Should I pick History or Geography for my GCSEs?

I'm in year 8. My school has decided to have us pick our GCSE options for humanities earlier than the other ones. At first my mind was set on picking History, but we recently have had assemblies and talked about the good and bad aspects of both, and now I'm not too sure. I get very good grades in both subjects, and wouldn't be too against considering Geography for its benefits, but my parents have recently brought up the topic of me moving to a better school in our area and their GCSE procedures aren't quite the same. I've also heard of the Duke of Edinburgh award for Geography which I'm very interested in finding out more about.
We apparently make our choice this week, some advice would be great :smile:

Reply 1

jstevo33

4

i loved gcse history but it’s worth checking what topics you’re doing as different combinations will change ur experience of it a lot. as long as you’re confident in essay writing and knowing your content you should be fine for it :-). geography is a lot of memorising processes so can be more dry but it comes down to personal preference in the end

Reply 2

Uni_student3132

12

I took both and preferred Geography. The content for both was very interesting, but I hated doing history essays and towards the end, I was so fed up with the subject. Ended up taking geography for A-Level as well so clearly liked that a lot more.

Just to be clear, the Duke of Edinburgh award has nothing to do with taking geography.

Reply 3

scar-the-queen

16

I don't do History GCSE but the majority of people in my year do and most of them regret taking it because there's a lot of content and they have to remember a lot of statistics, but they do enjoy History lessons because the content is interesting. Most people say that as long as you stay on top of your notes then your workload should be manageable.

Reply 4

*LifeHappens*

12

Original post by Shayla Waggie

I'm in year 8. My school has decided to have us pick our GCSE options for humanities earlier than the other ones. At first my mind was set on picking History, but we recently have had assemblies and talked about the good and bad aspects of both, and now I'm not too sure. I get very good grades in both subjects, and wouldn't be too against considering Geography for its benefits, but my parents have recently brought up the topic of me moving to a better school in our area and their GCSE procedures aren't quite the same. I've also heard of the Duke of Edinburgh award for Geography which I'm very interested in finding out more about.
We apparently make our choice this week, some advice would be great :smile:

What really helped for me was considering the content and the course and also talking to people who have done the subjects. You will be the one doing the gcses for the next few years so it's best you pick something you will actually enjoy and be motivated to learn. Look at your exam board spec for both geography and history and see what looks more appealing or interesting to you or consider which one you feel would benefit you more. I hope thats helps and good luck with options!!

Reply 5

emelini

6

Original post by Shayla Waggie

I'm in year 8. My school has decided to have us pick our GCSE options for humanities earlier than the other ones. At first my mind was set on picking History, but we recently have had assemblies and talked about the good and bad aspects of both, and now I'm not too sure. I get very good grades in both subjects, and wouldn't be too against considering Geography for its benefits, but my parents have recently brought up the topic of me moving to a better school in our area and their GCSE procedures aren't quite the same. I've also heard of the Duke of Edinburgh award for Geography which I'm very interested in finding out more about.
We apparently make our choice this week, some advice would be great :smile:

I'm currently doing GCSE History and honestly, it's one of my favourite subjects. I would say it involves lots of essay writing, so it would help if you are comfortable with doing that. Also, the course involves memorising many people, dates, events and facts, but if you find a revision technique that suits you, this shouldn't be too difficult!!
Try and find out what topics your school will teach during the course - maybe if you could ask head of department or a teacher? - because if the topics don't appeal to you so much, you might find History to be less enjoyable.
Overall, I think History is an interesting GCSE, it's like learning one long story, and although there is a lot to learn in the course, I think it's very rewarding and enjoyable as a subject if you have a genuine interest in it.
Good luck with choosing!!

Reply 6

Shayla Waggie

OP

3

Original post by Shayla Waggie

I'm in year 8. My school has decided to have us pick our GCSE options for humanities earlier than the other ones. At first my mind was set on picking History, but we recently have had assemblies and talked about the good and bad aspects of both, and now I'm not too sure. I get very good grades in both subjects, and wouldn't be too against considering Geography for its benefits, but my parents have recently brought up the topic of me moving to a better school in our area and their GCSE procedures aren't quite the same. I've also heard of the Duke of Edinburgh award for Geography which I'm very interested in finding out more about.
We apparently make our choice this week, some advice would be great :smile:

This is the original poster, just wanted to give an update that I ended up picking geography after discussing my grades at a parents evening. My teachers still highly recommend that if i go to a better school and am allowed to pick both, then I should. Many thanks to everyone who responded to this thread, I start studying my choice this September :smile:

Should I pick History or Geography for my GCSEs?

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