Many folks in Ballymena are deciding which GCSE’s they should choose as they move from Year 10 to Year 11. Ballymena Today has enlisted help form our Youth Team to hear how they are getting on with this big decision.
Over to Elizabeth;
I am at that time of the year, when I am getting millions of talks and leaflets on GCSEs and, with the amount of information I have been given, I hope I will be able to pass some of my knowledge onto you. This is one of the first decisions that evidently could affect your future and I hope that I will give you a little bit of helpful advice to help aid that decision.
How to choose your GCSE’s
Firstly, you need to consider what subjects you like and what subjects you don’t. Make sure you aren’t forced into any subjects that you don’t think would suit your abilities. Also be careful that you don’t drop a subject just because you don’t like it or it’s a lot of work. Doing that could result in closing certain opportunities, so make sure that you do your research!
Secondly, you need to consider what you are good at. If you are not very good at a specific subject you are more likely to lose interest and confidence and find it boring, but if you were to choose a subject that you know you like, you will probably find that it is easier than the others and that you excel at that subject more than one you dislike. Make sure to ask a teacher or tutor and they should be able to access your ability and help you figure out if you should continue with that specific subject.
Thirdly, what subjects do you need? Even if you don’t know what job you would like to pursue when you are older, you still need to be careful as some universities do have certain requirements for subjects before they will accept you. It is worth spending some time looking up and gathering information on the requirements for universities before you make your final decision on your subject choice.
Fourthly, and finally, keep as many career options open as possible! I know that is hard to keep open all options but make sure you leave as many doors open as possible. Think about what route you would like to take – whether it is a science route or an artistic route, a media route or a business route. Although I do believe that choosing certain subjects could close certain doors it is possible to choose a combination of subjects which will allow a wide range of options open.
Thank you for taking your time out to read this and I hope it helped. Just remember don’t panic! There is plenty of support available and even though the final choice is with you there is a lot of information and guidance that you can find online or you can even ask your teachers.
Here are some useful websites which might help you to investigate the subjects on offer.
Thanks to Elizabeth from the Ballymena Today Youth Team for writing about how she will choose her GCSE subjects. If you have any information or advice please feel free to share it with us below.