The Student Room Group

Triple Science

I got my results on March 8th and I had A* full points on my first module of OCR Gateway Double Science Award. I have now been given the chance to do triple science, which would mean three separate GCSEs in biology, chemistry and physics. My teacher said if I decide to do it, this exam I had received my resulst for will be cancelled and I will have to take three more exams in June. He also said I will have to teach myself with little support for modules 3, 5 and 6 in all three sciences.
Exam 1: B1, B2, B3.
Exam 2: C1, C2, C3.
Exam 3: P1, P2, P3.
Is it worth changing now?
I also wish to take a-levels in maths, chemistry, physics and french if that helps.
Reply 1
If you want to take a-levels in chemistry and physics I would really advise doing triple science!
I'm in year 11 and took the set of those three exams in the january of year 10.
I worked really hard over the christmas holidays before and got A*s in all three.

It will be a lot of work but if you get the individual CGP revision guides for each subject it's quite easy to teach yourself, it's pretty much just memorizing the text book but you might need a bit of help on a few areas like electrolysis in chemistry as a few things can get a bit confusing if you haven't been taught it.

However you sound like you're really good at science so it shouldn't be too difficult.

Basically I think you should do it! If you don't then you will regret not taking the individual sciences as you will have missed quite a lot of content that double science doesn't cover and you would be expected to have an understanding of at a-level.

Good Luck!!
Reply 2
Thank you so much!!! I am now taking your advice and buying all three separate revision guides, do they include modules 1-6 for each science?. I really want the A* in chemistry and science and I don't mind slacking in Biology and getting an A. Are there other any other especially diffficut areas within the modules.

Well done on your results and good luck to you too! :smile::smile::smile:
Reply 3
One other risk are the timings of the exams:
May 21st: Biology Exam
May 22nd: History AS Exam
May 24th: Chemistry Exam
May 29th: English Exams
May 30th: Physics Exam
All are GCSE exams except for history. :smile:
Reply 4
Yeah do triple science it's one of the best lessons ever. Really useful as well, quite academic. Good luck with your results.
Reply 5
Original post by shadab786ahmed
Thank you so much!!! I am now taking your advice and buying all three separate revision guides, do they include modules 1-6 for each science?. I really want the A* in chemistry and science and I don't mind slacking in Biology and getting an A. Are there other any other especially diffficut areas within the modules.

Well done on your results and good luck to you too! :smile::smile::smile:


Yes, each revision guide has the modules 1-6 and for each module there's a page of questions to test that you know it all. These are really helpful and also DO PAST PAPERS! There are loads on the OCR website and they're the best way to test yourself.

The only sections I can think of that are harder are for
Chemistry: electrolysis and maybe covalent bonding?
Physics: there are lots of equations in P3 so get a lot of practice getting to know which ones to use (although they're given to you in the front of the exam)
Biology: DNA fingerprinting?

There are pages on all of these topics in the revision guides but they can be a little bit confusing.

In regards to your later post on the timings of the exams, it's going to be tricky to revise it all but it's possible. In year 11 for example we have our other three science exams really close with history and maths and english and all our other subjects together and people manage it. Don't let it put you off, just start revision early and you'll be fine! :smile:
Reply 6
Original post by shadab786ahmed
I got my results on March 8th and I had A* full points on my first module of OCR Gateway Double Science Award. I have now been given the chance to do triple science, which would mean three separate GCSEs in biology, chemistry and physics. My teacher said if I decide to do it, this exam I had received my resulst for will be cancelled and I will have to take three more exams in June. He also said I will have to teach myself with little support for modules 3, 5 and 6 in all three sciences.
Exam 1: B1, B2, B3.
Exam 2: C1, C2, C3.
Exam 3: P1, P2, P3.
Is it worth changing now?
I also wish to take a-levels in maths, chemistry, physics and french if that helps.


