AQA combined science trilogy and triple science- what on earth is the difference?

[Toomanytealights]

Rapidly starting to think parents with kids taking options this year could do with a night class in the subject.

What do you get at the end of both?What is the difference? How well regarded is the lesser option? We've had very little info from school.

Look if he ends up doing double and wants to do Physics A level he just needs to spend a bit of time reading the extra topics. Plenty of kids do A level from double GCSE.

If he wants to do Physics A-level, then a decent grade in combined science, a REALLY good grade in GCSE Maths, and a bit of reading between Y11 and Y12 and he'll be fine.

It is entirely up to the school to decide how to organise their science curriculum and setting. You will not be able to get the answer on here!

I don't know what your school recommends. I think you are getting worked up over nothing

So getting a 6 in one means he can do triple then.

Oh FGS - IT DEPENDS ON THE SCHOOL.

A kid on track for 8/9s in that subject should do the course that challenges him otherwise what is the point of 8/9s being included.

Look if he ends up doing double and wants to do Physics A level he just needs to spend a bit of time reading the extra topics. Plenty of kids do A level from double GCSE.

This is what dd2 is doing. She is predicted an 8 in maths though which is why school have said fine at a level. She's predicted 7 in combined science

My dd chose to go down the two science GCSE route - she toyed with the three for a while and can probably get decent grades but ultimately decided that she found science subjects more stressful and going for two and then having extra time (via one less GCSE) for either extra work on stress-y subjects, or ability to do greater read around work in the subjects she enjoys made for a better balance in her opinion (and I support that). Her school were clear that at sixth form they may have students joining for science A - levels that came from GCSE routes that only provided for the double GSCE science option and therefore there was no explicit prohibition to progress to science A level from the double GCSE route. Thats not on the cards for DD (thankfully for me!!)

Combined Science has 17 grades, the highest of which are 99, 98 and 88. The challenge is there...

What has the school said?

Does the school do triple and double in the same amount of lessons, or does triple take up an option block? Very sciencey DD is being very stretched by being able to take a second language due to having 5 option blocks to play with - much more than she would by having another couple of Physics modules that she could easily read up on after GCSEs if she moves school to take science A-levels, or as part of the A level courses if she carries on in her current school.

And that is shit titchy as a kid on track for a 5 in physics in one school could do the more challenging course whereas others on track for 8/9s in another school can't. The children involved have no choice.

Physics in the combined gcse can be very challenging.

Why don't you write to the school and insist he does triple science? If he doesn't want to do biology then that'll be a challenge for him

Yes, and some schools offer Japanese or photography or FSMQ and some don't. Schools organise their own curriculum.

You are also assuming the difference is primarily challenge rather than extra content.

School takes the top combined percentage which makes it even more shit as in a good year he'd get to choose what he wants and in another he can't. No idea what course he'll get before options are decided,even more helpful.

Why will DD's 99/98/88 or whatever not have stretched her? the 9 means the same, it is just a (quite small) difference in 'content'.

My understanding is that the 'extra bit' in the triple science is not 'harder'. It is just 'more'. So to use a history analogy, it is like learning about another historical period, not doing 'harder history'. To get a 9 in the Physics part of double science is just as challenging, it just has slightly less content.

So the school has a cut off for triple?

You can't insist Scabb,you get what you're given( after you've sent the option form in).

Scabbersley - yes that's what I said - 2/3rd of the biology course, 2/3rd of the Chemistry course and 2/3rd of the Physics course. The extra content that makes up the triple course is then covered on top.

Ah sorry I thought you meant 2 out of 3 subjects!

Well that's just life isn't it? The grade 6 GCSE might be good enough for A level at one school, but not for another. One school might do Spanish and French, another might also offer German and Italian. Some schools offer Economics, some don't. Some offer a variety of performing arts, others don't. Schools are not the same. They cater to their cohort with the resources they have to hand.

Yep but it will move each year.

Can't that is encouraging.

Schools also need to work in class sets when deciding cut off points (If they use cut off points, not all do).

Ah,. X-posted.

You have assumed that the 'extra' Physics is the 'harder' Physics. My understanding is that is not the case. it is just an extra topic or two.

The challenge comes in some schools because they allow no more time for the triple science as for the double - the challenge is pace of coverage, not the content at all.

GCSE = the G stands for General.

The aim of GCSEs is to give a general grounding in a wide range of subjects. The time for specialisation is A levels or university.

The brightest 8/9 grade kids are going to find GCSEs 'easier' than the 4/5 grade kids. But the 4/5 grade kids won't go on to do A levels. The bright 8/9 grade kids can get their challenge by doing accelerated triple, or a twilight MFL, or by reading round the subject, or by Further maths or the maths Olympiad.

If he finds physics easy then great. He can use the time saved to pull up his biology.

That is why some schools will have a cut off, while some will simply offer triple as an option taking up an option block to pretty much all comers.