GCSE Options

Choosing your options

In year 9, you will need to decide which subjects you would like to study in years 10 and 11, either as GCSEs or Level 2 (BTEC) courses.

Studying Maths and English is mandatory, as is Science – either as a dual or triple award.

It is anticipated that the majority of students will follow their foreign language option through to GCSE after choosing their preferred language in year 7.

You will also be asked to choose one of the humanities subjects (History or Geography) to complete your full set of EBacc options.

The EBacc subjects ensure that students have a broad and balanced curriculum, and are therefore at the heart of our GCSE curriculum. All students will also study Religious Studies and have two core PE lessons per week.

It is important to think carefully about your choices, as you will be studying them for the next two years and they could affect your options for A Levels or further education.

Find out more about the courses available

Next steps

• Attend the options evening on 7 February 2019, at 4pm, and talk to the teachers about which courses you are considering
• Discuss the reasons for your potential option choices with your parents or carers and family members
• Do some extra research about your potential choices – look at the course pages, talk to older students doing the courses and look at relevant careers websites
• Discuss your option choices and option form with your tutor
• Fill in the options form and return by 15 March 2019

What can I study?

You can choose one option from each of the columns (provisional option blocks) below. Visit our course pages to find out more about each subject, including which topics you might study and how each course is assessed.

Top tips

• Visit the academy website and read about the different subjects on offer and what topics you could be studying
• Sit down with your parents or carers, or a member of staff , to talk through your options
• Choose subjects you enjoy and think about the subjects you are good at
• If you have a particular job or career path in mind, find out what subjects might support you with that career choice
• Don’t choose subjects just because your friends are doing them or you like the teacher – you may end up stuck studying a subject that you don’t enjoy

Thinking about the future?

The three main routes available to you, after GCSEs, are further education (sixth form or college), apprenticeships or employment with training.

While some students have a clear idea of the path that they would like to follow, others do not. The following websites include information about different careers and some include quizzes to help you identify areas of work you may not have previously thought about. They may prove useful when choosing options or to support discussions about options at home.

www.nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk
www.icould.com
www.apprenticeships.org.uk
www.university.which.co.uk
www.plotr.co.uk