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What should I do about art GCSE?

I’ve taken art as a GCSE, and it’s currently the summer holidays and I’m regretting my choice and I haven’t even started Year 10 yet.
I’m not sure why I took it, I think it’s mainly because I thought I was good at art, but every time I try to draw or start my art project, I get distracted and get extremely stressed out by it.
Art GCSE isn’t something I’ll need in the future, and I’ve heard that GCSEs aren’t as big as people make them seem, but still I worry that Art GCSE will be a waste of time, and I’ll stress the whole time.
I’ve heard that Art GCSE is very time-consuming and that there are lots of projects, I don’t think I’m ready for it and I already know that I’m going to fall behind the other students!

I have also talked to my parent, however, their answers aren’t helpful, when I stress my problem they tell me that I wasn’t listening to them while choosing my GCSEs and I’m being too obnoxious and that the reason I’m in this mess is my fault and I can’t keep coming to them to solve all my problems, though I agree it is my fault I’m in this mess, I just feel like they’re not listening to me, and I just want someone to talk to, in order to help me figure out which GCSE path would suit me best.

I need help right now, as I feel like I’m stuck at a dead end, can I change my GCSE at the start of Year 10? And if so, should I change my GCSE or am I overthinking this?

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 1

:-))

You can definitely change your gcse at the start of Year 10, that's no problem (as long as there is space in another course you want to replace art GCSE with). If you feel that art GCSE will make you stressed and worried, it is probably not the right option for you. Think about what other subjects you love that you could replace with art GCSE, that won't make you stress too much

I hope this helps :smile:

Reply 2

Ankiy

Hey what's up and yeah I'm started by yr 10 as well and I picked art I know it's can be time consuming but if you really enjoy it then I dont see as a problem but you should be ready ) deep breaths(

Reply 3

kerrisbailey_

Original post by Hotchocolatee

I’ve taken art as a GCSE, and it’s currently the summer holidays and I’m regretting my choice and I haven’t even started Year 10 yet.
I’m not sure why I took it, I think it’s mainly because I thought I was good at art, but every time I try to draw or start my art project, I get distracted and get extremely stressed out by it.
Art GCSE isn’t something I’ll need in the future, and I’ve heard that GCSEs aren’t as big as people make them seem, but still I worry that Art GCSE will be a waste of time, and I’ll stress the whole time.
I have anxiety and ADD, and on top of that I’ve been told that I might be on the autistic
spectrum, and I’ve heard that Art GCSE is very time-consuming and that there are lots of projects, I don’t think I’m ready for it and I already know that I’m going to fall behind the other students!

I have talked to my school counsellor about GCSEs, but she has told me to take it as I might get equally stressed choosing a different GCSE and might miss out on opportunities in Art, however, the GCSE has just been making me feel horrible, and I don’t know whether I’ll cope when I start GCSEs after the summer holidays

I have also talked to my parent, however, their answers aren’t helpful, when I stress my problem they tell me that I wasn’t listening to them while choosing my GCSEs and I’m being too obnoxious and that the reason I’m in this mess is my fault and I can’t keep coming to them to solve all my problems, though I agree it is my fault I’m in this mess, I just feel like they’re not listening to me, and I just want someone to talk to, in order to help me figure out which GCSE path would suit me best.

I need help right now, as I feel like I’m stuck at a dead end, can I change my GCSE at the start of Year 10? And if so, should I change my GCSE or am I overthinking this?

you should be able to change it. i feel like youre overthinking the work load. at my school, i completed around 80 total pieces of work. in a week. id complete 1 piece at school (2-3 hours of lesson time) and 1 piece at home. baring in mind, my school over worked us so that wed all pass. your school probably wont do that.

a tip for when you are drawing, put yourself in a quiet room OR if you are able to, stay behind in the art department for an hour or 2. it really helps. secondly, inspire yourself before you draw. watch youtube videos of people showing thier gcse sketchbook to get ideas then watch timelapses of people drawing what you want to draw.

hope this helps!

Reply 4

Will_B123

Art GCSE is a great opportunity for a good grade which doesnt rely on an exam at the end of 2 years, which could go wrong and not pay dividends for hard work. however with art hard work does pay off and take it from someone with little art ability i got an 8 simply from experimentation and annotation.

Reply 5

mez_merising

yea, just drop art. save yourself all the stress x

Reply 6

AJayJ

Original post by Hotchocolatee

I’ve taken art as a GCSE, and it’s currently the summer holidays and I’m regretting my choice and I haven’t even started Year 10 yet.
I’m not sure why I took it, I think it’s mainly because I thought I was good at art, but every time I try to draw or start my art project, I get distracted and get extremely stressed out by it.
Art GCSE isn’t something I’ll need in the future, and I’ve heard that GCSEs aren’t as big as people make them seem, but still I worry that Art GCSE will be a waste of time, and I’ll stress the whole time.
I have anxiety and ADD, and on top of that I’ve been told that I might be on the autistic
spectrum, and I’ve heard that Art GCSE is very time-consuming and that there are lots of projects, I don’t think I’m ready for it and I already know that I’m going to fall behind the other students!

