Urgent: GCSE v BTEC

[LookingThroughTheLookingGlass]

Help

DD choosing options
Deadline is tomorrow so quick answers needed!!

Wants to drop German and take up BTEC hospitality (food tech)

I didn’t do German so am no use when it comes to helping her if she needs it- she’s really not confident speaking (sounds ok to me though) and listening....

I can’t cook, can’t help her with hospitality either
Also I think I’ve just discovered I’m a qualification snob...its a BTEC not a GCSE and that worries me

She doesn’t want to do a job with either of these but is very interested in hospitality

What should we do??!

Predicted 5-7’s in German

What are her future plans. My daughter is doing a BTec in Engineering which I think is a good choice for her as she is interested in doing something related to art and computers,
( Engineering contains a large element of technical drawing).

She doesn’t know what she wants to do
But do you think if when applying for uni, when up against an otherwise identical candidate, a language would be preferential?
That’s if she even goes to uni at all!

Depends how many other gcse,s she is doing . My dd did 11 and after the basic English maths, science and subjects she wanted for her A level we let her choose as these were just making up the numbers and rather she studied something she enjoyed than not. So if she has a good number and is doing well in the others I say let her do the btec. You never know she may discover a new career choice off the back of it and it may be useful for part time uni work.

Just seen you second question . A language used to be important but less so now . Maybe for oxbridge and the top 5 unis it may be an issue but most unis just care about A level relevance and work experience

History
Citizenship
Art
Computer science
Double sci
Eng
Maths

So quite varied

A lot of ds's friends did Hospitality BTec. We live in quite a touristy area and it was very useful for Saturday and holiday jobs. There is only one university left that specifies it wants a language, so don't worry about that.

“I can’t cook,”

Sorry, I don’t believe anyone who says that they can’t cook. Unless you are dyslexic anyone can follow a recipe. There are people who aren’t interested in cooking or don’t want to cook, but “can’t cook”? Nope.

As your DD has the basics covered perhaps she should choose the subject she would enjoy the most. Why can't she do GCSE food technology instead?

To give up the language they have to do a BTEC
Originally this was the pathway for those that struggled in languages- my daughter just doesn’t enjoy it due to confidence and I have no idea how to help unless I pay to have German lessons myself...which I can’t afford

And no, I can’t cook
Hate it, bad at it, have zero interest in it... would rather clean the toilet
Some people can’t cook
Like some people can’t drive, or ice skate, or understand German
I can’t cook
Or speak German

Soz meant to say .....she was put on the languages pathway but we have enquired about swapping

GCSE food tec is in the ‘block’ with computer science which she loves

Argh posted too soon...
Can only chose one from each block so has chosen computing

Why can't she do GCSE food technology instead?
Presumably because school don't offer it.

The BTEC will have regular coursework throughout the 2 years. If it has an exam (will it?) it will be a smaller % of the whole qualification. So doing the BTEC will reduce revision load and exam load in summer y11. She already has 9 GCSEs, so the 10th can easily be a BTEC, won't make any odds for university. Learning how to cook is a useful life skill. Is it just the cooking side, or also things like silver service etc?

If she doesn't do all A levels then knowing how a BTEC works already could be useful for college also.

It's her 10th choice, if she'd rather do Hospitality then I'd let her.

(Art is well known as a time eater. I'd drop that and then do both German and Hospitality ).

I would encourage her to pick German. It's a more academic subject that is likely to be better regarded by universities as a facilitating subject.

That said, it is ultimately her decision and it sounds like she favours the BTEC.

So they do offer GCSE Food tech and BTEC hospitality. I'm surprised.

To further add both my DS and dd did a language as the schools they went to made it compulsory. My dyslexic DS did Spanish which was a disaster as we couldn’t help him as neither me or DH knew Spanish. He ended up being pulled from the gcse and did the hnd/btec equivalent and got a c equivalent. My dd learning from our mistakes did French equally unsuccessfully they wanted her to drop it just before the exam but we refused and got her a very expensive tutor . She ended up with a B (no idea how though). If I had my time with both kids again and they could have dropped the language and done something else I absolutely would have chosen this

I want her to enjoy the subjects she does and be able to go on to be successful in whatever she chooses with them under her belt ...like we all do

I just can’t help her with either and BTEC’s are new to me

TeenTimesTwo... can only drop a language (not the art option) for the BTEC so that wouldn’t work

She has a good range and some strong subjects (history, computing) so if she would prefer the hospitality to German then go for it. Won't make any difference in the future. And I say that as a former MFL. teacher and German fan girl.

You won't need to help her with cooking if the course is good, but why not let her cook at home for some practice.

I would encourage her to pursue German. She is not studying another language so if she doesn't take German she will not have the full range of subjects which make up the English Baccalaureate - those generally considered a good academic base. Languages open doors to travel and a more global outlook. Also, she may really like German - if so there will be increased opportunities to get into a great university, either on its own or with a whole array of subjects. Overall those studying German have plummeted - this gives increased opportunities to those with the ability and aptitude to continue. She is predicted a good pass- I would say go for it.

Hospitality isn’ cooking, by the way.

Why is it that so many children want to drop languages when other countries the majority don’t drop a language? We seem so poor at languages!

German. If she ever wants to work in hospitality having some language skills will be a bonus.