Double or Triple GCSE Science?
Parents are often bombarded with decisions to make regarding their children- from what kind of schools to send them to, to what sport they should play, and even down to what color they should paint their bedrooms. One of the biggest decisions parents face is whether or not to have their children enroll in a dual or triple science program. What’s the difference? And which one is right for your child? Here we will explore the differences between double and triple science programs, as well as discuss some of the pros and cons of each option. We hope this article will help you make an informed decision about what’s best for your family!
Before we start, we must clarify the clear differences between double and triple science;
Double Science
Worth two GCSE qualifications
Six exams in total
A combination of biology, chemistry and physics that can place more/less emphasis on each science
Triple Science
Worth three GCSE qualifications
Nine exams in total
Biology, Chemistry and Physics are all taught as separate subjects and doing well in one does not change the whole grade.
Now here comes the honest truth, when people apply for competitive courses at Universities, the first thing the admissions officer will look at is their GCSE science grades so depending on the university, they may automatically reject your application if you did not do triple science. Oxford, Cambridge and the Russell Group Universities will do this but this does not mean that you can not study medicine. You just need to look outside of Oxbridge and Russell Group Universities.
However, these universities will still have lots of students vying for the same place in competitive courses such as medicine, dentistry or law. Competition will be fierce so you have to stand out. If you are serious about studying your chosen course. Start doing volunteer work in the relevant sectors from the age of 14. This will give you the references and experiences to talk about in interviews and your UCAS application. Be inventive for where to do volunteer work. Want to go into medicine? Why not try a care home. Thinking of going into law? Think about doing work experience in a public-sector office.
Finally, make sure you have extracurricular activities to talk about. Universities don’t want students who are all work and no play. They know that professionals are stressed and overworked so they need to know that you can have a reasonable work-life balance. They don’t want to invest their time into a student who will let work take over their life and end up burning out much faster compared to their peers.
If your child has to do double science but you know they need triple science, why not try entering them as a “private candidate” at an external exam centre? It will cost you extra and you are responsible for covering the extra content and practicals that are only in triple science but this is where STEM@Home comes in!
STEM@Home covers ALL practicals from triple science as well as double science so if you do want your child to do triple science but do not know how you would cover the triple science exclusive practicals, STEM@Home covers those in the premium (8 or 10-month) subscriptions.
So, what’s the verdict? Should your child do double or triple science? The answer is – it depends. Double science will give them a good grounding in all three sciences and they will have to sit six exams. Triple science means they specialise in one subject but they will have to sit nine exams. It really depends on how much time your child wants to spend revising and whether they feel confident about sitting more exams. Ultimately, it’s up to you as parents to decide what’s best for your child but hopefully this article has helped make the decision a little easier!