I have talked to my school counsellor about GCSEs, but she has told me to take it as I might get equally stressed choosing a different GCSE and might miss out on opportunities in Art, however, the GCSE has just been making me feel horrible, and I don’t know whether I’ll cope when I start GCSEs after the summer holidays

I have also talked to my parent, however, their answers aren’t helpful, when I stress my problem they tell me that I wasn’t listening to them while choosing my GCSEs and I’m being too obnoxious and that the reason I’m in this mess is my fault and I can’t keep coming to them to solve all my problems, though I agree it is my fault I’m in this mess, I just feel like they’re not listening to me, and I just want someone to talk to, in order to help me figure out which GCSE path would suit me best.

I need help right now, as I feel like I’m stuck at a dead end, can I change my GCSE at the start of Year 10? And if so, should I change my GCSE or am I overthinking this?

I'm currently in Year 11, and chose Art as a GCSE and while stressful sometimes, it is still enjoyable and a creative subject can always ease you into school, when thrown into academic subjects like maths and science.

If you feel it is not for you, that's completely fine and normal. This is a big year and it's understandably stressful. Since you haven't even began year 10 yet, I strongly suggest, after evaluating and carefully thinking, that you ask about other GCSE options and if you can take them, also think about what job you'd like in the future and link them to your GCSEs as this can help you (don't worry if you don't have a job in mind, most still don't even have one in Year 11 and above.) Since the year has just begun, you shouldn't be behind on work at all, so don't stress and chose what's right for you.

Reply 7

Katfrost4

Well, it seems you don't want to really do it, I did it at gcse (I'm now yr 13) and I mean in my school, it took up a lot of time I would say, the pieces, then designing the pages and then the research of artists (but I'm also a research freak so I always did too much of that) but anyway, basically it will be a lot of work. Trust me at the beginning I regretted it too, but in the end, yeah gcse mean **** all, especially art, unless you do something similar at uni. I'd think another subject like history etc is easier in a sense but art is also nice since u don't have an exam in it?... I don't know it's your choice, but just go with your gut, it's usually right

Reply 8

creativekai03

my current 1st paper for GCSE art

Reply 9

fleuriegrace

I'll admit, Art GCSE is stressful, especially when you've just started
but if you keep on top of the work and give it a go I found that it is worth it, as its a good grade and its actually a huge relief to have one GCSE out of the way early so you can focus on the other subjects (and you don't need to revise for art so that's one less subject to panic over)
you can always swap your GCSE subjects if your school allows you :smile:

Reply 10

guong

i agree with everyone; art is takes up a lot from you
i struggled with gcse art and i ended up doing basically no work throughout because i ended up dealing with mental health and going through an existential crisis due to my overthinking of the art unit (identity). i genuinely thought i was going to fail it because in class and outside of school i wouldn't do anything but i'd use it as an excuse as to not do work for my other subjects
however, i banged out an 8(a* equivalent, quick flex) and i literally had no idea what i was doing
the only reason that i actually took art gcse was because i was actually going through a doodling phase, but in the end it worked out because i take it for a levels too haha
if you honestly don't think you're good at drawing or painting, don't worry; i wasn't and still am not good at it. i focused on photography and expressionism (i'm very experimental in my 'art' and just general way of thinking) and i found it to be way easier - i'm focusing on photography in my a levels too. it's not as deep as your mind makes it out to be and sometimes you just have to step away from what you're in the middle of doing to look away, take a breath and go back to it
don't worry :smile:

and if you honestly really want to drop it then by all means, go ahead; do what you think is best for you

Reply 11

username4838204

Hello,
Sorry this is incredibly late but I also started Year 10 in September and I’m also autistic. I picked art for my GCSE because I love being creative and I did stress about the projects that would pop up now and then but I have a method which works for me. And it could possibly work for you.

1. Always plan and find out what’s going to happen in advance. Find out what current assignments are going to be given to you and plan ahead.

2. If you have any friends in that particular class then work with them and tell them how you feel. Friends can be a lot of help and calm you down if you’re stressed out.

3. And last of all always ask your teacher for help, even in private if you aren’t comfortable with asking for it while a lesson is going on. It’s always good to ask for help.

I don’t know how you’re doing now but I hope you’re doing ok. If you’re struggling them please see a trusted adult or teacher that you can talk to about this.