GCSE options

[SorrengailFables]

Approaching the deadline and DD is dithering…
triple science (takes an option at her school) or history?

She’s doing english, maths (and further rmaths as top set), science, RE (compulsory)
then options she has already decided geography, french, PE…

I’m worried about workload with history on top of everything else but think it’s a good gcse…worried about boredom with triple science as she loves biology - doesn’t love the others but finds them quite straightforward…
neither option is a “love to do” choice for her - more of a “need to fill an option”

has fully discounted all the creative options as doesn’t want to perform in music/drama, time-sapping hobby so art/dr not suitable 😂

Not sure how she’s going to decide…I’ve suggested reading the topic lists to see which she thinks sounds most interesting as she’ll be studying those….

History is great, but she’s already doing four “options” RE geog French and PE (even though RE is compulsory). And an extra maths on top, though that’s very doable in top set. It would be a lot easier for her to go for triple science - they just cover a bit more material in the lessons per subject, and it feels like that’s less extra to revise than a whole other subject. Plus if she’s good at science it’s probably easier to get a high grade there. I love history but unless she’s actually keen to take it, rather than filling an option slot, I’d go with triple science, and she’ll have more time to focus on her actual choices. 10 plus further maths is already a lot.

Does she have any idea about a levels or similar?

Does she have any idea what she might like to do after year 11? A levels / btec / apprenticeship? Her future hopes might be a good guide. Eg if she’s aiming to do dentistry, triple science would be more useful than history.

Triple science. If you don't love history it's not a great pick and if she is good at science why not turn that into 3 good but fairly easy for her grades.

I agree that if she doesn't love history (and that fact that she has picked geography over it suggests that) then triple science may be better for her.

She will be doing all three sciences anyway so the triple option will just be extra lessons, not a whole extra subject.

History GCSE covers a huge load of content and is a big ask IMHO. It’s one of the subjects where classes are often still playing syllabus catch-up at this stage of year 11, when for MFL (my subject) we had covered all the content and were on to revision and exam technique.

Great that she is taking French :)

Re future plans - a-levels and uni are the plan at the moment…
She’s a bit of a mixed bag really…until the start of year 9 she was interested in Ancient History/Classic Civilisation but for the last 6 months or so she’s become interested in physio/sports science/sports medicine 😬 Bit of a u-turn!
she wants to keep her options open…a-levels she’s interested in biology, French, ancient history, geography…🥴 but that’s on interests alone - if she went the science route more in the next 2 years then she’d check if she needed 2 sciences for the uni course she wanted to do…

13 just seems very young to map out your whole career! And clearly she is very undecided 😂

You’re not ruling anything out really with gcse choices, but it can make some a levels easier. It’s quite possible to study some a levels having never studied them before.
some universities look at their best 8 GCSEs, others aren’t concerned with them at all so it’s not really limiting their future choices at 13.

At our dc's school, they cannot do both geography and history. They have to choose between the two because of the amount of work they involve.

@Memoriesbeingmade this is my concern as well….have heard they’re both a lot of content…on top of all the other stuff as well….
I think triple science might be less “extra” from the sounds of it….

Does the triple science have extra exams over the combined, or just longer?
If just a bit longer (I think it depends on the board?) I'd go for the triple science to minimise exam load at the end as well as the fact she finds sciences relatively easy.

It would absolutely definitely be less extra. I’m thinking of the sections in the science revision guides that are the “triple science only” ones, and comparing them against all of the history work my son was revising for.

I think all of the a level science options are completely fine with double science, so that shouldn’t be a problem. Ancient history at a level - the RE should help with the comparative essay writing and historical source comparisons there, though history would do that too, and I think languages help? Feels like all her options are fine with her potential choices.

