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Single Science V Double Science GCSE-which helps more at A level?

Hey, this is just a random question really.

I was just wondering how much taking Single Sciences for GCSEs benefits students aiming to take A Level Science?

I've taken Single Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and aim to take all 3 next year. Will the single science benefit me more than someone doing double science? Also, is some of the single science "extra" material repeated at A level?

Any thoughts on this? Did anyone here take double science GCSE and found A levels just as OK as someone who took single?

Just a bit of reassurance really.

Thank you in advance!

Reply 1

supertramp

9

Any thoughts on this? Did anyone here take double science GCSE and found A levels just as OK as someone who took single?

In some schools (like mine) you really don't get the option to take the sciences separately. You get single science (just the one) or double science (considered harder). I should think you'll be at a very slight advantage but the stuff at A level is completely different anyway, and GCSE doesn't have much to do with it.

Reply 2

Wiseguy.

I did double science and found physics very easy at AS(should be getting an A fingers crossed). Double science equips you perfectly. However if your thinking of doing all three sciences, i suggest you do sepereate gcses, as it will train you to look at chem,bio and phys as different subjects as well as giving you a good grounding in the sciences.

Reply 3

Excalibur

15

I'm insanely jealous of all the people who were given the opportunity to do separate sciences :p:

At a lot of schools, double science is all that is offered, and the people who go on to take A level science gets on fine. So perhaps triple science gives you an advantage, but one that is easily catch-able for the double award students.

And you do see the three bio, chem and phys as different disciplines with double science - I had three different teachers & lessons for each subject, and had three papers.

Reply 4

Madprof

12

Excalibur

I'm insanely jealous of all the people who were given the opportunity to do separate sciences :p:

At a lot of schools, double science is all that is offered, and the people who go on to take A level science gets on fine.

Me too! I always wanted to do all three GCSEs as I found double award a little boring, but hey...

As to the merits of seperate sciences or double award, double award is fine for science A-levels - at our school (double award science only), there are plenty of A-level scientists and we do fine; A-level science subjects only require double award knowledge. My brother has just finished triple award (ie single sciences), and he's done some topics which I did at A-level, although not perhaps in quite so much depth.

So you'll obviously end up with more knowledge doing triple award, and that may well help you in your first term or so of A-levels, but it's the people doing triple award who have a slight advantage, rather than those doing double award who are at any disadvantage.

Reply 5

username68316

3

If we're being honest, i don't think it really matters which option you choose. I did double science, purely because i used to be so very sceptical, and had no interest in it (thats changed now. Now i'd like to do it at degree level!) I mean, if i had the choice again, i would have chosen seperate sciences, but mainly because of the interest factor.

I guess it probably goes into a similar depth of information as double science, but at the end of the day I dont think it will affect you're A level performance one bit. Information you might not know as a result of doing double science would probably be either irrelevant, or easily and quickly taken up as part of private sudy by seeing it included in a similar topic in your AS textbook.

Reply 6

smirf83

3

Triple science does make your first term or so of A-level science subjects easier as you cover a fair bit that you've already done, so it's a nice relaxing start to the year. :smile:

Reply 7

mousy

14

I did double science and I am coping fine with A level chemistry this year. However I know someone who did single sciences and was doing all three at A level until she dropped out

Reply 8

khil

15

I did double science and I coped fine with Chem and Bio :smile:

A-Level science is completely different anyway - no one cares about GCSEs once you get there. And if you're good at a subject, double and single won't affect anything - you'll be just as good, really. I've noticed if you get B grades at GCSE and take that same subject to A-Level, the person tends to struggle a lot and then come out with a C or below. And if you usually gets A's and A*s at GCSE you tend to cope fine and come out with C or above, depending on how talented you actually are :smile:

This is a generalisation, of course, but it's just a pattern I've noticed.

Reply 9

-G-a-v-

16

I'm thinking the A-level Specifications actualy state that double award science knowledge is needed as a minimum, so even if you were to take single award science, you'd still need to learn the double award stuff, but a good GCSE revision guide would get you up to speed no doubt. It'd be better to double though, or triple if its on offer.

Reply 10

username68316

3

irisng

I did double science and I coped fine with Chem and Bio :smile:

A-Level science is completely different anyway - no one cares about GCSEs once you get there. And if you're good at a subject, double and single won't affect anything - you'll be just as good, really. I've noticed if you get B grades at GCSE and take that same subject to A-Level, the person tends to struggle a lot and then come out with a C or below. And if you usually gets A's and A*s at GCSE you tend to cope fine and come out with C or above, depending on how talented you actually are :smile:

This is a generalisation, of course, but it's just a pattern I've noticed.

Well i took double science, and got a B (albeit a year early) . But i'm taking Chem and Bio now , and have got A's so far. It sounds like a pretty accurate generalisation, but the again i didnt actually try for my GCSE's :frown:

Reply 11

.Laura. <3

11

I did single science i.e 1 GCSE's worth, and took Bio and Chem to AS. I was so worried about how I'd fare but I didn't seem to find them any harder than those who did double award did (triple science wasn't even offered until this year). I suppose only my grades will tell though... :rolleyes:

Reply 12

tiger_vio

11

I think it depends on how confident you are in Science. My friend did triple science (as its called in my school), and she struggled with AS. Saying that she got CCB for gcse which isn't exactly bad, but she found biology/chemistry AS harder than all the double science students.
Personally, unless science is your very best subject, i'd advise doing double science. AQA is a very well rounded course, which provides you with a very good solid base for AS/A-level. I think triple science dips into other modules/areas that aren't even discussed at a-level.
I'm no expert, but the only way it could be benefital to triple science people is that they'd have knowledge on triple science modules (like aqueous and organic) that the double science people don't... but as I said I dunno if that is included at AS level. The only harm in doing triple science is that you'll just know that little bit more about things than double science people :smile:

Personally, i'd take up another GCSE instead- good luck!

Single Science V Double Science GCSE-which helps more at A level?

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