Taking 2 DT GCSEs

Discussion and advice on GCSEs

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Tinkers
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Taking 2 DT GCSEs

Post by Tinkers »

So that time has come in the Tinkers household, miss Tinkers got her options booklet today and we went to the parent presentation last night.

DD will be doing 11 GCSEs, and as is usual, has to do maths, English Lang and lit, 3 sciences, a language (German in her case) and a humanity (geog, as it's the one she dislikes the least out of that, history and RS).

So she has to pick three more.

In previous years all girls have had to take one of textiles, food tech, PD or ICT. This year that has changed and it is no longer compulsory to do a tech. However DD wondered if this now meant she could do two!

She asked at school today and was told yes, so they haven't put her off. She is a practical sort of girl, having two engineering parents. She wants to do both textiles and PD. (Tbh if she had a different teacher she would quite happily take the new Food prep as well if she could.)

Her other choice would be music. She has put down business studies and French as her reserve choices, though she doesn't want to do both French and German as she says she sometimes get them confused. None of the other options really appeal.

I'm just wondering about whether doing two techs is a good idea or not. My gut feeling is she would be better doing business studies and having one of the techs as her reserve. She is aware of the work involved but is happy to accept it.

Currently she is interested in architecture or music therapy. She won't be doing art, so doing a tech is probably the next best thing. (She is creative, but is not the best drawer/painter in the world. Her photography is pretty good but they don't offer that as a GCSE.)
tiffinboys
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Re: Taking 2 DT GCSEs

Post by tiffinboys »

It is quite opposite with my DC1, who is not opting for any creative one, despite every one telling him to pick at least one. Upto few months back, he was quite enthusiastic about Drama, but now thinks that it would take too much of his time away from other subjects.
PurpleDuck
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Re: Taking 2 DT GCSEs

Post by PurpleDuck »

Tinkers, does PD stand for Product Design and would it involve the actual making of something? If it does, it may be a rather time-consuming GCSE. DS1 was briefly considering DT, but our neighbours' son, two years above in the same school, was doing DT and said he wouldn't have chosen it if he had his options again. His main reason was that the practical aspect was very time consuming, a lot of really late nights in a DT lab at school, a lot of fine-tuning/re-work and generally more effort than he had expected. If this sort of thing is what your DD likes, then great, but it might be worth her having a chat with someone at school who is doing DT GCSE to get a clear picture of how much work exactly it involves before she makes her decision. :)
Last edited by PurpleDuck on Thu Feb 25, 2016 6:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Guest55
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Re: Taking 2 DT GCSEs

Post by Guest55 »

Business Studies is not a 'rated' option - its seen as 'soft' by some universities.

Some students do take two DT options especially if that is their strength.
Tinkers
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Re: Taking 2 DT GCSEs

Post by Tinkers »

tiffinboys wrote:It is quite opposite with my DC1, who is not opting for any creative one, despite every one telling him to pick at least one. Upto few months back, he was quite enthusiastic about Drama, but now thinks that it would take too much of his time away from other subjects.

Drama would be DDs idea of h ell. As would history, RS and Latin. :lol: PE isn't far behind.

I too was concerned about the work involved, not so much with doing one, but doing two.

I know business studies is seen as a softer subject, but given she is taking 11, I see that as less of an issue than if she was taking, say, eight. It's down as a reserve simply because out of what's left, it is one she might actually enjoy to some extent. She did a business challenge at school last year and enjoyed it.
PurpleDuck
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Re: Taking 2 DT GCSEs

Post by PurpleDuck »

When you think about it, those who are doing 11 GCSEs have very few subjects they can leave off, so it can be quite difficult to decide what to go for. DS wasn't keen on drama, either, he dropped it at the end of y8.

Something I've just remembered - when we went to our Options evening, one of the dads asked head of DT whether his son could take 2 DT GCSEs, one being product design and the other something to do with systems (very imprecise, I know :oops: ) and the answer was they would advise against that due to the volume of practical work involved in each option.
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ToadMum
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Re: Taking 2 DT GCSEs

Post by ToadMum »

DS2 will be taking both Art and DT next year (year 9), but only on the understanding that one of them will be one of the subjects he drops again at the end of the year. He also has Architecture in mind as a future career, is fairly organised when it comes to schoolwork and does have some artistic talent. (As to the origins of the latter, I have no idea. I have a cousin who is a skilled amateur artist - and achieved a 2:1 in 3D Design at university - but I always assumed that her talent came from her mum, who was not a blood relative of mine :lol: ). Had anyone at school tried to put him off, he would have been very upset - he really doesn't want to end up with another year of French, or Citizenship. His school run a combined Economics and Business Studies course in year 9, then those who want to go on to take one or the other to GCSE. Another one that DS2 will almost certainly drop altogether.
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scary mum
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Re: Taking 2 DT GCSEs

Post by scary mum »

Guest55 wrote:Business Studies is not a 'rated' option - its seen as 'soft' by some universities.

Some students do take two DT options especially if that is their strength.
I think if they are doing 11 one "soft" one will do no harm.
scary mum
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Re: Taking 2 DT GCSEs

Post by committed »

My Year 11 DS is doing AQA Product Design and is in the midst of the last minute rush to finish his chosen product, a lamp. The coursework is worth 60% overall, but involves design, development, making, evaluation and communication – so there is a lot more to it than just the finished article.

He is spending lunch and an hour after school most days on his design, so there is a lot of work involved during this period. I think it is also at this point that many of them realise how their original design aspirations and reality don’t necessarily match up! That said, up until now PD is the subject that has given him the most enjoyment and the least pressure, so it is very much swings and roundabouts.

A couple of his friends regret taking it, but DS1 certainly doesn’t – and his Year 9 brother has just chosen it as one of his options.

So the major danger would appear to be getting to this point and having to put in a couple of hours a day on each DT subject, as this may be difficult to manage and will also potentially compromise other revision. Otherwise I agree with others and she should go with the subjects she likes.
Guest55
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Re: Taking 2 DT GCSEs

Post by Guest55 »

Many technology departments have a lot of interim deadlines to ensure the students keep on track. All the writing can be done on the computer so redrafting is easier than when everything had to be handwritten.

I have not seen the same levels of stress with DT coursework as I have with Art.
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