Choices - What choices will I have to make?

Studying a broad range of subjects will help widen your knowledge as well as keep your career options open.

In Year 9 you will have to decide which subjects you will study in Years 10 and 11. You will:

  • have to study English, Mathematics, Science, Information and Communication Technology, Citizenship, Physical Education, Religious Education, Sex Education, Careers Education and work-related learning.

  • be entitled to study Modern Foreign Languages, Design and Technology, Arts, and Humanities.

There could also be some extra subjects for you to choose from. These may include subjects that you are already familiar with, for example, History or Geography, or new subjects that you have not studied before, for example Psychology, Sociology or vocational subjects.

It is important to check with your school.

Through your school you will also be involved in enterprise education. This will include helping you to be creative, make ideas happen and 'manage' the risks you may have to face in the changing world you live in. It will also help you to have a better understanding of business, economy and finance. Check with your school who can tell you more about this.

Vocational Subjects

  • Relate to work in a particular vocational area, such as Engineering or Health and Social Care.

  • Are practical and give you a chance to learn by doing.

  • Can be mixed and matched with a variety of other courses.

  • May be taught in school or sometimes at a college or approved training centre.

  • Are mainly assessed by coursework (for example, GCSEs in vocational subjects or Applied GCSEs as they are often referred to, are in three sections, only one of which is assessed by an external examination).

  • Can lead on to a wide range of courses, qualifications and career pathways after Year 11 (dependent on other subjects studied and grades achieved).

For details of qualifications and subjects available at your school, and which, if any you should choose, you should talk to your teachers.

Before making these decisions however, you need to think about what impact choosing such courses will have on your longer term options. In Year 11 you will have to decide what you want to do after your GCSEs (or the other qualifications you may have taken). Your Personal Adviser will be able to help you with these decisions.

For more information you may also like to check the QCA web site

Before You Make Your Choice

Find out about each subject, for example,

  • What will the subject cover?
  • What skills will the subject help you to develop?
  • What jobs or courses of study or training will this subject be useful for?
  • Will there be an exam?
  • Will there be course work?
  • What subjects must you take?
  • What is a 'vocational' qualification?
  • What do you enjoy?
  • What are you good at?

People who can help you are:

  • Your Teachers
  • Your Parents/Carers
  • Your Personal Adviser