AQA COMP 1: By myself?

So I started the aqa computing as level course last week, my teacher said that we would be using python. I have been using C# and java for over 6 months now and I am comfortable with using them, I am a tech savvy guy, I have taught myself these languages and am making android apps in java and did my work experience in a place where I used C#.

I asked my teacher if I just myself could use C#/java he said no, I am going to call aqa on Monday to see whether it is physically possible for a centre to allow some students to do one language and other students another language.

What I want to know is how detailed does your knowledge of the programming language for COMP1 have to be? What sort of topics will they ask you on? And will I be able to do this myself (Programming languages can pretty much do what every other programming language can do so if my teacher is teaching something in class such as reading text files, I should have no problem doing this in my other language by myself, right?). And also is the preliminary material different for each language or is it pretty much the same just translated into python/java/C#

Thanks!

Why make things harder for yourself? You say you're a tech savy guy but you're reluctant to learn a new language for this for no apparent reason... Your centre will only be able to select one language as far as I know, and Python is not difficult to learn by any measure. Don't make an enemy of your teacher (especially if you plan on doing A2, since you will need their help for COMP4 which you can do in any language you please) for the sake of being too lazy to go along with the decision they've made, which will have a reason behind it. If you get stuck in C#, they might not be able to help you.

Called AQA, they do allow it, anyone have any idea though on whether I would be able to do this myself?

You opt to take A-Level computing and yet don't want to learn a new programming language (I sure as hell hope you don't want to take CS at uni, because wow...), and would instead rather create far more work for yourself attempting to organise a completely separate exam and set of preliminary materials for yourself, which is something you clearly have no idea about how to do. I think you're making a mistake.

I don't see what the issue is really... I spent the weekend learning python, tbh I tried a few of the past paper questions in python and I still managed to do them. However I have come to the conclusion that I really don't like python, is it such a bad thing that I decided that I dislike a particular language because of the syntax and other little annoyances (such as the IDLE that our school insists us on using)? I don't think so. If I can't use C# or java then I will just do it in python and probably still do well, I'm not going to cry about it, however it is my education I shouldn't have to cater for the college, the college gets paid for me being there thus I should at least have a bit of input, especially when we were told we were going to do java last year.

I know java/C# in some minute detail, I don't think it would be worth my time to sit through all the 'basics in python' classes (it took a few minutes last lesson for the teacher to explain that 'print' does not actually mean to print something out with a printer...), if I do end up doing python then I will have to do what the rest of the class does and go through code academy which would definitely be a waste of my time. I could spend that saved time on other units.

I don't mean to be a dick about it or give my teachers extra work, but those are the reasons for me wanting to do java/C#. Also, I do plan on doing computer science/software engineering at university.

I don't see what the issue is really... I spent the weekend learning python, tbh I tried a few of the past paper questions in python and I still managed to do them. However I have come to the conclusion that I really don't like python, is it such a bad thing that I decided that I dislike a particular language because of the syntax and other little annoyances (such as the IDLE that our school insists us on using)? I don't think so. If I can't use C# or java then I will just do it in python and probably still do well, I'm not going to cry about it, however it is my education I shouldn't have to cater for the college, the college gets paid for me being there thus I should at least have a bit of input, especially when we were told we were going to do java last year.

I know java/C# in some minute detail, I don't think it would be worth my time to sit through all the 'basics in python' classes (it took a few minutes last lesson for the teacher to explain that 'print' does not actually mean to print something out with a printer...), if I do end up doing python then I will have to do what the rest of the class does and go through code academy which would definitely be a waste of my time. I could spend that saved time on other units.

I don't mean to be a dick about it or give my teachers extra work, but those are the reasons for me wanting to do java/C#. Also, I do plan on doing computer science/software engineering at university.

What I want to know is how detailed does your knowledge of the programming language for COMP1 have to be?

What sort of topics will they ask you on?

And will I be able to do this myself (Programming languages can pretty much do what every other programming language can do so if my teacher is teaching something in class such as reading text files, I should have no problem doing this in my other language by myself, right?).

I don't see what the issue is really... I spent the weekend learning python, tbh I tried a few of the past paper questions in python and I still managed to do them. However I have come to the conclusion that I really don't like python, is it such a bad thing that I decided that I dislike a particular language because of the syntax and other little annoyances (such as the IDLE that our school insists us on using)? I don't think so. If I can't use C# or java then I will just do it in python and probably still do well, I'm not going to cry about it, however it is my education I shouldn't have to cater for the college, the college gets paid for me being there thus I should at least have a bit of input, especially when we were told we were going to do java last year.