Are there any GCSEs with no exams?

[OrangeApples]

Similar to art?

DS is choosing GCSEs. He’s not the most academic and is considered a “low attainer” although I disagree and hate the term (I prefer to call him practically minded) most understand it’s meaning. He’s been given predicated grades, based on SATS, of 3s and 4s.

Obviously he will have to do English, maths and combined science. He gets a free choice of the option blocks (4 options) but only has to choose 3, he will do learning support sessions in the block he doesn’t choose a subject.

He wants to do art because it’s practical and has no exam. He doesn’t want to do anything else because they have exams and the BTECs have “too much writing coursework” apparently (his words). Although I have told him he might just have to pick something he will enjoy and wants to learn more about and forget about exams/what grade he gets and just learn because he wants to.

So what I’m really asking, are any of these choices similar to Art in terms of practical work/no or very little exam emphasis.

Block A
GCSE History
GCSE Geography

Block B
GCSE Food
GCSE Textiles
GCSE Business
GCSE PE
GCSE French
GCSE RE
BTEC Health and social care
BTEC Sport

Block C
GCSE Triple Science
GCSE PE
GCSE Music
GCSE French
GCSE Drama
GCSE Geography
NCFE Food and Cookery

Block D
GCSE Triple Science
GCSE Art
GCSE Citizenship
GCSE History
Level 2 Performing Arts
BTEC Music
OCR Nationals ICT

Art has an exam - DD has it over two days just before Easter. It also has a huge amount of coursework which involves analytical writing about artistic influences as part of the coursework and exam prep.

Dd1 is in year 11 and at her parents evening the performing arts teacher was ranting (quite rightly) that their btec has changed and only 15%is practical and 85% is now based on the written part. She was telling us of some gifted children in the lower sets who she can't believe now won't get a good grade because of their writing skills. I'm sorry I don't really have an answer or advice just wanted to say I hear where you are coming from and it's completely wrong that every subject is now based on their English.

PE, history, geography, RE and Business all have both huge amounts of coursework or writing and exams. I think you will struggle to find anything that doesn't. The ones I've mentioned above are what my son is doing, I know his friends doing other subjects have similar amounts of work.

History, Geography is very exam based
Languages are also very exam based
Art is very time consuming and I believe there's an exam and coursework?
I heard that Drama includes written work too.

Personally I think you're right and he should pick the subjects that interest him regardless of final grade achieved

Predicted grades based on SATS is a very random measure which you shouldn't focus on too much imo. For example I believe that his languages and science grades are based on his SATS literacy grade which is obviously very random. I've had 2 kids do GCSEs and both "beat" their predictions.

With many of the choices, he probably knows which subjects he likes/dislikes least.

One of my kids did a BTEC and I think it worked better for him than the GCSE option. He's the type who only studies right at the end where as the BTEC format forced him to from the start to improve coursework etc

Textiles has a single exam - though it is quite technically based, depending on the board. DD's exam contained both 'general' Design / Tech questions and 'textile specific' ones, so the amount of content to be learned was in fact quite high.

Certainly the main project (and mercifully, unlike art, which she also did, it is a single piece not a portfolio plus final piece done under exam conditions) was a significant percentage and well-spread over the two years BUT it did have to be accompanied by a written submission with research etc.

Depends n the boards. Eg at DS2's school product design has no terminal exam, just two course work projects, but this unusual for PD

Avoid history, it's very difficult and tons to memorise and analytical skills are demanding.

Geography has shorter answers and some based on common sense and data analysis of maps graphs etc. But still hard!

Getting English is so so important, can you push for reduced option subjects and booster English sessions, even if some of that is reading or working in the library independently

If he is practically minded then business studies may be useful if wants his own business in the future as a plumber, roofer, mechanic type of job

Music is similarly a single exam with lots of content to learn for it - and you do have to be quite musical to get good grades as it is a 'listening and appraising' paper.

Other assessed sections are performing and composing. Not for the faint-hearted unless he already has a good grade in a musical instrument.

It's possible to get a very good grtade in music with minimal writing but only if you are shit hot at listening and aural/music theory.

