My experience of Triple Science GCSE has been fantastic and if I could go back in time I would definitely take it again. Triple Science GCSE has made my transition to A levels easier and has prepared me really well for a science concentrated career.
In short, Triple Science GCSE is definitely worth it since it prepares you really well for A level science subjects, by bridging the gap between GCSE science and A level. It also gives you a solid foundation of biology, chemistry, and physics much better than double science and single science can do.
Triple science has been advocated by the government and industries because it prepares the students really well. Many educational institutes also stress the benefits Triple science GCSE brings to the table.
Is Triple Science GCSE worth It?
If you are up for 12 classes a week of science, lots of coursework, several assignments and between 6 to 9 exams (depending on your examination board) then you will be able to reap many benefits by taking triple science GCSE.
You will be getting three separate grades for triple science GCSE and if you do well you could potentially end up with 3 A* grades. Even if you were to mess up one of the subjects you could do well and still get 2A*. The grading is not cumulative but separate for each science subject.
Furthermore, the new exams allow students to spread out their exams in 2 or 3 years which alleviates the pressure from the students.
Many of my friends only took GCSE double science and for them, the step up to A levels was harder than for those who took triple science at GCSE. Those friends with double science struggled with the workload as they had to self-teach some of the topics that were already taught to me at GCSE level; as a result, many ended up with slightly lesser grades.
It is a relatively easy subject for students who like science. If they were to take some other option such as literature or geography, they might not do as well in it, as they would in the science subjects.
GCSE triple science has been taken by more able students and hence it has acquired a status and reputation for screening the students who like to take challenges and those who have superior science skills.
Triple science helps develop a stronger understanding of biology, chemistry, and physics and introduces students to several new topics. These topics could, later on, become something students want to study in-depth at university or perhaps research on them later on in their lives.
When is triple Science GCSE Not Worth It?
If you have no intention of studying anything science-related then triple science is not a very appealing option. Many students want to go into commerce or art-related subjects. Hence triple science would not be a good choice for such students.
If you were to take triple science in addition to the commerce or art a level subjects then your workload will be massive.
For someone taking triple science and not doing any commerce or art-related subjects, it would lead to an unbalanced set of GCSE subjects.
If you are taking it to show off to your employees or to mention in your university applications then triple science GCSE is not worth it. This is because many employees and universities recognize that not all schools offer triple science. Thus, holding it as a metric for success when not everyone has the opportunity to take it, would be unreasonable and foolish.
Universities and employers also realize that you would have done A levels which would cover the triple science content and knowledge plus lots more. Hence, they would not hold an absence of triple science at GCSE against you.
It would not be advisable to take GCSE triple science if you are doing it as a private candidate. It would be extremely challenging and the workload could negatively affect your grades.
Triple Science vs Double Science GCSE
In essence Double Science and Triple Science, both have topics from Chemistry, Physics, and Biology. Triple science GCSE has a third more of exams, modules and topics to study when compared to Double Science.
Double Science and Triple Science are both valid GCSE subjects. In Double Science, the grading is cumulative whereas in Triple Science it is separate. If you mess up the physics part in triple science, it will not affect your grades in Biology and Chemistry. Doing badly in Double Science will affect your whole grade.
The requirements for medicine degrees is two As at GCSE Double Science or three 6s at Triple Science. The requirements for triple science are comparatively easier than the Double Science requirements for studying Medicine.
Double Science will be less work and will allow you to take an extra GCSE and explore non-science options. At the same time, you will also have the opportunity to do a science degree at university.
However, if you are sure science is your thing and want to take multiple a level science subjects and want to do something science-related at university then the Triple Science option would be something you should definitely go for.
The additional information required to do a triple science award is less than the information required to do a double science GCSE and an additional subject.
How hard is Triple Science GCSE?
Triple Science GCSE is not much harder than Double Science GCSE however it does have a larger workload and more exams. Taking a separate GCSE subject and double science is more work then taking the standalone Triple Science GCSE award.
On average you will have 12 classes for GCSE triple science, compared to 8 classes for GCSE double science. Hence, if you add up the extra hours spent in class plus all the hours spent at home doing the assignment and coursework, triple science can become very time-consuming.
It is not a matter of difficulty but workload and time that helps differentiate between double science and triple science GCSE qualifications.
Although Triple Science might be harder and more time-dependent it will definitely smoothen out the transition from GCSE to A level Science.
How many people take GCSE Triple Science?
At one point only 7% of candidates took GCSE triple science, whilst the rest only took the one science combination or double science. However today many more students are taking GCSE triple science, especially due to encouragement from prospective universities and employers.
The increasing percentage of students taking and schools offering triple science show it has become a more popular option than ever before.
If so, many students can manage the workload and relative difficulty of triple science then it shows many more can do so as well.
My recommendation would be to try out the GCSE Triple science and if you find it too difficult and time-consuming then you can level down and switch to the GCSE double science award and take an extra subject instead.