23/01/2018 14:12

How can they do 2 in Year 9 ? That would mean starting the syllabus in Year 8 at the very latest and many courses are now being done over 3 years ??

jamesforsythe · 23/01/2018 14:36

It's up to her - and is best anticipated by her current attitude to hard academic study. Our DD took 2 x GCSE early (15 yrs) and 12 GCSE one sitting the following and achieved 13A/A (6A/7A) & 1B.

She went from St Pauls to Oxford, Faculty of Medicine.

But then (unlike DS) DD was an award winning scholar at SPS
from aged 11.

It should be reasonably obvs from her school report history
if she's a straight A student.

Apologies - do you mean she just wants to take 12 GCSE ...

... to have 12 GCSE notwithstanding the grades ?

In which case, just do them and see - why not ? She'll know what she can manage, surely.

Best

00alwaysbusymum · 23/01/2018 14:44

I did 12 GCSEs but did two a year before so it was less pressure - could this be an option ?

Anasnake · 23/01/2018 14:46

The new GCSE's are much more content heavy than the old specs which is why many schools are now doing them over 3 years. This year will be the first cohort to sit them in all subjects. Comparing them to those done in previous years is not like for like.

ifonly4 · 23/01/2018 14:54

I think it depends how bright, how focused she is and other commitments. My DD did 11 GCSEs and got pretty much what was predicted from the start (two went up, two dropped). She also managed violin and piano lessons moving through at least one grade exam in both a year. As she was passionate about music and art, she spend lot of time on these, stayed in every lunchtime and regularly after school, but she knew she'd be doing that from the start and was willing.

BillywigSting · 23/01/2018 14:57

I did 12 but it was ten years ago.

Three I didn't revise for at all (r.e, textiles tech and drama) I got AAB for those.

The other nine I did revise for and got three As two A*s and six Bs.

I think if I'd done less I would have got a/a* across the board.

I only managed it because I am intelligent and was properly interested in my extra subjects (latin and geography) and had lots of support UN place (amazing English teacher who also knew and helped me with my drama texts and taught latin as an after school club. There were just enough of us in the club that the head granted our request to take the gcse in it because we might as well get the piece of paper. It helped a lot with those of us studying other languages too like French and Spanish so was a pretty easy gcse to have. )

Even without studying for three if them though it was bloody hard work, as hard as my a levels (i only did 3 though).

If she really wants to I'd say go for , but perhaps try to get her to take the further maths next year?

Witchend · 23/01/2018 15:12

@goodbyestranger last year, 2017.

Witchend · 23/01/2018 15:23

Anasnake
The way it works at her school is they take options at the end of year 9.
One is a one year option that they do intensively and take at the end of year 9. She did French, which was quite a struggle as she's not a natural linguist.
Some do non-GCSE qualifications (eg I think lamda is an option), but they all do something. They also all did Citizenship at the end of year 9. Thankfully that has gone (dd2's in year 9) as it seemed to be a waste of space.
All then do (and still do) RE in year 10. She also (top set maths) did Statistics.

They then have two options that are a 3 year course, and do two more as 2 year courses (year 10 and 11).
So they end up doing in year 11: Maths, Eng lang, Eng lit, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computing, as compulsory (unless you're really struggling in science in which case you do dual award) 2x 3 year course, 2x 2 year course.
She also did Ad maths and European computer driving licence (or something like that) which apparently counts as half (or 3/4!) a GCSE.

Personally I think she'd have been better doing 10 and would probably have got close on all top grades (except English, where she got a 8 and a 6 and at best would have been at two 8s)

But that's the way the school works, and most of the parents seem to like it. They have done consultations about it on several occasions and it usually come back with the majority wanting to continue.