[Les_Miserables]

OK, my sister is choosing her IGCSE options, and although I have told her repeatedly that it doesn't matter nearly as much (not that I would know, never having done IGCSE in my life, nor knowing much about it) as A-levels, but she's still stressed. Anyway, she wants to do Computer Science at university, and was wondering what IGCSEs she shoudl choose. She has to take English Lit & Lang, Greek, Maths, a science (she's thinking of Physics), a humanities subjects (she's thinking of History, but there's also Geography on offer), then she has to choose two more. She's in between Computer Science, French, and Chemistry. I'm urging her to take French, and she really wants to take both Computer Science and Chem. You can't take an extra IGCSE though...

Anyway, my question is this: If she doesn't have Computer Science at IGCSE or A-level, is it bad, or will it put her at a disadvantage? Sorry for having rambled. And thanks

[Psyk]

What the hell is an IGCSE? Anyway there is no need for her to do computer science at GCSE or A-level. Of course she might want to if she's interested in it, but as long as she does well in maths based subjects she'd have no problem doing computer science.

[katwin]

I did standars GCSEs not IGCSE but I don't imagine there's a lot of differenjce.
In short, no. Most schools don't offer computer science at GCSE and so most applicants won't have it. On the other hand, if it was offered at my school I would have taken it just becauce I think I would have done pretty well at it and enjoyed it. Instead I took IT, which I only got a C in! So that wasn't great...

At A-level it doesn't matter either, though it would be an advantage when applying for some universities. But she probably wont need Computer Science at GCSE to take it at A-level (if she knows where she will be studying her GCSEs it might be a good idea to check this). The most important subject at A-level is Maths, so as long as she does well in her Maths IGCSE she should be fine.

disclaimer: I know nothing about IGCSEs. I had to look them up

[Les_Miserables]

IGCSE - like GCSEs but the International version Thanks so much for the replies! She finds it fascinating, and would like to take it...but she also wanted to take Chem. Anyway, this will probably have made the decision for her. Thanks again

[Azimuth]

No university will care that she hasn't done Computer Science at GCSE (does that even exist?), and they will care very little, if at all, if she hasn't done it at A-Level.

Edit: Sorry, didn't realise this had already been settled.

[iainmacn]

I'd agree with the above - I think most places will let you onto computing degrees even if you haven't done computing, as long as you have maths. Some places even pretty much require maths (think Imperial is one of them) and a few of the top places don't regard ICT as a "proper" A level and you'd be better off doing another subject.

Less exalted places think ICT is okay though, but equally will let you in without ICT or computing. Ring up and check if she has some idea of where she wants to go