11 Plus Exams Forum

My son has a dilemma that needs to be clarified by Wednesday.

He was thrilled with his option choices, as an academic and creative boy at a GS he chose wisely and with breadth in mind rather than a purely academic route.

Today he heard that he can't do drama, which he loves and his two options now are Computing or DT product design. He hates ICT but is a really strong mathematician so coding and binary etc shouldn't be too challenging, ( worries it may be too dry) and is good at DT but not keen on the coursework aspect and the fairly prescriptive projects......

Has anyone got experience of either? Or advice?

He's taking maths, further maths, chemistry, biology, history, philosophy and ethics, music, both english obvs, and has this one space free.........

Help! Please.......

neveragain* wrote:My son has a dilemma that needs to be clarified by Wednesday.

He was thrilled with his option choices, as an academic and creative boy at a GS he chose wisely and with breadth in mind rather than a purely academic route.

Today he heard that he can't do drama, which he loves and his two options now are Computing or DT product design. He hates ICT but is a really strong mathematician so coding and binary etc shouldn't be too challenging, ( worries it may be too dry) and is good at DT but not keen on the coursework aspect and the fairly prescriptive projects......

Has anyone got experience of either? Or advice?

He's taking maths, further maths, chemistry, biology, history, philosophy and ethics, music, both english obvs, and has this one space free.........

Help! Please.......

No experience of computing at GCSE but I quite enjoyed the coding element of the computer studies course I took at university and DS1's traumas with DT would put me off encouraging another child to do it...

Toad mum, I just found a thread with your poor DS experiences......
Poor lad.

Computing just seems a bit, well, boring.........

Are they really the only 2 choices ? No language or Geography or physics?

They're the only two he fancies HM, he is rather, ahem, challenged in the language dept and hates geography!

Does he know anyone in Year 10 doing computing?

I'm a fan of DT but the coursework is a large proportion so he needs to enjoy it.

I'd read the specifications and look at past papers - just to get a flavour.

My DS did GCSE product design last year. It is a great course & he thoroughly enjoyed it although the coursework element was very time consuming but it made a welcome change from other subjects. I have no knowledge of computing. Is your DS really not taking physics though? As a strong mathematician that would be a great choice & I would worry that his options later would be limited without it.

I know, I'd like him to take physics but I'm a strong believer in my children making informed choices and he really doesn't enjoy it. I'd rather he had good grades at his choices than mediocre ones with subjects he doesn't like.......

If he needs it later, he can either take it independently or at a crammer, or whatever. He's a summer born year 9 so plenty of time, no rush to get to uni.....( but I take your point).

G55 - just started to look at exam specs, I think he'll enjoy DT, and a chance to do less book work in the academic week too, he is good at coursework stuff, and pretty conscientious......

Just get him to double check about physics...please?! I am very surprised a GS is allowing him to drop one science completely like that and, if he is interested in DT, physics can only be an asset....if he hasn't got any clear career ideas now then ruling out a subject is not the strongest idea (it is easy to say he will do it at a crammer etc but this is not going to be so easy if he needs it to take an A level).

As G55 and others have said - he needs to want to do DT as it is a little more time consuming than the others - but to me, he has made his choice in the sentence: he hates ICT....

I didn't realise you could actually do two sciences and not the third - never heard of that happening before except in an independent school - I thought it was statutory so I am really surprised and like others would be a bit concerned about that. However, I know that you will have discussed this with your son, neveragain* , and be satisfied that he has thought it through.

However, I have a summer-born Y9 too, and know that 'informed choices' doesn't necessarily mean the same to a 13 year old as it does to a parent. Mine announced he was choosing a subject I thought was a mistake, and I said fine, but go off and research it and check the alternatives. After a couple of weeks I was a little surprised, in a good way, that he had decided against it. I said I was relieved and he said 'well you never said, but I sort of knew that you probably didn't think it was a good idea'. Like you I am keen to make children take responsibility for their own choices, but I wonder if a general 'chat' tonight might steer him to a sensible choice...