How many GCSEs should I take?

There is not a standardised number of GCSEs that you need to take, although fewer than 8 will limit your choices for post-16 study and would need to be explained if you apply to university. Most students will do 9 or 10 subjects, but this number may be higher if your school offers additional after school subjects, you are fluent in another language, or you take some a year early. 

Which GCSEs do I have to do?

Three subjects are compulsory for all students in England and Wales: English, Maths and Science. 

English: English Language is compulsory and is 1 qualification. English Literature is also considered essential by most schools and counts as an additional qualification with separate exams. 

Maths: This is 1 qualification, however ‘Further Maths’ may also be taken as an additional, more challenging qualification. 

Science: Students can either take ‘Combined Science’, which covers Biology, Chemistry and Physics and results in 2 qualifications; or they can take the three sciences as separate subjects, resulting in 3 qualifications. 

Schools will also give guidance to help students choose subjects and may have additional required subjects, such as a language or a humanities subject. 

Why does my school make me do a language / humanities / a design technology? 

Schools will offer subjects that fall into the following four categories: 

• Arts (e.g. drama, music, art)
• Design and technology (e.g. electronics, food and nutrition)
• Humanities (e.g. geography, history, religious studies)
• Modern foreign languages (e.g. French, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese)

Schools may make some of these categories compulsory and provide a limited range of choices, whereas others give much more freedom. Consult your school website for guidance. 

When do I have to choose my GCSEs?

Most schools require students to make GCSE choices in Year 9, and commonly by the end of the Spring term (March/April). This is to give students as much time as possible to enjoy the full range of subjects before narrowing down. 

What’s the difference between GCSEs and iGCSEs? 

Nowadays, the differences between GCSEs and iGCSEs are minimal. Both are accepted by sixth-form colleges, independent schools and universities around the world. The main differences are the contents of the syllabi as iGCSEs are more internationally, and less Britain, focused. 

Does it matter what GCSE subjects I choose? 

There are two important things to consider when making GCSE choices: 

• Which subjects do you enjoy most? 

You will be spending a lot of time and energy studying and revising for these GCSEs, so you will have a much better time if you choose subjects that you enjoy. You are more likely to achieve highly in things you enjoy, and more likely to want to continue studying them in the future. 

• What do you think your next steps after GCSEs will be? 

If you already have a clear idea in your mind about your post-16 and/or university study, then ensure you incorporate that into your GCSE choices. If there is a subject you know you definitely want to continue studying, then you should take it for GCSE. 

This is particularly important if you think you would like to pursue sciences or medicine. In this case, you should prioritise taking the 3 separate science GCSEs if possible.

Which GCSEs look best on my academic record? 

There are no subjects that look more or less impressive to a sixth-form / college / university. They will only be concerned with whether you are qualified for the course(s) you are applying to. 

e.g. If you apply for a History A level course which requires you to have at least a 6 at GCSE, then that’s what they will be looking for.

GCSE 選擇 FAQs

我應該參加多少次 GCSEs 考試？

實際上，並沒有統一規定你需要參加多少次GCSEs 考試，但是少於 8 門科目會限制你16 歲以後學習的選擇，並且如果你需要申請大學時，便需要對此進行解釋。大多數學生會選修9 或10 門科目，但如果你的學校提供額外的課外科目、你能流利地使用另一種語言，或者你提前一年選修某些科目，則這個考核科目的數量可能會更高。 

我必須參加哪些 GCSEs 考試？

英格蘭和威爾斯所有學生的三門必修科是：英語、數學和科學。

英語：英語是必修課，也是一項資格。 大多數學校也認為英國文學是必不可少的，並被視為需單獨考核的附加資格。

數學：這是一項資格，但是‘Further Maths’（延伸數學）也可以被視為一項額外的、更具挑戰性的資格。

科學：學生可以選修‘Combined Science’（綜合科學），涵蓋生物、化學和物理，並獲得 2 項資格；或者他們可以將三門科學作為單獨的科目，從而獲得 3 項資格。

學校還將提供指導，幫助學生選擇科目，並可能有額外的必修科，例如語言或人文科（包括地理、歷史和宗教）。

為甚麼我的學校要我學語言/人文/設計技術？

學校將提供以下四類科目範疇： 

• 藝術（如戲劇、音樂、藝術）
• 設計和技術（例如電子、食品和營養）
• 人文學科（如地理、歷史、宗教研究）
• 現代外語（例如法語、西班牙語、普通話）

學校可能會將其中一些類別強制為必修科，並提供有限的選擇範圍，而其他類別則提供更多的自由。請參閱你學校的網站以了解更多資訊。

我甚麼時候必須選擇我的 GCSEs 課程？

大多數學校要求學生在 9 年級做出 GCSE 選擇，整個過程通常到春季學期結束（三月/四月）為止。 這是為了讓學生在縮小考核範圍之前，有盡可能多的時間來享受並體驗全部科目。 

GCSEs 和 iGCSEs 有什麼區別？

如今，GCSEs 和 iGCSEs 之間的差異很小。兩者均被世界各地的六年級學院、私立學校和大學所接受。主要區別在於教學大綱的內容，因為 iGCSEs 更加國際化，而非英國化。

我選擇甚麼 GCSE 科目很重要嗎？

在作出 GCSE 科目選擇時需要考慮兩件重要的事情：

• 你最喜歡哪些科目？

你將花費大量的時間和精力來學習和複習這些GCSEs科目，所以如果你選擇你喜歡的科目，你的學習過程會過得比較自在快樂。你更可能在自己喜歡的事情上取得巨大成就，並且有更大可能在未來繼續學習它們。

• GCSEs 考試結束後，你的下一步計畫是甚麼？

如果你已經對 16 歲以後和/或大學學習有了清晰的想法，那麼在你選擇 GCSE的過程中，請把這些列入你的考慮中。 如果你知道自己一定想繼續學習某個科目，那麼你應該參加那個科目的 GCSE。

如果你認為自己想向科學或醫學方面發展，這一點尤其重要。在這種情況下，如果可能的話，你應該優先參加 3 門獨立的科學 GCSE 考試。

哪些 GCSEs 考試最匹配我的學業成績？

對於六年級/學院/大學來說，沒有甚麼科目看起來會較令人印象深刻或缺乏競爭力。這些學院只會考慮你是否符合你所申請課程的申請資格。

例如：如果你申請歷史A級課程，而這要求你GCSE成績至少達到6分，那這就是他們要求的程度。