Kids "Options" - choosing the subjects

[Zak33]

This is all new to me

I'm old enough to have been an O level'er! So I did options but so long ago as to be nearly parchment documents

Spending time going through the choices, making balanced decisions on subjects for a future that no one really knows, in an ever changing world is a big thing, but ... it's my lad's first chance to make his own choices as a semi grown up. Choices that count.. genuinely count.

It's been exciting to see his though process and what he wants to think about doing, and meeting his teachers recently and hearing their thoughts on his choices was superb too.

Anyone else going through this? or still vividly recall it?

[Ttaskmaster]

I remember having two slots for optional subjects, choosing History and Art.
I got a D and E in them respectively, but they seemed less boring than the other options. Turns out History was none of the interesting elements, even in world wars, and Art was... well, I've no idea what they were trying to teach us, as I remember no actual instructions on how to draw, paint, compose or anything. Just that I sucked at it.

Looking back, there are probably a dozen things I wish I'd chosen instead, though I've never been good at learning something I've no interest in. Languages would have been great.
Maths ought to have been useful, but even in Engineering I've still not found a use for the quadratic equations they tried to force upon me.

I wanted to be a spaceman, or an astronaut, but had to settle for being a soldier. I doubt any of my lessons would have helped and only in hindsight would I have been able to tell you what would have been of any use... beyond a reasonable command of the English language, of course. I guess these days computery stuff would be one of the better ones to stand you in good stead for your future, along with politics, finance and social media studies?

[Zak33]

its a fair old minefield now tbf

The government is angling school towards a high percetage of kids having the English Baccalaurate (EBacc) at the end of it.

"The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a performance measure for any student who achieves good GCSE or accredited Certificate passes in English, mathematics, history or geography, two sciences and a language."


My lad can side step the language that he's not keen on (and isn't great at) and take something else instead. English is still split Language and Lit.

The "two sciences" is actually all 3 sciences, (Biologoy, Chemistry and Phsyics in old school parlance) but they either choose them as combined science and it counts as "2 GCSE" or studying in further depth and getting each subject as a seperate GCSE counting as 3, but losing a space for something else.

HISTORY or GEOGRAPHY - choose one minimum seems to be the first stage and then work down through the myriad choices, in order and hope your school places you on the courses you want.

[PC-LAD]

As someone who finished my gcse's only 4 years ago, yes some of us are young. I took triple science (You get alot more detail that was definitely useful in comparison to the double when seeing my friends struggle in college), Computer Science (teacher was god awful. My exam I got an A and coursework I got a E. He ran away from the school before the end of the last term). The final subject was Engineering which I recommend to anyone. Other additional courses at high school were statistics (good for engineering maths and physics in college) and my European computer driving licence (Don't ask what that's worth). I am moving back to college in September to do a HND in electrical engineering as that's where the uk industry will be screaming for potential employees. My only regret was not choosing food technologies over computer science as everyone has to have something they can lean on a bit to relax when they do their exams (that or PE).

If you have any questions about the new process, my sister is currently going through her last year. And by god has she not stopped talking about it, I'll try to give you some answers.

[Zak33]

Food tech and Prep is top of his lists actually... I did Cookery O level, and to this day I hold that it was the best, but hardest subject. I learned more about planning and process in that O level than any other subject.

Now,, Computer science - seems that actual coding is now removed from it's curriculum, but it looks challenging enough.

I think it's this one
https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualification...277-from-2020/

Am I right to think this is tougher than IT GCSE? Top group maths seems an essential

[PC-LAD]

Am I right to think this is tougher than IT GCSE? Top group maths seems an essential

If i'm being honest the maths wasn't that hard, it was mostly just being able to understand hexadecimal while combining it with normal maths (basic grade D/C stuff) and there wasn't much of that. The easiest maths is litrualy filling out tables translating hex to binary. If we are talking about ICT, though i did not take it, my friends said it was an advanced version of my ecdl that was all office 365 usage but there is more to it than that no doubt.

I really loved food tech but my parents made me choose another academic subject since I had engineering, I hope he really enjoys it

[Zak33]

If i'm being honest the maths wasn't that hard, it was mostly just being able to understand hexadecimal while combining it with normal maths (basic grade D/C stuff) and there wasn't much of that. The easiest maths is litrualy filling out tables translating hex to binary. If we are talking about ICT, though i did not take it, my friends said it was an advanced version of my ecdl that was all office 365 usage but there is more to it than that no doubt.

