Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Has anyone received an A* in A453 coursework for computer science? Any tips?

bluepearl7

Doing mine right now and i'm struggling :s-smilie:

Any advice?

and do you know what a troubleshooting / decision making tree is ??

Reply 1

bluepearl7

and also how do you d the user requirements part??

I originally did mine using paragraphs and a table but do you think that bullet points is better?

Reply 2

Federerr

Original post by bluepearl7

Doing mine right now and i'm struggling :s-smilie:

Any advice?

and do you know what a troubleshooting / decision making tree is ??

I got A* in A453, finalised the grade last week. What's your criteria?

Reply 3

bluepearl7

Original post by Federerr

I got A* in A453, finalised the grade last week. What's your criteria?

wow!
Congratulations! :smile:

And the criteria is to create a troubleshooting system for phones using python

How dd you lay out the user requirements?

Reply 4

LoveTheDivergent

Personally, I think that using paragraphs and tables over bullet points is better. It allows ypu to expand as much as possible on everything. Make sure you screenshot literally everything you can and make sure you use comments/show what is happening and when. Also make sure you test anything and everything. Keyboard smash your inputs if you need to because I did 😂

Also, I'd advise you to get tips but don't ask for specific help because some stupid idiot put the answers online qhich meant that for a year my class was in limbo as to whether our Controlled Assessment counted or not which was scary. So don't do that, please, for everyone's sake :smile:

Reply 5

Federerr

Original post by bluepearl7

wow!
Congratulations! :smile:

And the criteria is to create a troubleshooting system for phones using python

How dd you lay out the user requirements?

Oh. I did the Arithmetic Quiz! Gosh it was so hard o.o (hoping the grade boundaries drop)

Reply 6

bluepearl7

Original post by LoveTheDivergent

Personally, I think that using paragraphs and tables over bullet points is better. It allows ypu to expand as much as possible on everything. Make sure you screenshot literally everything you can and make sure you use comments/show what is happening and when. Also make sure you test anything and everything. Keyboard smash your inputs if you need to because I did 😂

Also, I'd advise you to get tips but don't ask for specific help because some stupid idiot put the answers online which meant that for a year my class was in limbo as to whether our Controlled Assessment counted or not which was scary. So don't do that, please, for everyone's sake :smile:

Yeah okay.
and thanks
:smile:

Reply 7

thebaco123

Original post by Federerr

I got A* in A453, finalised the grade last week. What's your criteria?

Original post by Federerr

Oh. I did the Arithmetic Quiz! Gosh it was so hard o.o (hoping the grade boundaries drop)

Wow A*, nice! :biggrin:

I'm still doing the arithmetic quiz CA now, just about finished coding task 3 which was a real pain :frown:

Reply 8

Federerr

Original post by thebaco123

Wow A*, nice! :biggrin:

I'm still doing the arithmetic quiz CA now, just about finished coding task 3 which was a real pain :frown:

The struggle was real. Now explaining, testing and showing research evidence is even worse..

Reply 9

jack bretherton

I have to create a multiple choose troubleshooting program for a phone and computer on python any advice

Reply 10

Aklaol

Original post by jack bretherton

I have to create a multiple choose troubleshooting program for a phone and computer on python any advice

I got an A* in both A453 & A452, here are some tips for things that people get wrong:

1. Efficient use of programming counts for 12 marks in the coursework. This is something that everybody should easily be getting 10+/12 in. Making a sloppy, basic, inefficient program to tackle a hard question isn't going to get you anywhere. Be smart with the code you write, always question if you can tackle a question in a different way. I achieved 12/12 in this section and I can confidently say that It honestly was a breeze to get. As long as you're independent enough to look up different programming techniques on your own then this section will go fine for you.

2. Design counts for 9 marks in the coursework. This is always the downfall for many individuals... Knowing how to write an algorithm in either flowchart or pseudocod form is absolutely key. DO NOT back track by writing the program then the algorithm, this is a common mistake that a lot of people make which results in the loss of quite a few marks. Write your algorithm first and make sure it's done correctly (there are a lot of flowchart/pseudocode tutorials out there). Make sure your code is 100% based off of the algorithm (this is how you get the top marks). I achieved 8/9 in this section.

3. Testing & Evaluation counts for 9 marks in this coursework. Boy, oh boy people really mess this one up. Your evaluation NEEDS to be a in depth analysis of the task you were given. For the top marks, 500-800 words will be required per evaluation, per task. This may seem like a lot, but keep in mind you don't really write a lot for all the other areas in the coursework (apart from development). In your evaluation you should mention:

- If success criterias were met. If so, which ones and how did you go about implementing them.

- If your code is as efficient as it can be.

- Any concepts you struggled with/if you had any moments where you felt lost & why (mention how you overcame them also).

- What you'd change if you were to redo the task.

Testing is relatively easy. All your testing should be recorded in a table format as shown below:

Here is an example of a complete row that you could add

-> 1
-> Testing to see if the random number that the variable num2 generates is less than the number assigned to num1
-> Normal
-> num2 will generate a random value which is less than the number assigned to num1
-> num2 generated a random value which is less than the number assigned to num1
-> Pass

I achieved 8/9 marks in this section.

That's all the tips I have for now.

Here are all the sections in the coursework:

Use of Programming Techniques (6 marks)
Efficient use of Programming (12 marks)
Design (9 marks)
Development (9 marks)
Testing and Evaluation (9 marks)

Good luck, and if you need any help feel free to pm me.