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How to choose your GCSEs
How to choose your GCSEs - YouTube
Once you’re settling into Year 9 we will start to talk to you about your GCSE options. We want you to feel supported with this.
Remember, GCSEs are like the broad base of a pyramid, with later qualifications getting increasingly narrow in focus the further up the pyramid you go. Because of this it’s actually quite hard to make a drastic mistake. Please don’t worry too much.
There will be lots of help, including assemblies that will help to explain the range of subjects on offer and how you will go about choosing them.
There will also be a Year 9 Options Evening (normally in March) where you will get the chance to talk to all of the subject departments.
In the meantime, the following questions will help you to approach this decision in a positive way:
Should I base GCSE options on what I’m good at?
Yes, it’s definitely worth including this as a factor when choosing your GCSEs. You’re likely to enjoy the subjects you’re good at. Being good at a particular area might help you manage your GCSE workload, too, because you’ll maybe be able to complete work quicker and get good results. What’s more, learning more about a subject you have a natural ability in might be useful when making career choices later down the line. The things you’re good at now is giving you a clue about what you might like to do in the future.
If you’re not sure how good you are at a subject, you can talk to your teacher and ask for advice.
Should I base GCSE options on what I enjoy?
It’s fine to consider choosing subjects you like at GCSE. You’ll be studying that subject for several periods a week for the next two years, so it’ll definitely help if there are aspects of the subject you enjoy! Even if you’re not keen on school, there’s bound to be a subject you connect with. This could work to your advantage, because if you enjoy a subject you are more likely to work harder and get a higher grade in it. It’s okay to do a subject just because you like it.
When choosing subjects you enjoy, ask yourself two things:
- What’s the content of this subject at GCSE? (Are you interested in the things you’ll be learning about?)
- What skills does it require? (Do you think you can build the skills this subject requires?)
Should I choose a GCSE subject because I like the teacher?
It’s a tricky one, because a great teacher can inspire you to do your best in a subject. However, how much you like your teacher should not be one of the key factors when choosing your GCSE options. That inspirational teacher might leave school, after all. It may also be a subject where a number of different staff teach and you could end up with any one of them.
Should I choose a GCSE subject because my friends are doing it?
You need to do what’s best for you. It’s better not to just choose a GCSE option because your friends are taking it. Doing different GCSEs shouldn’t have any effect on your friendships – it will just mean you have lots to talk about when you’re together at other times. Plus, there’s a chance you’ll make additional new friends in the subject you choose, too.
Should I choose a GCSE because of a career I’m interested in?
Yes and no! That’s not very helpful I know. Of course if you have a career you already feel passionate about pursuing, then do bear this in mind. However, don’t choose a subject because of this without first checking the subject content and style of study. These things will still determine how likely you are to enjoy a GCSE. It will also help you to check that you have an accurate understanding of a career that interests you.
Whose advice should I listen to when choosing GCSE options?
Teachers are really well-placed to offer you advice and support; do talk to your teachers if you have any questions about your GCSEs and how it all works.
Careers advisers are well-trained and prepared to help you with your careers and GCSE-related questions – whatever your questions are, they will be able to offer support, resources and information to help you with your choices. Ours is available for drop-in appointments on Monday lunchtimes, as well as every year 10 and 11 student being offered 1-to-1 advice and year 9s being offered small group sessions.
Your parents can also help – they may not understand clever new point systems and things that weren’t around in their day, but they should have your best interests at heart.
Your friends will be going through the same stress as you, so you can bounce ideas off them if you like… but it’s important to remember it’s your final decision.
Ultimately, of course, the decision should be yours; your instincts should lead you to the choices that are right for you. However, approaching it fully-informed will reassure you that you’re making the most sensible choices.
Are my A-level choices affected by the GCSE choices I make now?
Some A-level options don’t require you to have studied them at GCSE first – for example, psychology, economics, media studies or law. For other subjects you’ll most likely need the GCSE, so check with your teacher to make sure. The Science A levels should be open to you whether you take double award science (core + additional) or triple award science (physics, chemistry and biology). However, it is advisable to discuss this with your science teachers.
Do universities care about which GCSE options you choose?
Most universities need you to have English and Maths GCSEs… which is handy, because you’ll be studying them as core GCSE subjects anyway.
For some degrees, or careers, their requirements for GCSE and A-level subjects aren’t too limiting. For example, most universities don’t mind which subjects you’ve studied before if you want to do a law degree – they just want you to have done well in the subjects you chose.
In some cases, you’ll need specific A-levels (and therefore the GCSEs you need to be able to do those A-levels) to get on certain university courses (e.g. the Sciences, History or Foreign Languages).
We wouldn’t advise you to get too involved with University research just yet, but if you are thinking of going to university and want to explore degree ideas, have a look at ucas.com as a starting point. If this raises further questions, talk to your Form Tutor in school for further help.
Should I think about how courses are marked when choosing my GCSE options?
Individual GCSEs will be marked in a variety of ways – through reading and writing coursework completed either in lessons or as homework, exams and perhaps spoken exams (as in the case of languages). You can think about how you perform well, and if there are any marking formats you find particularly challenging.
Your teachers are there to help you choose the most appropriate subjects for you. You can ask them if there’s an oral test or if there’s laboratory or fieldwork involved, and you can also ask them what percentage of marks is given for coursework.
If you have any additional learning needs, make sure you discuss this with the school and consider these needs when making your choice.
How important is it to get good grades in my GCSEs?
If you want to give yourself a wider choice of options after school, getting good grades is quite important. Aim to achieve your own potential. Sixth Form and colleges will require 9-5/4 GCSE pass grades for entry to level 3 courses (A level and equivalent).
The good news is that there are many post-16 options out there that are flexible in terms of grade requirements. The range on offer can be a bit confusing, so the key to all of this is asking for help when you need it.
Will I ever regret my GCSE choices?
If you ask around, you’ll find many people who wish they’d not taken a certain GCSE, or wish they’d had a bash at taking another GCSE. But a lot of the time, these are not life-changing regrets – they’re more wishes that the two-year experience of taking GCSEs had been even more useful, or even more enjoyable.
At the end of the day, whatever GCSE options you pick will result in two years of you learning things you didn’t know before and giving yourself the chance for a better future. If you do end up regretting GCSEs, it’s more a case of not winning as much as you wanted than actually losing out. You’ll also learn a valuable lesson about good decision making for the next time you have to make an important decision.
There are plenty of options for more education further down the road if you feel you made a big mistake with your choices. You can also swap GCSEs if you change your mind early on – speak to your teachers, but do consider if you’ve fully given your chosen subjects a chance.
How can I cope with the immense stress of choosing GCSE options? On some days I don’t even know what I want to have for breakfast!
Fear not – you can do this! It’s tough to choose, but you’ll feel quite good about your final list of options once you’ve done it. And know that however impossible it might feel to make this big decision, you’re not alone. Everyone finds it tough to choose their options, yet somehow it happens and you can breathe a sigh of relief and move on.
Hopefully the advice you’ve found here will help some of your choices become a bit clearer. We wish you luck in your upcoming GCSEs! Remember to keep asking for help.
Here’s some more or similar advice in video format: