help me with gsce choices!!!

im year 8 rn but our sch wants us to pick in early year 9. i have to do re (catholic sch) so i only have 3 options.one thing i should say quickly is id prefer to do coursework than exams bc theyre stressful etc so coursework is a big part of picking gsces for me. i def wanna do art and geography and i speak b1 portuguese so im taking that as an extra outside sch so i have one more option to choose. my mum is trying to force me to do french so i do ebacc but if im already doing portuguese i dont see why i should do french? anyway i wanna be a paramedic so not like i wanna go oxford or anything (planning on st georges or uni of west london) and the only course requirements are me passing at least a few gsces (which i should be fine w my predicted grades are 7s and 8s) and a science a level, so french and ebacc are useless to me esp considering its one of my worst subjects and i wouldnt use it, i wanna do either:
food tech - i love cooking, im maltese and portuguese and we have amazing food and some family are chefs and have taught me how to cook, im good at it and 50% is non exam assesment, also good life skill

health and social(level1/2 btec)- relevant to being a paramedic, makes sense to do as its ab healthcare and 60% is coursework

sociology- generally interests me, think id be good at it and can also help in the healthcare field apparently, and i was raised amongst alot of activism

but yeah idk, anyone whose done gsces (specifically these ones) could u give some advice pls? thx

Reply 1

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by ez93913

im year 8 rn but our sch wants us to pick in early year 9. i have to do re (catholic sch) so i only have 3 options.one thing i should say quickly is id prefer to do coursework than exams bc theyre stressful etc so coursework is a big part of picking gsces for me. i def wanna do art and geography and i speak b1 portuguese so im taking that as an extra outside sch so i have one more option to choose. my mum is trying to force me to do french so i do ebacc but if im already doing portuguese i dont see why i should do french? anyway i wanna be a paramedic so not like i wanna go oxford or anything (planning on st georges or uni of west london) and the only course requirements are me passing at least a few gsces (which i should be fine w my predicted grades are 7s and 8s) and a science a level, so french and ebacc are useless to me esp considering its one of my worst subjects and i wouldnt use it, i wanna do either:
food tech - i love cooking, im maltese and portuguese and we have amazing food and some family are chefs and have taught me how to cook, im good at it and 50% is non exam assesment, also good life skill
health and social(level1/2 btec)- relevant to being a paramedic, makes sense to do as its ab healthcare and 60% is coursework
sociology- generally interests me, think id be good at it and can also help in the healthcare field apparently, and i was raised amongst alot of activism
but yeah idk, anyone whose done gsces (specifically these ones) could u give some advice pls? thx

Hi @ez93913

From personal experience, I always recommend that students choose subjects they enjoy for their GCSEs. I've found that I tend to do better in the subjects I'm genuinely interested in and have a passion for, so try to pick options that will keep you interested over the next few years.

Food tech, health & social care, and sociology all have great attributes towards your future career plans. It sounds like you have a passion for cooking, which could be exciting to explore through food tech. And even if it doesn't directly link to becoming a paramedic, it will definitely help you with building up more life skills which you can take to uni with you!

Obviously, your mum's opinion is very much valid too, so try to chat with her about what you'd like to pick. But remember, it's you who will be studying these subjects, no body else, so you want to make the best decision for you.

Maybe have a look at what each subject offers and what you would be studying in the next few years to make sure you'll stay engaged throughout your studies.

