A guide for parents · January to March of Year 9
Choosing GCSE options
Most schools ask students to choose their GCSE options in Year 9, usually between January and March, from a list the school sets. English, maths and science are taken by everybody; the choices are the rest, and the one thing worth checking is what each A level the student might want later asks for at GCSE.
What everybody takes
Almost every school has everybody take English Language, English Literature, maths and science, either as combined science (two GCSEs) or as biology, chemistry and physics separately (three). Many schools also make religious studies compulsory. The options are the remaining slots, often three or four of them.
The EBacc
The English Baccalaureate is a group of subjects the government measures schools on: English, maths, science, a language, and history or geography. It is not a qualification, and a student does not need it for sixth form or university, but some schools steer students towards it.
Keeping later choices open
Sixth forms and colleges set GCSE grades for each A level, often a 6 or 7 in the subject itself for sciences, maths and languages. A subject dropped at 14 is hard to take up at 16, so a student with a possible interest in medicine, engineering or languages should keep the matching subjects. Beyond that, picking subjects the student likes and does well in is sensible, because the grades matter more than the list.
Each board’s specification pages show how every GCSE is examined, which is useful for a student who would rather have coursework than all exams, or the other way round.
Where to check
Checked against these on . The rules change from year to year, so the pages above are the ones to trust if anything here disagrees with them.
Common questions
How many GCSEs should my child take?
Most students take between eight and ten, and schools set how many. Sixth forms and universities look at the grades in the subjects that matter for the course far more than the number.
Is triple science better than combined science?
Either leads to science A levels. Triple science covers more content and gives three grades; combined science gives two. Some sixth forms ask for triple science, or for high combined grades, for A level sciences, so check with the ones your child might go to.
Can you change GCSE options after starting?
Sometimes, early in Year 10 and if there is space in the class. Ask the school; after the first term it gets hard to catch up.
Do universities care about GCSE options?
Mostly they care about grades in English and maths and in any subject the degree builds on. A few courses, and some competitive universities, look at GCSE grades more closely.