AFAIK @TeenToTwenties triple I just longer exams not more for all boards, but it's worth checking

Looking at our schools gcse exam timetable for this year, there are the same number of exams for separate and combined sciences, but the separate science students exams are longer - 1hr 45 for each of the separate sciences ones, and 1hr 15 mins for each of the combined sciences ones. 6 exams in total for sciences. Our schools does AQA.

eta - there are 3 history exams, 1hr 20, 1hr 50 and 1hr 30. (Edexcel)

I am probably zero help as son has chosen triple science, history and geography (our outstanding choice to be made is between PE and music).

One of the advantages of triple science in a comp or other mixed-ability cohort is that it self-selects the kids who are really into science and want to learn. DS1 went for it partly because he feels it's going to have a higher proportion of brighter, more committed and less disruptive kids (though obviously not saying that plenty of very bright and well-behaved kids don't do double science too!)

I think this is a good point.
I have a friend with twins, one did combined and one did triple.
She felt the expectations on the triple kids was higher.

Check the topics for History as well. Although DD likes history as a subject right now, the GCSE topics do not inspire her AT ALL so it's currently off her list!

That's very good point re triple being self-selecting as a higher-achieving cohort if it is an option.

Yes my DS has also excelled in triple science as in his words "only the science nerds" do it so they have some interesting and in depth conversations in the class which has really inspired him.

I also agree to look at they topics for history. DS was advised if the topics didn't interest him not to do it even though he did really enjoy history.

Hmm yes our gcse option is very boring
germany inter war
russia
elizabethan

i assumed they would do one of the wars at least

geo goes well with bio.
my kid is going against their best subjects.

We have similar but it's the reason DS is doing it as it's so interesting to him! Medicine through the ages (big focus on WW1 & trench warfare), early Elizabethan era (a bit more meh), Germany 1919-1939 (his fave, fascinating to me too) and Cold War and superpower relations.

It really does underline the difference in how engaging the GCSE will be depending on the kids' ow interests.

Triple science was an option at DD's school, but all the triple scientists were in the top set; that meant that not doing triple science might mean being in a much less strong/keen peer group, and probably more lessons spent on the mathsy bits that top-set mathematicians need no time on. If mine had been dithering about doing triple, I would have pushed her towards it for that reason.
(In fact, in DD's year they were a few short in the triple set, so a few selected strong double scientists were added to the triple group, but that actually carried its own problems, as they were there for some lessons and not others, and one of the teachers wasn't good at planning for that.)

So it might be worth asking how the science groups are organised, and whether she might find the pace in a double science group a little slow.

Some Great advice/thoughts - thank you!

I’ve checked and triple is same number of exams just all half an hour longer - which is attractive in not increasing number of exam in year 11! And local colleges and her 6th form accept science without triple and history without gcse history as long as good English grades - so reassuring no doors closed at this stage.

Need to check how many history exams it would be - Hopefully not the 3 epic ones a poster up thread mentioned…
I’ve asked her to read through the modules and see if they are interesting to her otherwise it will be a looonnnggg 2 years.

I’m less concerned about difference in ability between combined and triple - it’s a selective grammar and majority of all grades are 7-9…although agree the strong scientists are likely to choose triple…

I think on balance triple is the “easier” choice for her…but it is her choice with a rapidly approaching deadline!

My dd was in a similar boat last week and did go for triple science in the end.

In the DC’s school, you are selected for triple science - the top 30% of scientists in Y9. They also have to be high achieving in English and Maths as triple science is taught in the same timetabled - so, as pp has pointed out, this does tend to preselect the more focused kids.

If she’s planning to do biology A-level, taking triple science would be best to avoid having to catch up on the missed material. I second those saying the more able scientists will generally do triple, even at a grammar. At my comprehensive, not doing triple when you’re academic leaves you in a noticeably less able maths class but hopefully not relevant for you.

At my comprehensive, not doing triple when you’re academic leaves you in a noticeably less able maths class

That surprising (not saying you are mistaken!). Most schools I know stream for maths separately from all or most subjects. What if you were good at maths but wanted to choose double science to free up options in humanities or creative subjects?

No double science in my day abd as a result I dropped physics which is a regret (in a way; I'm still glad I took history .

Edit to remove para reffing another thread! sorry