Subject:      ICT

Award:        A Level                         Exam board: AQA (2520)

Level          3

 

Outline of the course

ICT is one of those great subjects that lets you maximise on your own strengths. If you turn out to have a really technical interest in ICT, you could work for a bank or corporation helping to design systems which transfer information from a database to a terminal. But if you’re more interested in the user interface, you could work in advertising or for a handset manufacturer. Information is everywhere, so ICT is a sound career move.

 

ICT helps students develop a number of new skills including:

-         How to assemble data and assess its quality

-         How to investigate facts and use deduction

-         How to put over your point of view fluently

-         How to work as a team to achieve results.

 

Your key learning topics:

In the first year you’ll study two ‘big picture’ themes.  In the first theme there’s ‘Practical problem solving’, which introduces you to the various hardware and software technologies used in ICT, and how you can apply them to different applications in real life.    The second theme is ‘Living in the digital world’, which gives you a solid grounding in ICT areas like transferring data, backups and the interface between people and ICT systems.

 

In the second year you’ll build on that strong foundation with another two study themes. 

 

Assessment; The AS specification has 2 units:

Unit 1: Practical Problem Solving in the Digital World

Written Paper:	1 hour 30 minutes
Weighting:	50% of total AS marks
	25% of total A Level marks

Unit 2: Living in the Digital World

Written Paper:	1 hour 30 minutes
Weighting:	50% of total AS
	25% of total A Level marks

 

Careers and further study

 

As A’ level ICT is ideal for any student that has experience of a Full Award GCSE in ICT.  Students that succeed will have a goal, and will probably want to have an aspect of ICT in their final career.