I do A Level Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Further Maths and I only did dual award at GCSE. People doing triple science don't have that much of an advantage - anything that was done in triple science but not in dual is usually covered in just one lesson. You don't need to bother changing, concentrate on your other exams. (:
Reply 7
Anybody got any advice on the 7's ? or any past results for them.. is it very hard to get 44/50ish?
Reply 8
I did triple science and i found it very beneficial. It showed me where my weak points were in the seperate sciences so that i could work on them. A lot of my frienda complained that double science was ridiculous because if you didnt enjoy one science as much as the other, that could bring yur grade down. For example, one of my friends disliked physics, therefore he studied about it less and wasnt as good at it as say chem or bio. In the end that brought down his grade even though he did really well in the bio and chem parts. I'd advise taking triple science! :smile:

sorry if there are a lot of spelling mistakes, i typed this out on my phone :|
Reply 9
I'm assuming you're doing the OCR 21st century science which is the one I'm currently finishing. Just remember that you'll have 3 separate exams for each subject + coursework. There's the unit 1 exam (1,2,3) unit 2(4,5,6) and unit 3 (7) + coursework will give you your final grades. It wasn't that hard and you only need 270 points to get an A*

In total you'll have 9 exams and 3 courseworks. However if you got full points on your exam I'm sure you can handle it!

Good luck and I hope you do well!
Reply 10
Thanks for all of the advice everybody! I have now decided to do triple science as I have been lookig at the content and it is rather straightforward! :smile: And I am doing OCR Gateway as opposed to 21st Century. I think it will be beneficial for me I the future and I do love a challenge so... I also hate biology, it's easy but I just loathe it so that's another advantage of triple science. Thank you again!
Reply 11
One more question - sorry!
For biology, In topics such as mitosis and cell growth. Will it be okay to learn it at an AS level. Things like interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, centrioles, spindle, centromere and chromatids etc.
Sorry if there are splint mistakes. On my iPod and typed the key words from memory so I might have spelt them wrong. :smile:
Reply 12
I did double science and now take two science a levels. I didn't notice double science being any disadvantage, and as you're obviously good at science, you would have no trouble keeping up with people who took sep sci.
If I'm being honest, my first AS results were the highest in my science classes, so I don't think it makes any difference at all. Don't put yourself under extra stress if you don't need to!
Reply 13
Original post by Hollie-
If you want to take a-levels in chemistry and physics I would really advise doing triple science!
I'm in year 11 and took the set of those three exams in the january of year 10.
I worked really hard over the christmas holidays before and got A*s in all three.

It will be a lot of work but if you get the individual CGP revision guides for each subject it's quite easy to teach yourself, it's pretty much just memorizing the text book but you might need a bit of help on a few areas like electrolysis in chemistry as a few things can get a bit confusing if you haven't been taught it.

However you sound like you're really good at science so it shouldn't be too difficult.

Basically I think you should do it! If you don't then you will regret not taking the individual sciences as you will have missed quite a lot of content that double science doesn't cover and you would be expected to have an understanding of at a-level.

Good Luck!!


Got my results on that day and got BBC. Fuark.


One kid in my year scored 45/45 in all sciences.

He's now studying Further Maths A level really early. Already knows half of the syllabus.
Reply 14
Original post by shadab786ahmed
One more question - sorry!
For biology, In topics such as mitosis and cell growth. Will it be okay to learn it at an AS level. Things like interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, centrioles, spindle, centromere and chromatids etc.
Sorry if there are splint mistakes. On my iPod and typed the key words from memory so I might have spelt them wrong. :smile:


At GCSE you don't get tested on anything to do with interphase or prophase etc. Or not to my memory so not sure how beneficial it would be to you? It might help you gain a better understanding though and make the GCSE seem simpler but I wouldn't bother learning it all for the exam as you're not tested on it :smile:
Reply 15
Okay, to be quie honest I think it's more beneficial for me to see the basic titles and then study it to a higher level so that I'll understand it better. And I've learnt it now anyway so no harm done :smile:

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