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Which GCSE should be mandatory?

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English, maths, science, a language and politics (in order to help people make informed decisions in elections). PE should be compulsory but not as a GCSE
Original post by Harriso1
Personally I think:

English Language
English Literature
Mathematics
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Language subject
Physical education

And 2-4 additional.

Latin maybe?


This list has to include the humanities/social sciences! history should very well be required
I think in terms of compulsory subjects we need to focus on what we actually need students to try and learn like do we really need students to learn lots of plant biology and chemical reactions for compulsory Science or geometry, transformations,shapes for compulsory Mathematics? Whilst these topics are clearly useful for students looking to study these subjects at an advanced level or go in a career relevant to these aspects of the subjects most people won't need them in their everyday life.

Core Subjects:
- Writing( note that at the moment Writing is only covered as a small part of English Language(25% for my GCSE) which is not enough I feel)
- Reading
- Essential Science(electricity,human biology,evolution etc.)
- Functionial Mathematics
- Computer Literacy(most students will learn this before the end of school)
- Politics/RE (RE was probably the closest subject to Politics you studied at school and I think there are strong links between these subjects.)
- Financial Mathematics/Economics/Business

I think that too much of education consists of teaching students what we would like them to know rather than what they need to know which is a huge problem. Many students, particularly those who are not academically inclined, find that only really Maths and English were useful for them and even then we have huge amounts of students failing at these essential subjects and it would make more sense to focus more on the essential subjects and of them focusing on the essential parts of these essential subjects so that all students are learning what they need to know.
(edited 5 years ago)
I'd say that whatever is already considered as mandatory is fine except English Literature, that should be optional.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by tundra.x
I'd say that whatever is already considered as mandatory is fine except English Literature, that should be optional.


I really don't think so. The skills learnt in English Literature are vital as what you learn is how to analyse texts and such skills you will need throughout your life for example when reading any article on the Internet. Otherwise, we will leave people open to being even more manipulated by the articles they read as they can't analyse the articles. One of the key ideas of English Literature is learning how to analyse what the author is trying to make you think/feel and this is essential in protecting people from being manipulated by the media or even fraudsters/scammers.
(edited 5 years ago)
Religious studies
Original post by Dalek1099
I really don't think so. The skills learnt in English Literature are vital as what you learn is how to analyse texts and such skills you will need throughout your life for example when reading any article on the Internet. Otherwise, we will leave people open to being even more manipulated by the articles they read as they can't analyse the articles. One of the key ideas of English Literature is learning how to analyse what the author is trying to make you think/feel and this is essential in protecting people from being manipulated by the media or even fraudsters/scammers.


Yes I agree it develops your way of interpreting things as well in the real world- you can look into things and it may perhaps challenge your views on c retain aspects of life too . Literature introduces beautiful concepts
I think GCSEs are a bit stupid and would prefer that people weren't examined at 16.
Reply 28
Original post by Kvothe the Arcane
I think GCSEs are a bit stupid and would prefer that people weren't examined at 16.


BRUH! What's the preferred age then? 16 seems fairly appropriate to me
until 1963 you needed Latin O level to get into yoony ? there is no reason why this should not become,mutatis mutandis, de rigeur once more.
Reply 30
Original post by the bear
until 1963 you needed Latin O level to get into yoony ? there is no reason why this should not become,mutatis mutandis, de rigeur once more.


Tell em boi
Original post by Harriso1
Tell em boi


Deus vult
Reply 32
English and Maths.
English Language
Mathematics
at least one science
Language subject
. One of History or Geography
Physical education (continued, not necessarily an exam)

I also think there should be a maximum number of subjects you should be able to take in any one year. Perhaps by universities and employers only allowed to consider certain subjects in admissions or employment decisions. Taking 12 GSCEs seems ridiculous.
english, science and math are fine. rs shouldn't have been a compulsory gcse in my school imo. so i think rs, pe and pshe should be continued but not as exams. languages shouldn't be compulsory
Original post by Harriso1
Personally I think:

English Language
English Literature
Mathematics
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Language subject
Physical education

And 2-4 additional.

Latin maybe?


Not saying languages aren't useful or important but I really do think that they are over rated, and what I mean by that, is that they say so much benefits about it when in reality they may not ever apply, and furthermore doing the gcse in it doesn't make you fluent in it, even if you get a high grade and especially if you didn't, I took French gcse and done foundation, I think I would have been better off choosing another subjects, one I would have actually been able to get a high grade, I did get a choice to do French, but it's one I kind of regretted afterwards.
Original post by Harriso1
Personally I think:

English Language
English Literature
Mathematics
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Language subject
Physical education

And 2-4 additional.

Latin maybe?


I think it should stay as it is, so
English, maths, biology, chemistry, physics, and PE but not as a GCSE, but maybe not making literature compulsory, but then at the same time English is a whole subject, so while you can be a lot better at one, the skills in one directly apply to the other.
Maths
English Language
Another language subject
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
PSHE lessons (not necessarily a GCSE)
Languages should only be taken by those that want to because, after school, they will likely just be forgotten, unless people actually wanted to learn them. Some people just can't do languages. I've been doing German for 5 years and still am not good. I work hard in it, but I just find it incredibly hard to remember everything that I've been taught.
Original post by Harriso1
I would extend the day by 1/2 hours.



You must be joking?! So I finish at 3:10pm. School starts at 8:50am. It is the shortest school day in the area, but I would not extend it. So 2 hours would be 5:10pm. What about clubs at school afterward? Most are 1-2 hours long. So 6:10-7:10. And what about anything else teachers need to do? You would literally be taking away their lives. Plus students would have less time for valuable things outside of school, especially in the winter.

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