Ds got a Grade 7 in his mock and is aiming for that in the real thing. He scored very highly on the first part of the paper which was identifying chord sequences, cadences, intervals, instrumentation and stylistic features of the unseen extracts butmuch lower on the set works questions that required extended answers.

He has ABRSM Grade 5 music theory and performs to Grade 5-6 standard on voice and keyboard. He wrote a fully orchestrated overture for his composition.

Now you don't need to be that standard for GCSE but his high grades in those areas outweigh his low grades in the extended writing areas.

That is an amazing choice of subjects!

There is no coursework in Business Studies and the first half of the paper is multiple choice. Ds likes it because it is logical and more mathematical than although there is still some writing.

Ds dropped food. It is very scientific, there is a lot ow work that needs to go into the practical assessments. One of them is more like science practical and you have to produce a written log/evaluation of everything.

Dd1 is in year 11 and at her parents evening the performing arts teacher was ranting (quite rightly) that their btec has changed and only 15%is practical and 85% is now based on the written part.

Ds's dance teacher has changed from BTEC dance to RSL Dance half way through the course she is so unhappy with btec.

I’ve sent you a message

Ds is nearly 17 and is in sixth form college doing his A levels, he sat his GCSE’s last summer.

I don’t believe there is any subject that doesn’t have an exam. There are of course those that aren’t a formal sit down type of exam but all subjects have an exam of sorts.

Ds did history, art, drama and photography as his options.
The year he started his drama course, the goalposts changed and became very exam heavy rather than practical. He has a friend from primary who also chose drama but he massively struggled with the writing element and exam as he has dyslexia ( he had a scribe in exam ) and didn’t get the grade to do it at A level.

My ds has Aspergers and struggled with timing in exams and in his drama he messed up and wrote about the wrong thing. Thankfully his coursework was a grade 8/9 and pulled him through and he ended up with a grade 7.

The easiest one according to ds was photography as the “exam” was more like coursework as was done over a set amount of hours and he got his only grade 9 in this.

Art was similar to photography where the exam was in school time but not done under strict conditions. He said lots of kids got help too but am not sure how true that is.

Ultimately though, your dc has to like the subject. I know this to be true as my ds has been a talented artist since he could hold a pen, winning awards since he was really young.
He dropped it as one of his A level subjects after about 6/7 weeks as he said he wasn’t loving it anymore. I was a bit gutted but it’s his choice and he said he wasn’t putting the effort it that he once did.

Does he have any idea of career or subjects he particularly enjoys? It's going to be easier to stay motivated in something he actually has an interest in.

For example, my brother wasn't very academic, but enjoyed cooking, did well at GCSE and went on to study it at college and work as a chef.
If he is interested in catering, then food and maybe business could be a good combination; or maybe something like food + PE / sports if he is interested in nutrition or a gym enthusiast?

I'd suggest ICT too - it could open doors to apprenticeships if he'd like to stay in that field, but is also a valuable transferable skill.

Sorry that was long but just to echo a pp on the importance of English. Most sixth form colleges here ask for a grade 5 in English language and some of ds’s friends are now doing courses they aren’t really happy in as didnt get English and therefore weren’t allowed to do A levels. Similar with maths. I would really push these two and buy him the revision guides for his exam board from WH Smith, worth every penny.

Anecdotally "health and social care" is considered to be the "easiest" choice in terms of workload at DS's school.
No idea how true that is though!

I wouldn't pick Music unless they have a real musical aptitude. The composition element is taking DS what feel like forever.

Thanks all, this is all really useful and a good insight.

I appreciate all GCSEs have exams but what has attracted DS to art over others is the not sitting in an exam hall for 2 hours writing.

He likes art. Will never be an artist but he’s happy to draw, paint and be creative. I think even if he doesn’t get all the analytical writing part correct or struggles with it, he will at least enjoy the subject, is quite happy to build a portfolio and wants to do it.

From what I’m hearing: History, Geography, RE, PE and Business GCSEs would probably not be the best choices. But maybe consider business?
He’s not interested in music, unless he’s listening to it, so both GCSE and BTEC Music are off the list.
Languages are already off the list, I should have mentioned before but he hasn’t done languages since the middle of year 8. We swapped languages for more learning support/English.

