GCSE option choices

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DD will soon be making her option choices, and she is really struggling as she desperately wants to do more subjects than she is permitted to choose. We've had conflicting advice from various sources and I just don't know what to believe any more.

She is very bright and a good all-rounder. She isn't yet sure what she wants to do when she is older - she has recently expressed an interest in civil engineering, but also likes the idea of careers in law, marketing, teaching or diplomacy, among many others! Her main priority at this stage is to keep her options as open as possible.

She is really struggling with the decision whether to do combined (double) or separate (triple) sciences. She enjoys science but is really reluctant to give up some of the other options, which she loves too, and she doesn't know whether she might be "wasting" one of her choices on triple science when she could do something else instead that she would otherwise have to give up altogether. On the other hand, if she does decide to go down the scientific route later on, she doesn't want to find that she may have damaged her chances.

She is aware that there would be some catching up to do if she subsequently chose to do science A-levels, and that isn't a major source of concern. She isn't afraid of hard work. What we really want to know is whether it will actually make any difference to her when it comes to university applications, if she did decide that engineering was what she wanted to do. Would they look negatively at her application if she only had double science? She has been very clear that she definitely isn't interested in medicine, just in case that makes any difference, though she hasn't ruled out something like biochemistry/medical research.

If it's relevant, she would probably be looking at "top" universities and is predicted top grades across the board. The other subjects would all be good, solid "academic" options with the exception of drama that she just wants to do for fun!

Please advise! Any thoughts from university admissions tutors would be particularly helpful, but all comments/experiences are welcome. Thanks very much.

Given the OPs description I would pick triple science every time.

The more academic children will be doing triple, combined science will have less academic children in the class. The best teachers will be teaching the triple. Will the combined even have specialist teachers for all 3 sciences?

Yes with combined science you can still do any for A-Level but if you are good at science and considering science for A-level / career then the more you learn about all 3 subjects the better (in education and in life). Playing catch up is never a good choice.

BTECs are more coursework than anything else. An advantage of a BEC over GCSE is that often the course work can be completed early, leaving more space to revise for GCSEs.

OP

Your dd has a good range of subjects, one thing, is it triple science or is it three separate sciences?

Your dd has a good range of subjects, one thing, is it triple science or is it three separate sciences?

Not sure if I really know the difference, sashh. The teacher referred to it as separate sciences, but the kids all call it triple.

My understanding is that they all have to do at least combined science, which covers all three sciences but only counts as two GCSEs, while those that want to do more science and have ability in that area can use one of their option choices to do three science GCSEs instead. So they can't opt to do separate sciences unless they do all three iyswim.

So is that separate or triple?

is it triple science or is it three separate sciences
They are the same thing.

Triple science is taking a GCSE worth 3 GCSES (as double is two) Separate sciences are GCSEs in physics, chemistry and biology, studied as discrete subjects.

In both cases you come out with three GCSEs BUT if you are taking separate sciences they can be different exam boards.

So if a school thinks AQA biology is better than Edexcel Biology they can have students sit AQA just for biology.

In double science there can be some grade adjustments if a student is better in one science and not another.

But every school I've ever known just does the extra units to top up the double GCSE into triple (because if a kid drops off triple you've still got entry options) but you do still get a grade in each science as PP said. It's often done as an option in order to give the extra time to do the extra units unless the majority of classes will be doing triple, in which case the curriculum is designed to fit within core subjects time without needing the extra.

So it's triple time (this stems back to when there was a single double and triple GCSE, the maths of the teaching hours don't stack up any more) but you're graded in three separate sciences, so both works in terms of general conversation 🙂

Triple science is taking a GCSE worth 3 GCSES (as double is two) Separate sciences are GCSEs in physics, chemistry and biology, studied as discrete subjects

No that's not true. In combined science you study all 3 sciences (two thirds the content of triple) and get awarded 2 GCSE's. In triple science you study all 3 sciences and are awarded a separate GCSE in Physics, Biology & Chemistry. My DC did triple science last year and was awarded all 3 separate sciences.

Triple science and 3 separate sciences (9-1) are the same thing.

If there is any chance she wants to take science a levels, I would suggest triple science GCSE as she will have covered so much more of each science at GCSE then as a basis for the a level. It is perfectly possible to do a level from a decent double science result, but you have a more solid grounding to go from.

Otherwise, any of her choices are great! Drama does have a lot of controlled assessment and group work, and can take up an awful lot of time...and of course if someone in your group doesn't pull their weight or turn up to your practices etc his can be really annoying, but can also see the argument for a more fun subject.

Sounds like whatever she chooses she has a great selection to stand her in good stead!

Cant help much on the science aspect, but re Geography I thought I was going to hate the physical side.

But there is lots of variety in physical side and I actually did enjoy most of the module (this is 20 years ago though and at an international school), I actually found a love for biogeography and geomorphology (tectonics etc) very interesting. And re rivers, hydrology was a bit naff but not that hard, esp if she is good at physics. I loathed climatology though!

I may be biased though as I went on to do a degree in Geography

Oh and re two languages, I did both French and German at GSCE and I was also a natural at languages and did not find it hard to seperate the two languages, never got mixed up etc.

I did French and German (O levels) and didn't have any problems getting them mixed up, but my children did sometimes mix up French and Spanish which are more similar. Both dropped Spanish at GCSE, but kept on with French.