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What is the most useful and useless GCSE subject you take

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I finished my GCSEs last summer, so reflecting on this a year later. Cannot decide on the ultimate useful/useless, but generally:

Useful:
English language/literature - helped my transition to essay writing in A Level subjects
RS - Surpisingly helped me a lot
Business - Pretty much taught me the basis of business for A Level

Useless:
Sciences - Yet to use them
Languages - You never seem to actually learn anything until AS level.
Maths - Aside from basic calculations, never used geometry nor alegbra since the exam.

I'm taking French, Spanish, Business, and Philosophy right now just to put things into some context.
Useful: Science/Geography
Useless: Business Studies 😑
Reply 22
Useful:
History - due to my international circumstance, a lot of world history talks come up in everyday conversation. also the evaluation skill is quite useful
Maths

Useless:
ICT - though I don't take the ICT exams, the subject is the most useless **** ever. You don't learn ANYTHING. Excel? Go learn yourself. Word? Powerpoint? Go work out yourself..
Reply 23
Finished GCSEs in 2010

Useful:
English, Geography
Useless: Maths, ICT

I have since studied Applied Science, ICT and Travel & Tourism, initially as A-levels, then after one month of AS study ended up doing the BTECs in a different sixth form. I actually wanted to study English Language, History, and Applied Science, then chose Applied Science, History and French and finally chose Applied Science, History and Travel & Tourism only for Applied Science and History to be in the same option block, so ended up doing ICT. So yeah, that justifies my 'useful' and 'useless'


(edited 9 years ago)
Useful: Additional science, I need it to study biology in A level
Useless: German, the CAs are annoying
Reply 25
Original post by melody19
Useful - probably maths (only cause it's my favourite though)
Useless - I would have to say music, only cause it's been the one I've least enjoyed.


Slightly ironic with your name though right? :wink:
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 26
Original post by bubblegumcat
useful: maths
useless: geography, so glad it's over now :smile:


My feelings exactly.
Useful: economics
Useless: English lit


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Useful: Maths - because I'm going to study it further
Probably English Language, even though I don't really like it much

Useless: BTEC PE - my school made this compulsory for everyone to do :facepalm:
Biology - I'm sorry but I hate it so much and will never ever use it
Reply 29
Useful: All my GCSE's
Useless: All my GCSE's

It's fair to say that you learn skills from doing any subject, and you do learn something if you remember it :smile:
Some subjects allow you to apply skills to the real world better than others.


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Useful: Maths and English
Useless: Science and ICT

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Original post by ghlgb
Slightly ironic with your name though right? :wink:


Ahahahah yeah :tongue: my name in real life is Melody!
But I enjoy playing music, I just didn't like the subject itself and the whole memorising facts about set works side of the subject :biggrin:
Reply 32
Original post by melody19
Ahahahah yeah :tongue: my name in real life is Melody!
But I enjoy playing music, I just didn't like the subject itself and the whole memorising facts about set works side of the subject :biggrin:


Haha no thats fair enough ;P I also take GCSE Music, on OCR :smile: Out of interest what did you choose as your instrument?
Original post by ghlgb
Haha no thats fair enough ;P I also take GCSE Music, on OCR :smile: Out of interest what did you choose as your instrument?


Ahh we're on Ed Excel! Do you have to do set works as well or not?
I play the flute, how about you? :smile:
Reply 34
Original post by melody19
Ahh we're on Ed Excel! Do you have to do set works as well or not?
I play the flute, how about you? :smile:


Nope, we have to do certain genres and world music, but no works... thats kinda suckish :s

Oo I play the flute aswell, grade 7. I prefer piano though so that was my instrument through the course :smile:
Original post by ghlgb
Nope, we have to do certain genres and world music, but no works... thats kinda suckish :s

Oo I play the flute aswell, grade 7. I prefer piano though so that was my instrument through the course :smile:


Ahh, so how is your final exam structured? What kind of questions are there?

Ooooh!! I just started my grade 7 too! (but haven't done any since grade 2 so hopefully I'll an exam for this grade :colondollar:)
I've always wanted to play the piano! But I love the flute too haha :tongue:
Useful: Geography probably - it's taught be a lot which I'm able to link in everyday life. For instance, my friend was stuck on what to write about for her University project and I was able to help her out with my Geography case studies (stuff about the Kyoto Protocol etc)
However, with other subjects such as Maths / English it's more the skill you gain (though equally useful) rather than the content which is beneficial.

Useless: probably ICT for me, it was painfully too easy and didn't really teach me anything that I didn't know.
Reply 37
Original post by melody19
Ahh, so how is your final exam structured? What kind of questions are there?

Ooooh!! I just started my grade 7 too! (but haven't done any since grade 2 so hopefully I'll an exam for this grade :colondollar:)
I've always wanted to play the piano! But I love the flute too haha :tongue:



Erm well...a little difficult to explain :s haha have a look at this if you're interested.
http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/134476-question-paper-unit-b354-01-listening.pdf

There are basically different areas of study so 1 is all coursework, 2 is different genres of world music (African acapella, indian classical music, great choral classics etc.), and area of study 3 is dance music (waltz, bhangra, disco, gamelan etc.). and they ask you questions such as ' what is a typical characteristic of this music that is represented in this piece?' or other smaller questions such as 'where did the style of music originate?'... yeah ahah

and yeah its good, I also don't like grades... they dont teach me much tbh aha, have you taken your grade 5 theory yet?


Oo, also fancy seeing something weird and wonderful that I put together a couple of years ago ;P?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VYb61qiTBs
tell me what you think aha :smile:
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by ghlgb
Erm well...a little difficult to explain :s haha have a look at this if you're interested.
http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/134476-question-paper-unit-b354-01-listening.pdf

and yeah its good, I also don't like grades... they dont teach me much tbh aha, have you taken your grade 5 theory yet?


Oo, also fancy seeing something weird and wonderful that I put together a couple of years ago ;P?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VYb61qiTBs
tell me what you think aha :smile:


Oh I see! :smile:
Ahaha yeah my flute teacher is always telling me about how much she hates how everyone is fixated on grades and how they really don't teach you that well.
Yes I took the exam last year!

Hahaha wow that's so cool, it must have been so hard :eek:
Reply 39
Original post by melody19
Oh I see! :smile:
Ahaha yeah my flute teacher is always telling me about how much she hates how everyone is fixated on grades and how they really don't teach you that well.
Yes I took the exam last year!

Hahaha wow that's so cool, it must have been so hard :eek:


She's right aha, I also took it last year!

aha, I was a weird 13 year old ;D

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