Should DD drop GCSE Art to focus on other subjects?

[basilbrush]

DD is in Year 11. She is extremely talented at drawing but is way behind on her coursework / portfolio. This is partly her own fault due to time management and making the most of the time she did have available over the summer and partly not her fault at all (she has been in and out of hospital since beginning of Year 10 and is still suffering with health problems as well as associated stress caused by it)

She is currently doing 11 GCSEs (standard at her school). For Art, they are expected to go in every lunch break and an evening once a week after school. It takes up by far the most time of any individual subject. We both agree that dropping Art would be give her much more breathing space to concentrate on the other subjects.

The only things that she's hesitating about is that she might want to do Art A level. But I suspect that if she's not passionately attached to it at GCSE, then she wouldn't enjoy it at A-level either where I have heard to takes up a huge amount of time / effort.

She has been predicted eight 6s, two 7s and one 8. So not stellar but should be OK to do A levels.

She has not decided on her A levels yet - at the minute they fall into two routes, either Business / Marketing / Languages route (she saw Art as a possible A level here) or Nursing / Vet Nursing / Animal Behaviour route (in which case she would do Biology, Psychology A levels plus something else)

Am I right in thinking that she should drop GCSE Art now?

You're asking the wrong people....speak to your daughter....and her teachers. If she's had her ill health episodes this year she may well benefit from doing her art A level. Uses a completely different area of the brain and supports other areas of learning, promotes well being. Great complimentary subject for all her choices. My youngest is a scientist and went on to study medicine at Exeter even studying an art unit in anatomical drawing. Very complimentary subject and part of the drive to produced well rounded candidates with good patient skills. In the end what matters is that your daughter is healthy and happy, not a race to a qualified graduate status. In her own time.

I would be very surprised if she is allowed to drop a GCSE. It certainly isn't a thing at our local high schools.

If they allow it then consider it, but if she hasn't put the work in, how do you know she will use the time correctly on other subjects? Who is meant to supervise her during the times when art lessons should be on school?