It’s certainly not the case in Scotland where I teach. When did this happen?

I chose my GCSE options around 22 years ago and think we were one of the first years where all 3 science subjects had to be studied, i.e. you could do Biology, Physics, Chemistry GCSEs or dual award which was still Biology, Physics and Chemistry but only made up 2 GCSEs. You couldn’t just do Biology and Chemistry and drop Physics

Unless it’s a private school, pupil’s curriculum model will support the new progress 8 league measure – Math + English carry twice the weighting (Bucket 1 )
Science is no longer a ‘core’ subject so in ‘Bucket 2’ – it will be unlikely that any school has enough science staff to offer separate science subjects on their timetable (2*gcse or all bio/che/phys).

Please also remember that the new ‘Gove’ levels run from 9-1 and grade comparisons will be just guess work – 9’s will be much harder than A*s.

I suspect that anybody that has passed GCSEs in the last 20 years would not recognise some of the new content. The new A-level Maths looks like a ‘killer’ 🙁

-“Choose what you’re good at and enjoy “- (and a subject with consistent teaching)

Pick what you enjoy, and pick on quality of teacher. A truly inspirational teacher will make the subj ct come alive.

Teen1 took art for downtime. Be wary of subjects like this, because the time needed is out of all proportion to grade. If she is a skilled and budding artist, then she’ll choose it anyway. Teen2 chose Btec business studies as an easier option.

After choosing triple Science and the compulsory subjects, they both only had four options anyway.

Geology was my favourite. Great subject, great teacher, great field trips!

aah, field trips…

No way my kids are doing geography, especially field trips 😳

Pick what you enjoy, and pick on quality of teacher. A truly inspirational teacher will make the subj ct come alive.

Be wary for this, there is no guarantee which teacher you will get and staff also lave.

But I’d say don’t sweat it, as long as she’s doing well in these subjects it’s far too early for her to be deciding on her future.

My oldest mate just about crapped a B and a handfull of C’s at GCSE’s, then went on to get the highest a-Levels results in the Midlands, went to Oxfrod, read History, gained a first and then did a Masters and gained a Merit.

As long as she’s doing well enough to get into 6th form and she is headstrong enough to not listen to what people tell her she is capable of attaining, then she will be fine. People develop at their own pace, there is no need to be worried about finding a career at 16.

I never studied Geography at GCSE level, yet I studied Geography, Geology, History and Politics at a-level….and then studied Biology at University…go figure.

No way my kids are doing geography, especially field trips

Why that?

As a few have said, let her pick what she enjoys and is good at. I took a couple of subjects because parents felt they were more ‘acedemic’, but 20yrs later i still regret not taking PE.