GCSE options: German vs Latin and RS vs Geography

[Guest55]

Three languages can be an overload of assessments and few choose that route.

What sort of A levels might be considered? That might sway choices now as some A levels can be taken without the GCSE and others can't.

[berks_mum]

Three languages can be an overload of assessments and few choose that route.

What sort of A levels might be considered? That might sway choices now as some A levels can be taken without the GCSE and others can't.

I get your point. Will that be the case for whichever languages she chooses?
For A levels she will definitely choose Maths and Biology. One of physics/chemistry. Also, one of the languages(Latin/French/German) or History for AS depending on how she finds them during GCSE.

[Guest55]

The language would need to be taken at GCSE unless the school offers IB where I think you can do a language ab initio. History GCSE is not needed for A level nor is Geog [although the school may say otherwise ...]

[Amber]

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For A levels she will definitely choose Maths and Biology. One of physics/chemistry. Also, one of the languages(Latin/French/German) or History for AS depending on how she finds them during GCSE.

I assume your daughter is currently in Y8. How can you be so sure of which subjects she will choose at A level?

My DD did 3 languages at GCSE and coped just fine. She isn't a linguist. My sons did one each and really didn't enjoy them. It is too hard to generalise on what will be 'too much' for one, though I would say (as a linguist myself) that trying to learn 3 at once is possibly not the easiest thing for anyone.

[Tinkers]

For info for G55 and Amber, BMs DD is in year 9 and the school don’t offer the IB.

[kenyancowgirl]

I agree with Amber in that I don't think you can be so sure about her A level choice at this stage...for e.g. If she goes back to the idea of Medicine, she will have to take Chemistry, as that is compulsory, whereas Biology isn't necessarily. Also many schools are dropping AS levels with the new curriculum A levels. Don't over think the GCSEs. The school has ensured she has a good spread so get her to choose the subjects she likes best, is good at and would miss. From my observations, the workload for History under the new GCSE is horrific - much more like A level and Geog is similar. Not sure DS2 would choose them both if he had his time again! They aren't hard per se, just huge huge amounts of info to remember and apply.

[Amber]

For info for G55 and Amber, BMs DD is in year 9 and the school don’t offer the IB.

Still very young to know what she wants to do for A level is my point - before she has even started her GCSE courses.

[Tinkers]

I’d agree to some extent Amber however G55 did ask...

Three languages can be an overload of assessments and few choose that route.

What sort of A levels might be considered? That might sway choices now as some A levels can be taken without the GCSE and others can't.

(I’d also point out that I knew what A levels I wanted to take when choosing my O level options, even if the careers teacher warned my against taking 3 sciences as that might be a bit hard for a girl. She would have freaked if I’d told her what my A levels choices were. However I am aware most 13/14 yo won’t have made up their minds.)

[Guest55]

I only asked about A levels to make the point about languages needing to be taken at GCSE. I had no idea on A levels at that age and was planning on being a historian

[Reading Mum]

reading mum and Tinkers, thank you so much for your quick reply.

Reading mum, did your DD do Latin and German in addition to French? My DD has chosen French as first MFL choice. Now she needs to choose a second MFL between German and Latin. I saw the school's 2016 Latin results were quite good. Latin: Total 18, 15 A*, 2 As and 1C. German: total 72, 47 A*, 17 As, 5 Bs and 3Cs.

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No - she didn’t like French so it was just German and Latin, with Geography. Her 3 ‘free choices’ were Art, music and Latin so heavy on the course work!