Year 9 Options
GCSE Options Chooser
Check a set of GCSE choices before the form goes back. See whether they give the EBacc, whether all eight Progress 8 slots are filled, and — the question that actually matters — which routes stay open afterwards.
Schools group their option blocks differently, and some combinations that look fine here will not be timetable-able at your child's school. Use this to arrive at the options evening with the right questions, not to replace it.
What this selection gives you
8 GCSEs in total
This selection gives the EBacc
Progress 8 slots
- English
- 1 of 1
- Maths
- 1 of 1
- EBacc slots
- 3 of 3
- Open slots
- 3 of 3
Routes this keeps open
- Yes
Medicine, dentistry & veterinary
Combined Science keeps this open. Medical schools ask for A level Chemistry and usually Biology, and sixth forms will start you on those from Combined Science at grade 7. Triple science makes the jump easier, not legal.
- Yes
Engineering & physics
A level Maths and Physics are the real gate. What matters at GCSE is the Maths grade — a 7 or above is the usual condition for starting A level Maths.
- Yes
Modern languages degree
This is the one route a GCSE choice genuinely closes. Most language degrees expect the A level, and almost no sixth form will start you on a language A level from nothing.
- Yes
Computer science degree
GCSE Computer Science is not required — most computer science degrees ask for A level Maths and take students who first met programming at 16.
- Yes
Architecture
A portfolio is the real requirement. Taking Art or DT at GCSE is the ordinary way to start building one, but it can be built outside school.
- Yes
History, law & essay-based degrees
No specific GCSE is required. Law in particular asks for no named subject at any level — the essay-writing practice is what helps, not the subject label.
Want the options-evening questions to ask?
We will email you a one-page list of the questions worth asking your child's school, plus what each answer tells you.
We never sell your details, and we do not send marketing to students.
Only one GCSE choice genuinely closes a door
Options evenings are full of warnings, and most of them are not true. You can start A level Psychology, Economics, Sociology, Politics, Law or Computer Science having never studied them. You can read Law at university with no named subject at any level. Medicine does not require triple science — sixth forms start students on A level Chemistry from Combined Science every year.
The real exception is a language. Most modern languages degrees expect the A level, and almost no sixth form will begin a language A level from nothing. If there is any chance of that route, the GCSE is the one to protect.
What the EBacc is, and why the school cares more than you do
The English Baccalaureate is not a qualification — it is a combination: English Language and Literature, Maths, two sciences, a language, and either History or Geography. Schools are measured on the proportion of pupils entered for it, which is why it is presented as a default rather than a choice.
No university requires it and no employer asks about it. It is still a broad, defensible set of subjects. The point is to choose away from it deliberately if that is what suits your child, rather than to discover in Year 11 that a language was quietly dropped.
Progress 8 counts eight slots, so eleven subjects buys nothing
Progress 8 scores English and Maths double, then three EBacc subjects and three open ones. Eight slots, and an empty slot scores zero — which is why filling them matters and why taking eleven subjects does not. A student on eleven GCSEs is usually carrying a workload that costs them grades in the eight that count.
Once the choices are settled, plan the two years with the study planner, and check what the grades will need to be for sixth form with the sixth form entry checker.
Frequently asked questions
What is the EBacc and does my child have to take it?
The English Baccalaureate is a combination of subjects, not a qualification: English Language and Literature, Maths, two sciences, a language, and either History or Geography. No pupil is required to take it, but schools are measured on how many do, which is why it is pushed at options evenings. A child who does not take the EBacc is not disadvantaged at university — but they should be choosing away from it deliberately, not by accident.
Does Combined Science close off medicine?
No. Combined Science is a double GCSE covering biology, chemistry and physics, and sixth forms routinely start students on A level Chemistry and Biology from it, usually at grade 7. Triple science makes the jump to A level easier because more content is already covered — it does not make medicine legal or illegal. The grade matters far more than the route.
How many GCSEs should my child take?
Nine or ten is typical, and eight is enough. Progress 8, the measure schools are judged on, counts eight slots — so beyond ten there is no scoring benefit and a real cost in workload. A student taking eleven subjects to look impressive is usually spreading themselves thin for nothing.
Which GCSE choice actually closes a door?
In practice, only one: a language. Most modern languages degrees expect the A level, and almost no sixth form will start a student on a language A level from nothing. Everything else is recoverable — you can start A level Psychology, Economics, Sociology, Politics or Computer Science with no GCSE in the subject at all.
Should my child pick subjects they enjoy or subjects that look useful?
Enjoy, within the constraints. Two years is a long time, and the grade a student gets in a subject they are engaged by almost always beats the grade they get in one chosen to look strategic. The exception is the small set of genuine gates above — get those right first, then let them choose.
What happens if my child changes their mind after choosing?
Most schools allow a change in the first half term of Year 10, subject to space in the class and how far the group has got. After Christmas it becomes difficult, and by Year 11 it is usually impossible. If a subject is clearly wrong, raise it in the autumn term rather than waiting to see whether it improves.
Worried a subject is the wrong fit?
A few sessions early in Year 10 is usually the difference between a subject that clicks and one that is dropped. Book a free trial to talk it through.
Book a Free TrialOr read more about GCSE Science tutoring.