About Options

Pupils in Years 10 and 11 have to study a mixture of subjects. Some core subjects must be taken - they are compulsory. Other subjects are optional and can be selected from lists of those that are available.

Core and Optional Subjects

All students have to take English, Maths, Science and ICT, because they are part of the National Curriculum. Everyone has also to study careers education, citizenship, PE, religious studies, sex education, and work related learning. You may not have to take exams in these subjects.

Coursework

Not everyone has the same learning style. Coursework is part of most subjects now, but if you feel you would do better in exams, look for subjects where more of the assessment is based on exams than coursework.

Assessment

Most subjects are assessed on a mixture of coursework and examinations. How much of each varies from subject to subject and may well change between different exam boards. A full programme of GCSEs is normally 7 or 8 subjects.

Qualifications

Many subjects lead to GCSE qualifications. Others lead to a range of different qualifications like BTEC, Entry Level and NVQ. You may even be able to access subjects offered by other schools.