Best of luck! 🙂
Emily
Student Rep at BCU

Reply 2

Geo Lover 7

Chat Forum Helper, Study Forum Helper

Original post by ez93913

im year 8 rn but our sch wants us to pick in early year 9. i have to do re (catholic sch) so i only have 3 options.one thing i should say quickly is id prefer to do coursework than exams bc theyre stressful etc so coursework is a big part of picking gsces for me. i def wanna do art and geography and i speak b1 portuguese so im taking that as an extra outside sch so i have one more option to choose. my mum is trying to force me to do french so i do ebacc but if im already doing portuguese i dont see why i should do french? anyway i wanna be a paramedic so not like i wanna go oxford or anything (planning on st georges or uni of west london) and the only course requirements are me passing at least a few gsces (which i should be fine w my predicted grades are 7s and 8s) and a science a level, so french and ebacc are useless to me esp considering its one of my worst subjects and i wouldnt use it, i wanna do either:
food tech - i love cooking, im maltese and portuguese and we have amazing food and some family are chefs and have taught me how to cook, im good at it and 50% is non exam assesment, also good life skill
health and social(level1/2 btec)- relevant to being a paramedic, makes sense to do as its ab healthcare and 60% is coursework
sociology- generally interests me, think id be good at it and can also help in the healthcare field apparently, and i was raised amongst alot of activism
but yeah idk, anyone whose done gsces (specifically these ones) could u give some advice pls? thx

I should be qualified to answer as I did Food Tech at GCSE and I'm doing Sociology at A-Level.
Food tech does teach you how to cook but cooking only makes up 35% of the grade with 15% being a food science experiment practical thing (people usually don't enjoy this part of the course) and 50% being an exam (which you already know about).
If you enjoy food, I'd say go for it though.
I find Sociology very interesting and while I didn't do it at GCSE, I think it will be very interesting at GCSE.

Reply 3

Geo Lover 7

Chat Forum Helper, Study Forum Helper

Original post by ez93913

im year 8 rn but our sch wants us to pick in early year 9. i have to do re (catholic sch) so i only have 3 options.one thing i should say quickly is id prefer to do coursework than exams bc theyre stressful etc so coursework is a big part of picking gsces for me. i def wanna do art and geography and i speak b1 portuguese so im taking that as an extra outside sch so i have one more option to choose. my mum is trying to force me to do french so i do ebacc but if im already doing portuguese i dont see why i should do french? anyway i wanna be a paramedic so not like i wanna go oxford or anything (planning on st georges or uni of west london) and the only course requirements are me passing at least a few gsces (which i should be fine w my predicted grades are 7s and 8s) and a science a level, so french and ebacc are useless to me esp considering its one of my worst subjects and i wouldnt use it, i wanna do either:
food tech - i love cooking, im maltese and portuguese and we have amazing food and some family are chefs and have taught me how to cook, im good at it and 50% is non exam assesment, also good life skill
health and social(level1/2 btec)- relevant to being a paramedic, makes sense to do as its ab healthcare and 60% is coursework
sociology- generally interests me, think id be good at it and can also help in the healthcare field apparently, and i was raised amongst alot of activism
but yeah idk, anyone whose done gsces (specifically these ones) could u give some advice pls? thx

You get predicted grades in Year 8?

Reply 4

Kingston Jenifer

Official Rep

Original post by ez93913

im year 8 rn but our sch wants us to pick in early year 9. i have to do re (catholic sch) so i only have 3 options.one thing i should say quickly is id prefer to do coursework than exams bc theyre stressful etc so coursework is a big part of picking gsces for me. i def wanna do art and geography and i speak b1 portuguese so im taking that as an extra outside sch so i have one more option to choose. my mum is trying to force me to do french so i do ebacc but if im already doing portuguese i dont see why i should do french? anyway i wanna be a paramedic so not like i wanna go oxford or anything (planning on st georges or uni of west london) and the only course requirements are me passing at least a few gsces (which i should be fine w my predicted grades are 7s and 8s) and a science a level, so french and ebacc are useless to me esp considering its one of my worst subjects and i wouldnt use it, i wanna do either:
food tech - i love cooking, im maltese and portuguese and we have amazing food and some family are chefs and have taught me how to cook, im good at it and 50% is non exam assesment, also good life skill
health and social(level1/2 btec)- relevant to being a paramedic, makes sense to do as its ab healthcare and 60% is coursework
sociology- generally interests me, think id be good at it and can also help in the healthcare field apparently, and i was raised amongst alot of activism
but yeah idk, anyone whose done gsces (specifically these ones) could u give some advice pls? thx

Hi there,

in all honesty your GCSE options do not matter too much. Uni's are more interested in your post-16 qualifications, so long as you meet the minimum GCSE requirements - which it sounds like you are more than capable of - you will be fine.

