Mathematics, English and Science are the main subjects that everyone should take at GCSE in England and Wales. English is compulsory in all schools and so is English literature in most schools in England, but there are exceptions, so be sure to check. When it comes to finding a job, most employers will look at your GCSE qualifications to see if the subjects you studied are relevant to the type of work they do. Although every job is different, most companies expect you to have at least 5 GCSEs, including English, Math, and Science, from levels A to C.In some cases, students drop out of high school with 10 GCSE or more.
GCSE options have also become more linear, with more focus on the exams themselves than on ongoing courses. Students can only take exams in English and mathematics. On the other hand, if you have no idea what career you want in the future (like most students in Year 9, 10 and 1), then you should probably try to keep your options open. Studying a variety of subjects will give you a good overview of the different subjects and the different ways of studying, which can help you identify which subjects you are best at. Talk to your career advisor to see if you can get an idea of the type of career you would like to do.
Many students (and parents) are surprised at how limited their GCSE options are. For example, although English, mathematics, and science are the only compulsory GCSEs, schools may make other key subjects compulsory, such as history or geography and a modern language. Compulsory subjects in the national curriculum are the “core” and “core” subjects. There is some freedom with regard to what subjects are studied at the GCSE level. Three main subjects, English, mathematics and science, are compulsory along with citizenship and physical education (although there are no exams in the last two).
All other subjects taken at GCSE are optional. The Baccalaureate in English (eBACC) is a performance measure to assess the percentage of students in each school who study and obtain good grades (fourth grade) or in English, mathematics, science (including computer science), a language and a humanities subject. For example, universities often value students who study A-level languages, such as French, but you would first need the GCSE of French, if the subject is not your mother tongue. For example, if they attend an engineering school, they will most likely take GCSE Engineering, GCSE Design and Technology, or any other GCSE relevant to the Engineering study. In addition to compulsory math, science and English, students select their remaining GCSE options in Year 9.The baccalaureate in English, or eBACC, is not a separate qualification, but a group of five main academic subjects studied at the GCSE level. If a subject has proven to be unpopular in the past, with poor acceptance at the GCSE level, a school may decide not to offer it any more.
Some A level courses will require that you have already taken the same subject at the GCSE level, so that you have the basic knowledge to develop. Unfortunately for those who relate to this situation, there is no way to stop studying the main subjects in GCSE. Talk to teachers at parent nights to find out how your child is doing in that subject and if they would recommend that they take it at the GCSE. You'll be able to choose some of your GCSE courses, but there are some compulsory GCSE subjects that everyone has to take. Some college courses only accept students with grade 6 or higher (A or A*) in that subject for the GCSE and universities often require a minimum of grade 4 (C or higher) in English, mathematics and at least one science before accepting it into any course.
And it's not all necessarily about exams: in many subjects, students' courses are evaluated as part of their GCSE results. If you are considering staying in school to study levels A, then you should also think about what subjects you want to study then, since some schools require that you have taken a GCSE level subject if you want to study it later at level A.GCSEs are important, both for the individual student and for their school, who will be judged by their results and the performance of different groups of students in the GCSE. In recent years, the government has made some changes to issues that will affect its GCSE options. However, it's impossible to know what the future holds, so it's important to work towards the best GCSE results you can achieve. Schools usually hold an option night, where you can meet teachers and discuss what it means to take a GCSE in their subject.
