Joseph Edwards, 14, is a Year 9 pupil at Caerleon Comprehensive School, Newport.
"My GCSE subject choices are double science, German, geography, history and economics. I was going to take music but my dad persuaded me to take economics. I enjoy doing music out of school and he thought it would be good for me to continue with it, but not in school. I play the trombone and the piano and I'll still do that. I think I'll probably take music at AS level though.
I suppose I'm quite academic and most of my friends have gone for similar options, although some have gone for easier choices - there is always someone who just kind of sticks a pin in the paper and decides that way! Most of us have chosen to do double science and a language though.
I've been studying German for two years coming up. I don't know what I want to do at A level or as a career, but I'm not worried, I haven't really thought that far ahead.
It hasn't been easy choosing these subjects, but I think most of us have found it all right. These are fairly major decisions and the school organised two assemblies to help us but I missed them because I was ill. When we were preparing for the choices, we were given a long letter explaining what to do and plenty of information and my parents discussed things with me. It was my decision to take the subject choices, but they helped me come to it.
Most of my friends seem to have talked to their parents about the choices and what are the best ones for them. I heard of one boy whose mum intervened and he wasn't very pleased. I'm glad I've not had that problem."
Advice
Joe's mum, Sherene, says: "I think it's really important for us as parents to find out about the options our children have and to sift through the misinformation and the anecdotes. For Joe's sake we wanted to be across things, but in the final analysis it's his choice.
The thing that struck us was the speed at which the subject choices came round. You know it's going to happen but then your child is having to make very important decisions which are obviously going to impact on the rest of their lives.
Having said that, they have to be put into context. Joe told us that if things didn't go the way he wanted them to, he could change his mind within the first six weeks of his GCSE's, but I'm sure he's made the right decisions.
I'm really pleased that he's taken a modern language and that he's happy with the choices he's made. At the end of the day that is what matters.
The school have been very approachable if we've needed guidance or clarification. They obviously appreciate how important a time this is and they've offered the children a lot of help.
Our other son will have to make these choices next year and I do feel we'll be better equipped the next time around."
Joseph, Newport
