GCSE Choices?

[June3]

Hello,

Firstly we live in UK but I didn’t study here. So I need your advices. Thank you in advance🫶🏻
Our child would like to do Maths, English, Science, Drama, PE, Art and Spanish. - she loves drama (also does grade 6 lamda lessons at school) and really like art, textiles. In the same time she is loves sport. She is in netball team in her school and loves swimming and tennis. She will do GCSE Greek (additional - as it is her second language so she will not take any lessons in the school for Greek GCSE). She would like to do Spanish as well. But she is not sure if needs to do RE instead of Spanish?
She doesn't want to do History or Geography. - do you think this is an disadvantage?
She doesn’t know what she wants do to in A level as she has so many favourite subjects right now and didn’t decide yet.
Thank you 🫶🏻

My daughter likes almost all subjects but doesn’t like Geography or History - I feel like she needs to choose one of them but doesnt want to push her as she will be the one who will study for 2 years. I believe its too early for them to make this decisions:/

I think BTECs count towards UCAS points though, don't they? You might find they help there if not at the college/A'level entry point?

Yes, it is very young really. It does determine career choices to a point.
DC wants to do History over Geog as it's "more interesting" but really I feel with their strong science background Geog is probably more statistical and the environmental side more science based... There's no explaining to them how many essays I remember doing for History and that while "The Russians" sounds interesting when you talk about Rasputin, actually learning about the Bolshevicks, Lenin and a list of treaties and dates was not particularly "interesting".

She needs to look at the exam spec as it may be much more interesting than what she has studied to date.

Not quite @NordicwithTeen. It can be one of 3 if a pupil does "triple" science. This is from elsewhere on the .gov.uk website.
Science
Pupils need to take one of the following options:

• GCSE combined science – pupils take 2 GCSEs that cover the 3 main sciences, biology, chemistry and physics
• 3 single sciences at GCSE – pupils choose 3 subjects from biology, chemistry, physics and computer science.

So you could, in theory, do, say, biology, physics and computer science as your 3 sciences. But I doubt that would be a timetabling possibility in most schools. Everywhere I know, "triple science" means biology, chemistry and physics, and computer science is in a different option block.

It's a science - but separate to biology/chemistry/physics. It's not hugely exciting but was still ds's fave subject as he was a keen coder. He did it as an A-level as well and there's an NEA where you can choose your own programming project, he really enjoyed that (although not the writing up so much!).
Python always made much more sense to DS than French or Spanish!

@MrsAvocet @Lyn348 this is the confusion as it it timetabled alongside the so called "soft" subjects meaning DC can't have a creative outlet as they are already at 11 GCSEs (hence the hoping to drop lang as "python is a language though Mum!"). I did wonder if you could do say Bio/Chem and Comp Sci and still get awarded triple science (would solve a few issues!).

I wonder if everyone gets their first choices though.

@LIZS yes they will- and girls will have 2nd choice if they cant fit one subject to their timetable - but head of year 10 said
its unlikely x

I would guess that in theory the answer is yes, but in practice probably no!
In your shoes, I'd probably encourage your DS to do something else to be honest. You don't usually need Computer Science GCSE to do A level or later a related degree so even I that's his current plan he wont be disadvantaged by not having the GCSE, and having a creative subject may give him a broader and more enjoyable set of GCSEs.
Both of my sons are currently at University doing engineering disciplines that are quite computing heavy - one did both GCSE and A level computer science and the other did neither!

Nope, bio chem and CS is not triple science. Triple science is not a thing you are awarded tho. It just means you have GCSEs in biology, chemistry and physics. Unlike double, which is actually two GCSEs in “science”.

Friend’s dd took biology and physics only but this was at a private school. I’m not a fan of that tbh - double surely much better.

What is your ds doing that 11 GCSEs doesn’t allow him a creative one @NordicwithTeen out of interest ?

Eng Lit/Lang, Maths & Theology (all compulsory) Further Maths, Triple Sci, Comp Sci, French and History.

Nope, bio chem and CS is not triple science.
For EBacc purposes it's an acceptable combinatio to qualify for the science component though - the requirement is either double science or 3 from Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Computer Science. So were their EBacc stats the main driver in a school allowing or refusing particular subject combinations it's potentially useful information.

My dd choose Art..its making her hate it.....it sucks all the joy from it.

As someone that taught a creative subject, I would recommend that your DD only does one creative subject, only doing two if they are extremely well organised.
Three is not going to be easy at all.

I understand that creative subjects will need a lot of work. But actually she feels that it will be easier for her. Because, Creative subjects have %40 or %50 coursework and my daughter says she prefer to do that. For example her art teachers told us she needs to finish %40 coursework before end of year 10. She says she will feel more pressure on her if she choose a subject that requires %100 examination end of 11 🤷🏻‍♀️

Definitely if she enjoys Art and will make the time to do the coursework it is an excellent GCSE. And she's right having done a certain amount of the course already, and knowing your marks, does take the pressure off the final exam. Just check that the combination of courses doesn't put too much pressure for the amount of course work overall.

Oh and in response to whether you should encourage/ persuade her to take either Geography or History, if she really, really dislikes them then she is unlikely to get the best grades and ultimately higher GCSE grades matter when it comes to choosing A levels. BUT the study skills that come from studying a humanities subject are useful in a lot of A levels.
If it helps the school my children attend they only have to choose a language or Geography or History (they can do all three if they wish) However RS or Citizenship is compulsory and sat a year early so there is a humanities type subject covered then.

I don't think she should do PE, Art and Drama. That's too much. Lots of people have already mentioned how much work there is for these subjects.
Was the art teacher's comment about it being difficult to get high grades and needs lots of work and talent a nice way of saying that maybe your daughter won't get a high grade because she's not particularly talented at it, even though she enjoys it?
I think she should do one or two of those and do either history, geography or RS instead.
What does she think she might like to do at university because she needs to make sure she meets any GCSE requirements some courses might have?