Whether you admit it or not, as a student you’re always looking for a quick way to get a high grade so that you can maximise those As and A*s on results day. Whilst there will always be some variations between different people, there are some GCSE subjects which have slight advantages over others in terms of ease.
1. Maths can be easy
Contrary to many beliefs, the new GCSE Maths is actually one of the easier subjects to do well in. Due to the increased difficulty, the marks required to receive a C were lower than 20% for some exam boards, therefore you can afford to drop a lot of marks if you still want a good grade. Unlike some essay-based subjects, Maths also comes with the advantage that your answers are either right or wrong and there is little wriggle room, so it’s unlikely your marks would be affected by a moody examiner.
2. Language mainly requires dedication
Languages are also easier than most people expect, especially as they are very reliant on memory. Providing you can dedicate the time to learn the vocabulary and grammar, there is very little that they could throw at you in the exam to put you off. If you’re aiming for lower grades (i.e. a 4 or a 5), by including a certain number of opinions or tenses you can pretty much guarantee yourself the grades. For higher grades, it’s true that a certain degree of fluidity is required, however this isn’t difficult if you are willing to put in the work and practice throughout your course.
3. Essay subjects are more flexible
Essay-based subjects like History or English Literature/Language are easier than most people expect, primarily due to the flexibility in marking. It should definitely be noted that sticking to what’s suggested by the mark schemes won’t necessarily harm you, however having individual or unique ideas may actually improve your score. This means that you don’t necessarily need to worry about what the exam board are expecting you to write, unlike Maths where your answer is either right or wrong. This also introduces an aspect of subjectivity, consequently you are likely to see a change in your marks if you resubmit your exam papers.
Like I said before, there is always a degree of variation between people due to our individual strengths and differences. Similarly, it’s impossible for us to cover the ins and outs of every GCSE course in one short article so you may think certain subjects deserve to be on this list, even though we didn’t include them. Regardless, providing you revise well you should be able to succeed in any subject that you undertake!