I really loved food tech but my parents made me choose another academic subject since I had engineering, I hope he really enjoys it

His maths is top grade so he will glide that..... it's more about me making sure he takes the tough path when it's right to.

[DanceswithUnix]

HISTORY or GEOGRAPHY - choose one minimum seems to be the first stage and then work down through the myriad choices, in order and hope your school places you on the courses you want.

Sounds familiar. My son just got his GCSEs and is now in college, daughter got the options she asked for and is now working towards GCSEs. There seems to be a lot of pressure, and regardless of what the likes of the Daily Mail say the current exams seem on par with the O-levels that I took. I just don't remember that level of pressure (probably because they didn't admit to school league tables existing back then, let alone publishing them).

[PC-LAD]

His maths is top grade so he will glide that..... it's more about me making sure he takes the tough path when it's right to.

Well if there is no actual coding, which was my entire coursework, he should be absolutely fine and it is defiantly more beneficial than IT imo. Context on what i had to do for coursework, I built a android app in MIT app inventor to simulate a digital parking system where the user could request, pay and apply a parking ticket for their car. The other project was a advanced calculator through python. Exam context was the maths and then logic gates, how computer components work and communicate between each other.

It does feel like forever ago since I did it, but it's weird when I think about it because some of the lessons I remember like they were something I did last week.

[Zak33]

Well if there is no actual coding, which was my entire coursework, he should be absolutely fine and it is defiantly more beneficial than IT imo. Context on what i had to do for coursework, I built a android app in MIT app inventor to simulate a digital parking system where the user could request, pay and apply a parking ticket for their car. The other project was a advanced calculator through python. Exam context was the maths and then logic gates, how computer components work and communicate between each other.

It does feel like forever ago since I did it, but it's weird when I think about it because some of the lessons I remember like they were something I did last week.

you've been proper helpful - thank you muchly

[PC-LAD]

There seems to be a lot of pressure, and regardless of what the likes of the Daily Mail say the current exams seem on par with the O-levels that I took.

Lets talk about this stigma around GCSE pressure. There would be no pressure if it was not for students not doing their work or paying attention in class. In order for GCSEs to be stress free, The pupil has to listen to the teacher and acknowledge that they are at a turning point in their life and simply using the "I'm a child excuse" simply doesn't work. I've seen and partialy taken part in the GCSE stress because I wanted to do my own thing all the time being a early teen. I noticed my lack of quality in my work and just got my head down again.

[Ttaskmaster]

As someone who finished my gcse's only 4 years ago, yes some of us are young.

Good lord, I'm old enough to be your dad... !!!

[Zak33]

Good lord, I'm old enough to be your dad... !!!

and you, my kid brother... !!!

[Zak33]

Lets talk about this stigma around GCSE pressure. There would be no pressure if it was not for students not doing their work or paying attention in class. In order for GCSEs to be stress free, The pupil has to listen to the teacher and acknowledge that they are at a turning point in their life and simply using the "I'm a child excuse" simply doesn't work. I've seen and partialy taken part in the GCSE stress because I wanted to do my own thing all the time being a early teen. I noticed my lack of quality in my work and just got my head down again.

I think the entire school affects and takes effect on that. I have high hopes on that front tbh, so I'm less worried about that than getting the options right.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Computing,maths and one which will be related to chemistry or biology.

[scaryjim]

... Choices that count.. genuinely count. ...

I hate to be that person, but...

GCSE choices really don't count. They didn't count for much back in my day and with so many jobs (IMO unnecessarily) asking for a degree nowadays, they count for even less - he'll be making more choices in 2 years, then another 2 after that, and after each of those choices the previous one will become practically irrelevant. It probably shouldn't be like that, but I'm afraid it is.

I dropped RE when I picked my GCSEs. Now I've got a degree in it. And one in Computer Science, even though I did absolutely nothing IT related at GCSE either. I've got three A-Levels that are completely unrelated to any job I've ever had. People - particularly school careers advisors - will try to convince you that picking the "wrong" GCSEs will completely mess up your prospects. It's tosh.

Apart from the maths and english (which I'd assume they still make everyone do?) tell him to pick the subjects he likes the most, and not worry about the long term. There's plenty of ways to work around it down the line if he needs to.