Waldegrave school, GCSE

[JuneSun]

my DD will go to waldegrave school (in Twickenham) in Sep. I am learning about GCSE exams. Do you know which GCSE exam system the school take? AQA or Edexcel? I can't find any information on the school website. Thanks.

For the students taking GCSEs in 2021:
Maths: Edexcel
English Language & Literature: AQA
Sciences: AQA
Religious Studies: Edexcel

The option subjects are all either AQA or Edexcel.

By the time your daughter takes her GCSEs in 2024, any of these could have changed.

It'll vary from subject to subject. And will almost certainly change between now and when your dc takes their exams. Why?

thanks a lot!
do we have a chance to choose?

No, the school will choose which board for specific subjects, but you will have a choice of GCSE's.

I agree with others op, the school will choose boards, based on their experience and other factors. I don't know the school you mention but most children will do exams from several boards. My dd has 10 GCSEs from AQA, OCR, EdExcel, WJEC.

Why do you need to know? It's honestly not important.

There was another thread on a similar theme recently, I've just had a quick search but couldn't locate it.

Anyway the gist was:

• All GCSE boards are viewed equally by universities, employers etc
• School departments choose the board they think is most appropriate for them
• Departments can and do change boards, so whatever board they are currently doing may change by the time any y7 gets to start their GCSEs.

Further to this. Although within the boards there is also choice offered (e.g. periods of history, books to study), this choice is operated by the school on a year group or possibly class by class basis. The pupils/parents do not get a choice.

You will get a limited choice in which GCSEs are done. Some will be compulsory (Maths, English a certain amount of Science). Other compulsory may be Geog/History, a Language, and even triple science in some selective schools. Different schools take different views on the amount of flexibility they give pupils.

this is mad
so how we suppose to prepare?

so how we suppose to prepare?

Before she chooses her GCSE subject options, she will receive a booklet with details of which exam board will be used for each subject.

She will not need to do any preparation before Y10.

Is your dd going in to year 7 in September? Assuming she is, she can best prepare for GCSEs by working hard, paying attention in class and doing her homework.

When she has chosen her subjects she can look more closely. Even if you knew the boards, as others say, there is a wide variety of possible options within each exam. For example, dd studied animal farm and frankenstein. Her brother, same school. Same GCSE board, did inspector calls and Christmas Carol.

No need to worry about that in yr 7. Get her into good learning habits and you'll be well away. MFL GCSE for example builds on the learning from KS3, whichever boead you do. HTH

so how we suppose to prepare?

Err you don't prepare specifics in year 7, or year 8. You do homework, develop a conscientious approach to school work, and work as hard as you can. Listen and get in the habit of organising own workload. That's how you prepare. GCSEs are designed to build on work done in lower years - so make sure your child does that work to the best of her ability.

HI All, that's very helpful! Do you know if we can choose the subject if DD is particular good at some subject, such as music or languages that different to the one school teach? Thanks.

If a DC is fluent in another language, then schools often let them take a GCSE in it with no additional lessons. e.g. Polish.

Music, I would expect to be offered by almost all schools. The instrument(s) would be of your DC's choosing.

When you eventually choose GCSEs (normally in y9, sometimes in y8) they will tell you which board they are using so you can purchase revision guides tailored to the board.

However. You really don't need to be worrying about all this now. Just prepare your DC for moving school. Tell them to try hard. Help them to be organised in their homework, and make sure they prepare for tests.

@JuneSun, how old is your daughter? If she is only 11 she will be starting in "Year 7" in September. The GCSE curriculum starts in Year 10 and the school will give you all the information you need well before then. The process of choosing GCSE "options" normally happens in Year 9.

@TeenTimesTwo, @ringadungding, thanks. time flies... I feel DD was only 5 and all of sudden she is now 11...
I don't feel confident if the primary school mode continue. There was no textbook and hard to find out what DD learn in school. totally lost in the first few years of primary school. I then bought CGP books, and found extermely helpful. at least I know what is expected to learn.

Textbooks are expensive and too quickly out of date, so schools don't use them much these days. Your daughter will probably be directed to lots of online resources instead.

At age 11 you need to be looking at Key Stage 3 resources, not GCSE. Try BBC Bitesize for example: www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/levels/z4kw2hv

@JuneSun As you know Waldegrave is an outstanding school and in 2016 was named best secondary state school in the UK so your dd is lucky to be going there and will no doubt have excellent teaching with only minimal parental input needed.

If you must get things, I second the CGP (or similar) Key Stage 3 guides, especially for Science (& Maths if necessary). Plus also an all-in-one book for whatever language they are doing (one that covers Vocab, verbs and Grammar, e.g. by Collins).
The other subjects are more skill based than content so the books are less helpful in my opinion. When I say this, I mean it doesn't matter if they are learning about the Tudors or the Victorians, or Brazil v India, because they are learning the skills to be a Historian or Geographer.