going through this with my lad. wants to do triple science, 6 1.45hr exams – brings back horrid memories!

If he wants to do it, he should. Just because you didn’t like exams is no reason to force him down a different route.

I did triple science and strolled through it at GCSE (A*) but hated the amount of rote memorisation needed for some humanities subjects. Your son could be the same and a 1.45 exam is an opportunity to excel, not something to be feared.

Not a lot to add. But just a comment. I can’t believe the options children are given, it seems 100% based on time tabling now rather than a rounded base of qualifications. I was really shocked when Jnr had very little choice.
My school wasn’t great but at least our options made sense. English (2 quals), maths, science (double), humanities, then a choice of a humanity (geo, history, RE), an art, a language and a tech.

just saw a suggestion that the ‘good’ pass rate (grade C/5) could drop about 23% –

Problem is 5 and C are different.

THM you make a good point about revision guides. Currently about 65% will get you an A*. Get all the easy recall questions right and you will be fine. Aqa’s head of science says that the bar has been raised with harder questions AND the % needed will be higher. I cant see how this can happen. Its why 5 and c and 9 and a* are not the same but are being talked of as the same

AA, being a non-scientist, I used to borrow the CGP science books regularly – started to inspire me to read more plus could supervise revision better. Enjoyed the ISEB, So you reall want to learn about science/maths, versions too although tailored more for CE/13+/scholarship papers to those awful schools 😉

The awful but compelling jokes in CGP still stuck in the mind!!!

miketually – Member
Always interesting to see the misconceptions when talking about GCSE and A levels, as it explains a lot of the nonsense that my students have been told

Could you expand on this? Which misconceptions are wrong? I genuinely would like to know. If no one understands GCSE or A-levels other than the people currently teaching them the guys taking them will be screwed when it comes to getting internships/jobs and the people reviewing applications (as I may do sometimes) look for the wrong stuff..

I mean I took them both and understand the difference between coursework and exam requirements and the time tabling conflicts. The things I enjoyed at GCSE I kept up for a-levels but at that point I was lucky that these would all also be useful for the type of degree I was going to want to do. Not having any artistic or language skills it was always going to be design, technology, science based degrees so easier selections.

Problem is 5 and C are different.

I thought

9 – A*+
8 – A*
7 – A
6 – B
5 – C?

Though with slightly fuzzy borders, so a 5 is like the top end of the current C grade?

Could you expand on this?

BTECs don’t count, “x studies” isn’t a proper subject, art’s an easier option than geography, etc.

so a 5 is like the top end of the current C grade?
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Exactly so 5 isnt a C and the grades are “calculated” differently

What maths grade will employers be looking for?

I expect they will be as clueless and are they not going to employ as many people because less get a 5?

I know a few employers who won’t look at you with only a c in Maths or English at GCSE. You would probably need one of the A type grades in maths to get into many engineering companies. Sadly with so many A, A* etc. the entire system seems devalued… A lot of people I work with also think a C is a failure and you need to be getting high 80% averages across all your subjects.
Perception may not be correct but it is there and can work for or against you depending on where you are. I know Oxbridge grads who I wouldn’t trust to tie their own shoes who always get interviews due to the reputation (or perceived reputation) or their university.
If the general misconceptions are that x studies are not proper subjects (many of the business studies courses around when I was at school were a joke) then doing x studies may not enhance your prospects until a new generation of recruiters with experience of these courses is in place.