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**JHyde** · 02-11-2009, 03:44 PM

What's critical thinking as a subject? It sounds interesting.

I'm surprised you guys don't have to do English. Or is it compulsory and you guys didn't even bother mentioning it?

almh · 02-11-2009, 06:04 PM

Criticial Thinking is a... lovely AS. Big Grin

No, I see the relevance, I really do, but it's not a proper AS, and everyone knows it. I have just over 4 hours of lesson time per AS subject per week, for Critical Thinking I have one.

Do you mean English for A Level or GCSE? It is compulsory for GCSE - I think everyone takes English Language and English Literature (although correct me if I'm wrong!) and they also have to take science and maths, but you have a choice for science in doing dual award (where you get two science GCSEs overall but still have to study all three sciences, just in smaller amounts,) triple (aka one GCSE per science,) and I think you can also do single, but they didn't offer it at my school and I have no idea what it is.

**Nitrus** · 02-11-2009, 06:16 PM

(02-11-2009 06:04 PM)almh Wrote: Do you mean English for A Level or GCSE? It is compulsory for GCSE - I think everyone takes English Language and English Literature (although correct me if I'm wrong!) and they also have to take science and maths, but you have a choice for science in doing dual award (where you get two science GCSEs overall but still have to study all three sciences, just in smaller amounts,) triple (aka one GCSE per science,) and I think you can also do single, but they didn't offer it at my school and I have no idea what it is.

English is just one subject at GCSE I think.. Lit & Lang are both combined into one GCSE.

Science is triple (as almh said), double (as almh said) and single which is "Applied Science".

The fact that you get to pick which science you do is enough to sum up the problems the British education system has. If a student has the academic ability to do the triple, then they do the triple, no questions asked.

almh · 02-11-2009, 06:21 PM

(02-11-2009 06:16 PM)Nitrus Wrote:
(02-11-2009 06:04 PM)almh Wrote: Do you mean English for A Level or GCSE? It is compulsory for GCSE - I think everyone takes English Language and English Literature (although correct me if I'm wrong!) and they also have to take science and maths, but you have a choice for science in doing dual award (where you get two science GCSEs overall but still have to study all three sciences, just in smaller amounts,) triple (aka one GCSE per science,) and I think you can also do single, but they didn't offer it at my school and I have no idea what it is.

English is just one subject at GCSE I think.. Lit & Lang are both combined into one GCSE.

Science is triple (as almh said), double (as almh said) and single which is "Applied Science".

The fact that you get to pick which science you do is enough to sum up the problems the British education system has. If a student has the academic ability to do the triple, then they do the triple, no questions asked.

It's not just academic ability that divides people into triple and double - my friend is clever enough to do triple, but wants to do History, Geography, French and German, so has run out of GCSE option groups and decided to do double instead so that she can do her 4 preferred subjects.

I dunno what other people do for English, but I did two -shrugs-

**Nitrus** · 02-11-2009, 06:23 PM

(02-11-2009 06:21 PM)almh Wrote: I dunno what other people do for English, but I did two -shrugs-

I guess it depends on the exam board.

And why can't bright students do more GCSEs? Why are we restricting them? It's madness.

almh · 02-11-2009, 06:25 PM

She's doing 11, and has already done 1.5. There isn't much more space in the timetable for the others, when you've got all the compulsory subjects (I had to do 2 English, Maths, RS, half an ICT, DT and science of some form, so because I did triple I only ended up with 3 choices.)

**Nitrus** · 02-11-2009, 06:27 PM

(02-11-2009 06:25 PM)almh Wrote: She's doing 11, and has already done 1.5. There isn't much more space in the timetable for the others, when you've got all the compulsory subjects (I had to do 2 English, Maths, RS, half an ICT, DT and science of some form, so because I did triple I only ended up with 3 choices.)

11? I did 13.5 when I did GCSE and that wasnt the maximum!

almh · 02-11-2009, 06:27 PM

Wow! Really? That's a lot...

**Nitrus** · 02-11-2009, 06:29 PM

(02-11-2009 06:27 PM)almh Wrote: Wow! Really? That's a lot...

I know. I did all the standard ones and then double Science, double IT and half RE.

**JHyde** · 02-11-2009, 07:00 PM

I meant for A Levels isn't it compulsory to do Lit, but evidently not.

In Australia it depends on your state,. In NSW you do units, needing 12 to qualify for a UAI which gets you into uni. We sit a school cert two years out from finishing, but it basically means bugger all, especially if you're going on to senior school.

I'm pretty different subject wise. I did a hell of a lot of English (there are varous subjects you can do) and history, Latin, biology (which I completed a year early) and economics. I was good at maths but better at other things, so I pretty much abandoned it after my school cert. At uni I'm doing Honours in early American history, but I kept going with Latin (for a year, and then it just got too nerdy, even for me), picked up Italian, did some English and sociology which I despised. I haven't actually finished my degree yet as I've had some major health issues preventing me from study. Hoping to go back next year and terrified I'll have forgotten how to write.