Help Combine Science Trilogy

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salmon
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Jul 19, 2019 12:24 am

Help Combine Science Trilogy

Post by salmon »

DS has been given combined science trilogy. We wantee separate sciences. He is devastated but the schoool allocates according to result. He was anxious about it that it affected his performance. The school has closed today. Im planning on appealing on the basis of his planned career path which he has been set on for a while. What are the chances of decison being changed, what do I say....a very stressed mum please dear parents help!!!!I cant even sleep seeing him so devastated.

Thanks
kenyancowgirl
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Re: Help Combine Science Trilogy

Post by kenyancowgirl »

I note you have opened two separate threads about this so I will ask moderators to close or merge one of them.

Combined Science (Trilogy) is also known as Double Award Science - this is because you only get 2 GCSE grades at the end of it, rather than 3. You do study all 3 Sciences during it but for the equivalent time of 2 GCSEs.

Where schools offer both Double Award and Separate Science GCSEs (Triple Award) it is usually (but not always) either chosen by those not that keen on science, or those that prefer to use their other option on another subject. Some schools only put their strongest scientists in for the Triple Award.

Will it affect his career choice? Well, you would have to check carefully about his actual ability in Science. The school obviously feel he is not one of the strongest scientists so it may be that he is not suited to the career choice of dentistry. Saying that he got anxious and then performed badly, may have affected how he performed in the exam - but he will have to perform in exams all the way through his life, remember. Most schools do not look at the exam result in isolation, either - they do go by how they have performed in the subjects to date, as well as the exam result.

However, some schools do not offer Triple Award, so he can still move from GCSE Double Award into Science A levels (and he will need at least 2 for dentistry) - most dental schools look at your best 8 GCSEs when scoring the application - obviously only having 2 not 3 Sciences means he has to do well in 6 other subjects too - he should be aiming for minimum 7 but really 8/9s in his Science GCSEs to be able to cope with A level Science at the level needed to get into a Dental School (as he will need grade As at A level).

Worrying now will not help him though so tell him to enjoy the summer and revisit it when school is open - the most important thing is not whether he does Triple or Double Award (although Triple tends to be done by the strongest scientists in a school) but that he gets very good grades in the one he does - do not push for him to do Triple if he really isn't strong enough - consider alternative careers if science isn't his thing really.
ToadMum
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Location: Essex

Re: Help Combine Science Trilogy

Post by ToadMum »

Do 14 / 15 year olds themselves really hanker after poking around in people's mouths for a living?

Becoming dual qualified and becoming a Maxillofacial surgeon, I can just about imagine.

(Having said that, I can't for the life of me imagine having decided at 16 that the future was Accountancy, but the impression from some friends' DC is that it is a thing, at least in our neck of the woods).
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
loobylou
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Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 5:04 pm

Re: Help Combine Science Trilogy

Post by loobylou »

I definitely know some of my DC's friends who want to be accountants. I don't know any who want to be dentists but I can imagine it, especially if they have family members/friends who are dentists and enjoy their job.
OP, I don't think it seems common amongst my friends for the school to choose whether the student does combined/triple science, although they may suggest/guide/strongly encourage. In addition, to choose it purely on an exam result is unusual.
I am hazarding a guess that your ds might be at QEB? (only because that's the only school that seems to do this in a cohort of children who should all be able to cope with triple science).
Significant numbers of children do science A levels with combined science GCSEs so I don't think this decision now needs to affect your ds's future degree choice.
However you probably need to look at your school's policy. If they are choosing your ds's GCSEs this narrowly then they might have very restrictive policies regarding A level choices.
I think it's worth asking the school to change its mind but it's probably unlikely to do so. Your ds will probably have to do combined but, assuming he still wants to go on to science A levels and a dentistry degree, he might need to move for 6th form depending on where he is at school now.
salmon
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Jul 19, 2019 12:24 am

Re: Help Combine Science Trilogy

Post by salmon »

I really appreciate your insights. He has asked that we write to the school to reconsider so will do this and then send the email and concentrate on a good summer break! Its really been upsetting for him and I fully appreciate given that he is focused on sciences
and that most of his family are oriented that way. He really enjoys science . The anxiety knowing that if he does not do well will mean combined science did not help at all and got him messed up . Many thanks for your support . I'm at loss of where to start from with the letter but your key pointers are helpful and truly helpful as I'm new to all this so you all deciphering this has help big thanks .
ToadMum
Posts: 11944
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Help Combine Science Trilogy

Post by ToadMum »

salmon wrote:I really appreciate your insights. He has asked that we write to the school to reconsider so will do this and then send the email and concentrate on a good summer break! Its really been upsetting for him and I fully appreciate given that he is focused on sciences
and that most of his family are oriented that way. He really enjoys science . The anxiety knowing that if he does not do well will mean combined science did not help at all and got him messed up . Many thanks for your support . I'm at loss of where to start from with the letter but your key pointers are helpful and truly helpful as I'm new to all this so you all deciphering this has help big thanks .
Not sure what you mean by this? Not do well in the rest of his life? In his GCSEs? He can still get 9, 9 in the double award if he works hard - it's not like doing the Foundation tier in a GCSE, where the grade is capped at a 5.

https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2018/03/23/g ... fications/
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
loobylou
Posts: 2032
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 5:04 pm

Re: Help Combine Science Trilogy

Post by loobylou »

I think the op means that her ds was anxious about the exam that he had recently in year 9, the result of which determined combined Vs triple science. The assertion is that his anxiety about possibly not doing well enough for the triple option affected his performance negatively.
That's my understanding anyway.
It seems a very odd system to choose triple Vs convinced on the basis of a single exam.
ToadMum
Posts: 11944
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Help Combine Science Trilogy

Post by ToadMum »

loobylou wrote:I think the op means that her ds was anxious about the exam that he had recently in year 9, the result of which determined combined Vs triple science. The assertion is that his anxiety about possibly not doing well enough for the triple option affected his performance negatively.
That's my understanding anyway.
It seems a very odd system to choose triple Vs convinced on the basis of a single exam.
Ah. The anxiety (caused by) knowing that if he does not do well (, it) will mean combined science did not help at all and got him messed up?

As opposed to my reading, which was, The anxiety knowing that if he does not do well(, it) will mean combined science did not help at all and got him messed up 

Which did seem a little melodramatic :) .

Apologies, OP.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
salmon
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Jul 19, 2019 12:24 am

Re: Help Combine Science Trilogy

Post by salmon »

Thanks dear parents, I meant he got anxious before taking the exam(which determined whether you get combined science trilogy dual award or studying them as separate subjects). He preferred the separate route and hope that clarifies this, many thanks once again.
MrsChubbs
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Location: High Wycombe

Re: Help Combine Science Trilogy

Post by MrsChubbs »

As all the posters have suggested taking trilogy science is by far the most commonly taken format for science exams across the UK. Consequently if your DS performs well in them there is no reason why he cannot do A level sciences and ultimately dentistry, should he want to. My experience of which students get offered trilogy vs the individual GCSEs is that the grammar schools offer the individual GCSEs as a rule but that Upper schools and comprehensives only offer them to their most able students due to the amount and level of content they have to get through. This is not usually decided on one exam but the performance over the 2/3 key stage 3 years and probably, performance in maths and English as well. So many factors not just one exam. One route forward if you felt he really underperformed on the exam is to ask for him to be retested after a period of time in Sept and if he has really stepped up, they might reconsider. If he did not perform because of anxiety and stress I think they will probably of the view that the individual sciences are very full on and he may not be suited to that level of pressure and would perform better on the trilogy format.
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