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Advanced Higher Computing

Thought I'd make a thread for pre/post exam discussion as it is only 4 days away :p:

How are you guys coping with it?

To be honest I find this easier than Higher Computing, probably because there is less you need to know.

Unit 1 is pretty straightforward and common sense, kind of, so all I'm doing is the past papers to study exam technique and looking through the arrangements document. Scholar is extremely crap, so no point in using it.

I'm doing the Networking unit, what optional unit are you all doing and how did you do in your coursework?

I got 79/80 which I'm very happy with :woo:

I only need 20 marks for a pass :/ Too bad I don't need this subject for uni. But I still want to do well though.

Also, I'm kinda unsure about the following, perhaps someone can help me out?

What exactly are the definitions of: component, module, system, beta and acceptance testing?

As far as I know:

Component - Testing procedures/functions of code to ensure that they work and behave correctly as individual entities.
Module - Integrating components to ascertain that they function as they are expected to in a group, ie: manipulate and pass data correctly.
Acceptance - Testing program on client's site to see that the system works reliably. Gives client chance to see if all requirements are met. Evaluating user interface as client interacts with system, did they find it easy to use etc
Beta Testing - Is this not the same as acceptance testing? This always got me confused...
System - Not sure what this is.... Testing the system as a whole? With extreme/normal data

I'm probably wrong, hopefully someone can point me in the right direciton?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

jocky

Have found computing very boring this year, having basically taught myself the whole course...

Anyway I got 71/80 for the coursework which ain't too bad. Doing AI as the optional unit which is pretty good. Will probs just do a few past paper questions on units 1 & 2 including a few algorithm questions which I seem to struggle with.

Here's the definitions given by scholar, confirming what you though...

Component testing
Part of the testing phase that involves the building blocks of programs such as procedures

Module testing
Testing of collections of procedures, functions etc., that can individually compiled and executed.

Acceptance testing
The testing of software outside the development organisation and usually at the client site. Also referred to as beta testing

As for System testing I don't have a clue, don't think we would need to know about this as the scholar notes don't go into much detail on this.

Reply 2

darkraver

That's the thing, the arrangement documents states you need to know what system testing means.

Reply 3

Pedro16

Do you think system testing is just a more generic term for the component and module testing together? I can't find anything about it in detail on scholar.

Reply 4

darkraver

Pedro16

Do you think system testing is just a more generic term for the component and module testing together? I can't find anything about it in detail on scholar.

Could be but I'm not sure... the arrangements document is so vague:

•

Description of the progression through project proposal, feasibility study (economic, legal, technical and time), operational requirements document (ORD) and system specification, detailed design, implementation, component testing, system and acceptance testing, evaluation and maintenance

•

Explanation of module, component and beta (acceptance) testing

Also, I could not find any question relating to system testing in the past papers... that's slightly worrying as it may come up this year.

Reply 5

schrei

Systems testing is testing the whole system as a whole. IE, after Windows 7 was completed, it was tested as a whole before it was released as beta. It's also known as alpha testing.

See here.

Reply 6

TheUnbeliever

I find it (particularly the more 'business management'-type stuff in unit 1) intensely boring. Our optional unit is computer architecture which is alright, I suppose.

Irritatingly, our school's policy is that we're not allowed our coursework marks until we can ask for our component marks overall (i.e. in August!). I don't think I'll have done spectacularly well - as far as I know, I lost at least some marks for wildly exceeding the 40 hours (~160 hours).

Reply 7

darkraver

TheUnbeliever

Irritatingly, our school's policy is that we're not allowed our coursework marks until we can ask for our component marks overall (i.e. in August!). I don't think I'll have done spectacularly well - as far as I know, I lost at least some marks for wildly exceeding the 40 hours (~160 hours).

Rofl, you're not alone! I spent like 70 hours on it, and I'm not joking...

But 40% of my code was all repetitive stuff. So I claimed that I copy pasted my own code and altered it slightly. I made a Gantt chart which illustrated that it only took me 56 hours :rolleyes:

And the limit is actually 50 hours. You are allowed 40 hours for the analysis, design, implementation, testing and a further 10 hours for evaluation/report. But the teacher's notes exemplars pack thingy goes even further by saying that you are allowed even more time if required.

The candidate is expected to use most of the 40 hours allocated to the Developing a Software Solution unit to carry out the practical work associated with the Coursework project. A further 10 hours from the "additional 40 hours" may be used to prepare the report. However, a candidate may be allowed longer than this if required.

Also my report was 110 pages or so, I really thought I'd get penalized for it being too long, but surprisingly I didin't... But then again the coursework projects are subject to moderation, so who knows what will happen.

Reply 8

Pedro16

G8D

Should be an easy exam..

I hope so!
I'm doing the AI optional unit and I have to say that I'm not looking forward to the prolog questions.

Reply 9

darkraver

G8D

We do MultiMedia and its eeeaasssy :smile:

We spent like 4 weeks doing stop motion animation that depicted the fetch-excecute-cycle :smile:

Good luck to everyone.

This is the Advanced Higher thread :p:

Good luck though!

Reply 10

Sparuuto

TheUnbeliever

The business managementy kinda area is somehow extremely boring and interesting to me simultaneously. Thinking about how it all works IRL is interesting, even if the whole system is a little dull (paradox!?). We get Artificial Intelligence which is certainly...different. I doubt it'll be as useful as Computer Architecture, but it raised interesting philosophical questions about the nature of intelligence. So far, the systems have shown no resistance against their human overlords.

Sucks to be at your school, they showed us what the marking scheme would be at the start of the year and the completed marking schemes in April. I took a lot longer than 40 hours (Maybe not 160 hours, Christ) and the thing my teacher only ended up deducting one mark (although that was for wasting time rather than using lots of time effectively). It'll only be a few marks at most anyway, I imagine you got the other 75ish easily.

Pedro16

I hope so!
I'm doing the AI optional unit and I have to say that I'm not looking forward to the prolog questions.

Damn you, recursion ;_;

Reply 11

Keese

Software development...should be just common sense really, and ofc remembering your searching/sorting, multi dimentional arrays, stacks and queues etc

My optional unit is computer Architecture...its a royal bastard. Assembly code... :frown:

Reply 12

Pedro16

I hate revising for computing, scholar is the only resource (other than past papers) and it actually puts you to sleep!
The past 3 years papers have all had a question on 2D arrays. I'm hoping that this year they don't miss it out.

Reply 13

Sparuuto

Is anyone else scared that if they get asked to code something, they'll do it half in one language and half in another?

Reply 14

Pedro16

Sparuuto

Is anyone else scared that if they get asked to code something, they'll do it half in one language and half in another?

I would just generalise it into pseudocode. Unless it specifically asks for the code :frown:

Reply 15

darkraver

Sparuuto

Is anyone else scared that if they get asked to code something, they'll do it half in one language and half in another?

I'm looking forward to it, they're free marks in my opinion. But yeah they wont ask us to code, but write the pseudocode.

Reply 16

jocky

Can someone explain the answer to 4a) in the 2008 paper.

I thought the answers would have been Dim rainfall (0 to 11, 0 to 4) As integer, however the answer is Dim rainfall (11,4) as integer. Is this the same thing, or am I totally wrong? Thanks in advance. :smile:

Reply 17

darkraver