We’ve been thinking about food. Maybe not the GCSE but does anyone know about the NFCE? Anyone with DCs who’ve done it?

@stardust40 I’ve heard similar things about BTECs becoming less practical and more writing assignments lately. I don’t thinks it’s a good thing. They are meant to be the practical choices.

DS isn’t sure what he wants to do when he leaves school. He says an apprenticeship of some sort where he gets to build things or fix things. (I’ve sent him off to have a google at what’s out there and come back with some potentially interesting careers/jobs and what GCSEs they might need)

@AwkwardPaws27 thanks for showing potential combinations and what they could lead to, got me thinking more generally rather than this subject for this that subject for that etc.

I’ll look more into drama, performing arts, textiles, food, ICT, sport, business and health and social care with DS.

@CuriousCapricorn and @winewolfhowls If I think we can’t find anything suitable then I will push the school for more English sessions. I do like how they are allowing him to do 3 rather than 4 choices so he can have learning support sessions.

DS is doing a Cambridge National in iMedia (ICT). There are exams, but these can be retaken. There is a lot of coursework, but this is done over 2 years. He will take an exa in yr10 and another in yr11, but not at the same time as the GCSE exams.
Effectively, he’ll have 1 less subject to sit an exam for in June 2021 as he’ll have finished it. Useful as history, PE, triple science and English are heavy on the writing front and he is dyslexic. I’d guess the OCR National would work in the same way?

A friend's son is doing BTEC food and loving it. He will also have finished it by the end of Year 10, as they build in time for those who might not pass first time around to have another go. It's been pretty practical so far with minimal writing - and being able to cook is an important life skill anyway.

The school should be able to give you detailed info about what’s involved in each subject, content of the course, exams and coursework.

curiouscapricorn

Art was similar to photography where the exam was in school time but not done under strict conditions. He said lots of kids got help too but am not sure how true that is.

Well it should have been fully under exam conditions and there should have been zero help given. So it sounds as if that was conducted very badly indeed. That school would be unlikely to be allowed to be an exam centre with that kind of practice going on. How grossly unfair for all the students at schools following the correct rules.

This is the issue that as educators we have been shouting about but ignored that with the changes to the qualifications that schools can deliver/are judged on are for the academic minded only – if you are not suited to this type of learning/assessment that you are just thrown in bin.

It has just got worse as well with the announcement last week regarding post 16 qualifications (read past the misleading headlines, a lot of those qualifications that will no longer receive funding are those that affect the less academic and SEND as obviously they have lower entry numbers).

BTECs (and other vocational qualifications like the OCR Techs, NCFE Techs) had to reform in order to meet the new standards in order to be counted which includes the examined unit as well as the significant coursework requirements. They do though still allow a resit on the exam with the highest grade being counted but the coursework requirements are a large undertaking which require significant writing, analysis & evaluation throughout.

Sorry op not to be able to give advice on your particular circumstance (although if you can find out the board for the GCSE Business I can offer you far more detail with regards to that) but it does highlight once again the issues that students are facing if they are not 6+ in GCSEs

Thank you everyone. This has helped us a lot with the decision.

@cricketballs3 I totally agree with you. The system is set up for the academically minded. They rest can colour in for the next two years as far as the government are concerned. Although our school have been brilliant and really supporting. They understand the issues faced by not only my DS by other similar ability DCs.

I think we’ve come to a decision, we seem to have gone for (have to put 1st and 2nd choice down)

Block A
Learning support

Block B

1. BTEC Sport
2. GCSE Food

Block C

1. NCFE Food and Cookery

No 2nd choice, nothing suitable. Will ask for extra learning support if he doesn’t get it

Block D

1. OCR National ICT
2. GCSE Art

We’ve picked the most practical and the ones DS would be happiest doing and get something out of regardless of the end results he gets.

Options form doesn’t need go be in until Friday so I’ve time to speak with school see whether he would be guaranteed his first choices and what happens/what we could do for him if he doesnt.