Are you looking for a challenge? Do you want to enter a prestigious university? Or are you just doing some research? If so, you've come to the right place. In this article, we'll explore the 10 most difficult GCSEs you can take. Coming in at number 10 is GCSE English Language. This GCSE is difficult for a few reasons.
Firstly, it requires you to show your writing talent without having to know too much content. You need to know some techniques and how to use them. Secondly, there's the uncertainty of what might come up on exams. You'll be presented with unpublished texts that you must analyze and compare.
Next on the list are modern GCSEs in foreign languages. These GCSEs are different from most other subjects due to the amount of content and the way they are evaluated. The pass rates for Spanish, German, and French GCSEs are 70.5%, 75.2%, and 69.8% respectively (as of 2011). These pass rates are quite average, but that's because students taking these GCSEs are committed to success.
At number 8 is GCSE Biology. This subject has a lot of content you need to know and some difficult techniques you need to understand yourself. You'll need to be familiar with concepts such as meiosis, mitosis, and the theory of evolution. What's more, only 10% of grades are related to mathematics, so it's not as math-heavy as other GCSEs.
In seventh place is GCSE Computer Science. This GCSE combines two skills that wouldn't normally come together: learning a whole new language so that programs do what you want them to do, and using problem-solving skills learned in GCSE Mathematics. It relies heavily on its ability to solve difficult problems and express them in terms of programming language. At number 6 is GCSE Maths. This one is a little different from some of the other GCSEs on the list as it is required.
This means that even if you're not good at it, you have to do it anyway. Unfortunately for you, GCSE mathematics is hard and not optional, and this is why so many students come to hate it. You'll need to be familiar with equations and formulas and understand how they're linked together. In fifth place is GCSE Chemistry, the second most difficult scientific GCSE after Biology. The pass rate for this subject is higher than Biology because there are more students who score lower in Chemistry than in Biology.
The pass rate for GCSE English Literature is 72.9%.At number 4 is GCSE Physics, best known for its high level of mathematical content and the many equations you must remember. Not only are there more equations than Biology and Chemistry combined, but you also have to know how to use and apply each of them. In third place is GCSE Further Maths. This GCSE presents more difficult content than any other GCSE and is hard to understand even for the best regular math students. It doesn't follow normal GCSE mathematics as many might think; this subject is on another level with work that would normally be done at A-level. At number 2 we have Latin, which is easy but boring; Spanish, which makes many people want to cry but can be learned with little review; and Physics, which is considered one of the most difficult subjects in GCSE due to its mathematics-heavy curriculum and complicated concepts. Finally, at number 1 we have Law and Astronomy, although there are very few entries each year for these two subjects.
One factor that hinders modern foreign language GCSEs is that they're rated more severely than other subjects. GCSE Music often gets omitted from lists like this one due to its lack of difficulty compared to other subjects.
