The Student Room Group

Higher Computing

hi everyone!:smile: does anyone doing higher computing or people who hav done it hav any exam or revision tips for exam?

wht things are commonly asked in the higher computing exam?

Also who else is doing the 'Networking' optional unit? need some help in that.

gd luck for the 09'ers! - i hope the exam is easy this year
:biggrin:

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PHEW!! Now that its over, what did you people think about the exam?

i thought it was not bad, compared to the previous papers
:smile:

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Reply 1
Reply 2
hi have you guys started revising, or have i left it too late? the only past paper i've done is the 2004 one.
Reply 3
Well you've got loads of times left to be honest. 11 days, enough to make a difference.
Reply 4
I'm doing Higher Computing - AI is our optional unit. Plently time left to revise, after Geography I will really hit the Computing books.
Reply 5
yep yep! 11 days is plenty of time to revise, also its the next exam i hav got so there should be no excuse for not gettin an A:p:

ps. i really hope the exam is easy this year:smile:
Reply 6
All I can suggest is know your notes as thoroughly as possible! :p: It's not too hard if your brain can just hold it all. You should practise some of the sums as well and maybe redraw some diagrams (like for instance, the CPU/memory diagram with the buses) to make sure it's all deep in your memory. If I remember correctly, the only really annoying part of the AI unit was visual systems - arrgh!

Good luck, Higher '09!
Reply 7
Haven't started studying yet. Will do so after music.
Reply 8
Hmmmm. I revised the night before the prelim only and i just scraped an A, 70%. I think a week will be enough to revise by just focusing on reoccuring questions like algorithms and functionof the OS, Prolog question which always comes every year and the calculations which are fairly straight forward.
Reply 9
Sparuuto
All I can suggest is know your notes as thoroughly as possible! :p: It's not too hard if your brain can just hold it all. You should practise some of the sums as well and maybe redraw some diagrams (like for instance, the CPU/memory diagram with the buses) to make sure it's all deep in your memory. If I remember correctly, the only really annoying part of the AI unit was visual systems - arrgh!

Good luck, Higher '09!


thanks i'll be needing the good luck:smile:
Z_Ahmed
Hmmmm. I revised the night before the prelim only and i just scraped an A, 70%. I think a week will be enough to revise by just focusing on reoccuring questions like algorithms and functionof the OS, Prolog question which always comes every year and the calculations which are fairly straight forward.


FWIW, remember your coursework. The exam's out of 140, the coursework 60. If you get 70% (98 marks) on the exam, and 85% (50 marks) on the coursework, then you're looking at 74% (148 marks) overall, which is a safe A (68.5%, 137 marks, last year).
Reply 11
Okay, But for computing why is the percentage for an A, lesser than other subjects like chemistry and physics?
Reply 12
It will all depend on how the country performs - if the test is "easy" the cut-offs will be high as many people will have high %. If the test is "hard" then many will have lower % so they lower the cut-offs so people get A's. There is no knowing what the cut-offs will be this year.
Is it true that higher computing is the hardest higher to sit except gaelic? That's what my teacher told me, but I don't know if she was trying to make me feel a bit more clever, haha :smile:
I wouldn't worry; I've been so busy studying for music I've not started studying for computing yet!
And yes, I'm also doing the networking as the optional unit :smile:

By the way, anyone able to help on the algorithm-writing question?
One came up for 6 marks in the prelim and I was totally buggered haha :smile:
By the way, anyone able to help on the algorithm-writing question?
One came up for 6 marks in the prelim and I was totally buggered haha :smile:

Any specific problems?
I've not started studying yet =/
Have Human Bio on the 28th and Histroy on the 2nd :s-smilie:

I'm doing Multimedia for the last section
Reply 16
Willis Brightside
Is it true that higher computing is the hardest higher to sit except gaelic? That's what my teacher told me, but I don't know if she was trying to make me feel a bit more clever, haha :smile:
t :smile:
:smile:


My teacher said the exact same thing, and i'm probably thinking computing teachers may be biased or the rest of my class are just too lazy to remember facts. IMO english may be the hardest higher or a challenging science like chemistry/computing. In computing it's mostly KU while in physics/chemistry Problem solving plays a big role.
Z_Ahmed
My teacher said the exact same thing, and i'm probably thinking computing teachers may be biased or the rest of my class are just too lazy to remember facts. IMO english may be the hardest higher or a challenging science like chemistry/computing. In computing it's mostly KU while in physics/chemistry Problem solving plays a big role.



I think that as well; the head of our department totally loves himself and the subject, God help him. He's a great guy, but I don't think his subject's as challenging as he makes out, haha :smile:

How do you do the questions where they ask you to write out an algorithm according to the situation they give you as a context before the question?
I thought as much, to be perfectly honest with you.
I must say though, I've not got a very computing-oriented mind, so I don't find it totally easy like the other brainboxes in my class (I'm in the top higher set, you see), but sure, there are harder highers, definitely.
Business Management's underrated for its difficulty, in my opinion, but it's not harder than computing .. That said, they're totally different subjects!!
Reply 19
Lol, I can't do the algorthm questions aswell i just end up copying an algorithm from my text book, I think it's something to do with just taking the variables from the context and putting it in a sort of a template like algorithm from a textbook. Eg. Instead of writing " Set first item as zero" you would replace "item" with a variable they've given in the question.

I haven't really tried any past papers yet so once I do i'll explain algorithms in a bit more detail.

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