Kind regards, Jenifer (Kingston rep)

Reply 5

cathrudd

Original post by ez93913

im year 8 rn but our sch wants us to pick in early year 9. i have to do re (catholic sch) so i only have 3 options.one thing i should say quickly is id prefer to do coursework than exams bc theyre stressful etc so coursework is a big part of picking gsces for me. i def wanna do art and geography and i speak b1 portuguese so im taking that as an extra outside sch so i have one more option to choose. my mum is trying to force me to do french so i do ebacc but if im already doing portuguese i dont see why i should do french? anyway i wanna be a paramedic so not like i wanna go oxford or anything (planning on st georges or uni of west london) and the only course requirements are me passing at least a few gsces (which i should be fine w my predicted grades are 7s and 8s) and a science a level, so french and ebacc are useless to me esp considering its one of my worst subjects and i wouldnt use it, i wanna do either:
food tech - i love cooking, im maltese and portuguese and we have amazing food and some family are chefs and have taught me how to cook, im good at it and 50% is non exam assesment, also good life skill
health and social(level1/2 btec)- relevant to being a paramedic, makes sense to do as its ab healthcare and 60% is coursework
sociology- generally interests me, think id be good at it and can also help in the healthcare field apparently, and i was raised amongst alot of activism
but yeah idk, anyone whose done gsces (specifically these ones) could u give some advice pls? thx

If you can already cook you don't need to do food tech which is not a serious GCSE. You need to show some aptitude at science, so biology/chemistry/physics are worth doing. French is one of the easiest GCSEs. Art is very time consuming as the projects take a LONG time and they can take up your revision time for other subjects. Remember you are going to need Maths and English more than anything to be a paramedic. Geography is a great GCSE. Good luck

Reply 6

Marik0

Original post by ez93913

im year 8 rn but our sch wants us to pick in early year 9. i have to do re (catholic sch) so i only have 3 options.one thing i should say quickly is id prefer to do coursework than exams bc theyre stressful etc so coursework is a big part of picking gsces for me. i def wanna do art and geography and i speak b1 portuguese so im taking that as an extra outside sch so i have one more option to choose. my mum is trying to force me to do french so i do ebacc but if im already doing portuguese i dont see why i should do french? anyway i wanna be a paramedic so not like i wanna go oxford or anything (planning on st georges or uni of west london) and the only course requirements are me passing at least a few gsces (which i should be fine w my predicted grades are 7s and 8s) and a science a level, so french and ebacc are useless to me esp considering its one of my worst subjects and i wouldnt use it, i wanna do either:food tech - i love cooking, im maltese and portuguese and we have amazing food and some family are chefs and have taught me how to cook, im good at it and 50% is non exam assesment, also good life skillhealth and social(level1/2 btec)- relevant to being a paramedic, makes sense to do as its ab healthcare and 60% is coursework sociology- generally interests me, think id be good at it and can also help in the healthcare field apparently, and i was raised amongst alot of activism but yeah idk, anyone whose done gsces (specifically these ones) could u give some advice pls? thx

Hello I’ve read your message I’ve just about finished doing my gcse exams and what I picked for my options was history, sociology and food tech I personally love my options and if your leaning to doing more coursework based subjects I suggest picking food tech is a really good idea especially if you love cooking which is a big part for your nea/coursework and you want to do less exams. I also do sociology which I really love and it’s a very intriguing subject with lots of writing but if you practice with essay writing you would be fine. I suggest if your more into absolutely not doing that many exams then pick food tech as I’m sure you could get a easy grade 9.

Reply 7

ez93913

Original post by cathrudd

thank you for the advice, im already doing all the sciences and english and maths as core subjects, sorry that wasnt clear.

Reply 8

ez93913

Original post by Geo Lover 7

You get predicted grades in Year 8?

yeah my sch are weird lmao

Reply 9

Toomanyenny

Honestly decide by thinking 1) What do I enjoy and 2) Am I good at it? GCSEs do matter but are not really that significant. If you’re already doing Portuguese there’s no point in doing French unless you like it. Just be mindful with the 2 course work subjects, some of my friends who did 1 were really stressed when it came closer to exam seasons as they left everything last minute. Don’t let that scare you. Perhaps do sociologyor food tech?