Anyone up for a GCSE options thread?

[kenyancowgirl]

Oooh! I love it! Thanks Amber! I'm going to file that under very useful phrases that I will trot out at every opportunity!

[Bromleymum1]

Thanks for starting this thread.

My daughter will be looking at her options next month, although we have started talking about them already. She has already started her GCSEs in English X2, Maths, Science X3 and RS. She is taking Latin as an extra. She has a choose between German and Spanish and Geography and History. Then she can choose 2 other subjects - including the ones she didn't choose between.

She really wants to take art, she has always been very arty - even at play group she was always at the arts and crafts table; but I understand that it takes up a lot of time. Does anyone have any experience of this. Does the fact that she loves art and would be prepared to spend time on it help? Or will it affect her other exams? She needs high grades for her potential career path (if it doesn't change!).

[pheasantchick]

If all the other subjects are academic, I think it helps to take a non-academic one, especially if it's one she enjoys.

Sorry, not really answering your question.

[Daogroupie]

Art is a lot of work. My dd's say you can see them all in there every lunchtime, they are all redoing and redoing trying to get it perfect. I was very glad that neither dd is remotely interested in it, one less thing to worry about. If she is good at it and wants to do it then she should. DG

[KB]

Agree with the above.
Art is a huge amount of work but if DD is happy to spend her free time doing it then do for it.
The problems start when the student sees it as another school subject and wants to fit it in to 'study' time.
Art and Tech students do tend to spend lunch times, after school time etc in the studio/workshop but many of them see it as social/ fun time.

[southbucks3]

Art was always like this even in my long long ago time. We actually enjoyed our lunchtime art possy, I remember spending a week getting the shading right on a giant pastel picture of an aubergine...I mean really they are basically purple!

[Proud_Dad]

I think it is very unfair that the Maths/Science students get all their subjects automatically and the Arts students have to try and cram them into three options.

Isn't a MFL, English lang and English lit also generally automatic/compulsory.

MFL + 2 English = 3
Maths + 2 Science = 3

Seems fairly balanced to me.

[Proud_Dad]

Oh, Amber! Don't sell yourself short! "headless chicken" must be a very useful phrase on an 11+ forum!!

Well its certainly better than the only Dutch phrase I know:

"Neuken in de keuken"

which isn't really appropriate for an 11+ forum in any way, shape or form...

Feel free to file it away and use it at an appropriate opportunity if you wish though kcg!

[push-pull-mum]

I think it is very unfair that the Maths/Science students get all their subjects automatically and the Arts students have to try and cram them into three options.

Isn't a MFL, English lang and English lit also generally automatic/compulsory.

MFL + 2 English = 3
Maths + 2 Science = 3

Seems fairly balanced to me.

As a postgraduate Historian I would like to suggest that there is something missing ...

DD's school puts a lot of pressure on top set pupils to take triple Science (even if they are not their preferred subjects which they are likely to take at A level) which limits the options even further.

[southbucks3]

Geography is good if you want to do geology, geology is a brilliant science for big stuff engineering.
Ahhh how empty my garden would be without my rock core samples decorating the borders.