Is A Level ICT Hard?

I enjoyed it at GCSE and got a C but not sure if i will at A Level, is it harder???x

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Yes. Enormous amounts of memorising facts and application.

Edit: Yawn at the negging. I did A Level ICT amongst an array of more "traditional" subjects, if that helps to validate my opinion in your eyes.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 2

Maxiinee

Original post by OMGWTFBBQ

Yes. Enormous amounts of memorising facts and application.

lol sarcasm??

Reply 3

tinkerbell_xxx

Original post by Maxiinee

I enjoyed it at GCSE and got a C but not sure if i will at A Level, is it harder???x

well kind of, it depends what exam board you would be on ...

i got an A in GSCE on ICA (whatever that board is :s)

but now i do Edexcel, and I find the work itself is not hard, but the amount of work you have to do is huge :/ example; one of my assignments was 14 pages long.

the exam is different, about a spreadsheet, which is hard unless you figure it all out which teachers help you to do :smile:

Reply 4

OMGWTFBBQ

Original post by Maxiinee

lol sarcasm??

No? Why, did you want me to give you a different answer?

Reply 5

IanDangerously

I spent the whole two years messing around and got a B, so by that I'd suggest its not that hard really. A large part of it is coursework, having to design and build a system for an end user and document the whole thing which is time consuming but pretty straightforward.

Reply 6

Maxiinee

Original post by tinkerbell_xxx

14 pages aint bad, whats hard about it though?

Reply 7

Maxiinee

Original post by OMGWTFBBQ

No? Why, did you want me to give you a different answer?

yes lol did you enjoy it though?

Reply 8

Maxiinee

Original post by IanDangerously

whats the exam like? my teacher told me you have to do a ten hour exam on database for A2 :/

Reply 9

ALII

It's easy but some bits can be boring so you will need self motivation

Reply 10

tamimi

A Level ICT, compared to other A levels such as Maths for example, is akin to basically just jumping through a lot of hoops. Only the hoops are massive with steps leading up to them and 'THIS WAY!' written all over the place.

However this doesn't mean you should ridicule it. All A levels are challenging compared to GCSE, and you are expected to put a great deal of work and effort into them.

Reply 11

Crooked fingers

Are you good at coursework? I do CCEA and my coursework 50% of my final grade was around 200 pages long for AS level, although the test at the end is easy

Reply 12

Maxiinee

Original post by Crooked fingers

Are you good at coursework? I do CCEA and my coursework 50% of my final grade was around 200 pages long for AS level, although the test at the end is easy

yes i prefer coursework but my ict teacher told me the exam in A2 is ten hours long but is split during lessons :/ although i love the coursework element :smile:

just worried about the exam bit!

Reply 13

OMGWTFBBQ

Original post by Maxiinee

yes lol did you enjoy it though?

Yes I did overall. Lots of coursework, which is always nice. Allows you to cross into VBA scripting if you really want to extend the course as far as possible.

The theory side is rather dull, "management speak". But easy marks if you're happy to learn and regurgitate.

Reply 14

Black Mammoth

I found it difficult but that's because I don't like doing massive pieces of coursework.

Reply 15

markisanark

I did/am doing OCR - Applied ICT.

Yes & No. I'm a bit of a geek in the respect that I know a computer inside & out and have been working with them for years. I mean, I even fix them in my spare time. I've got an A in AS, and am aiming for an A* at A2.

There is a lot of coursework. I'm not going to lie. Most of it is pretty same-y, and pretty boring. However, if you work and keep up to date with coursework, then there is no reason not to get a good grade. A lot of your coursework grade is to do with your teacher. If you get on well with them, and give work in regularly to be checked then you can see where you've gone wrong and where needs improvement well in advance of the deadlines. However, if you see it as a sit off subject, and leave the work to the last minute, then yeah, you're not going to do very well.

I found the exam part of the course the hardest. The OCR exam was an hour and a half, and was mainly how IT is used in an organisation. It wasn't too challenging - it was mainly Business Studies. I found for this that it was vital to read and regurgitate the source material - I got a B in the exam and it was my lowest grade in course.

For A2, there was no exam for us, which was a strength, because it gave me more time to focus on other exams. (there is a line you'll be using a lot in A2). There are again 3 units, which are long, but still doable. Each piece of coursework that I have submitted has been around 300-500 pages long, so you do have to work, but so long as the work that you do is of a good quality, then you should be fine.

If you are debating weather or not to do IT, then ask if you can really be committed to it. Better still, go and have a chat to the IT Teacher. That'll be a pretty good idea if you will get on with them and if you think you'll be able to stick the course with them. I have found the course to be time consuming, but ultimately worth it to get the grade that I am on target for.

Reply 16

tinkerbell_xxx

Original post by Maxiinee

14 pages aint bad, whats hard about it though?

well the exam can be tricky, especially the spreadsheet one, not looking forward to the 10 hr database one next year though :frown:

and 14 pages doesnt seem long but when you try to write it it seems to take forever. the coursework isnt hard, its just hard to keep yourself motivated to finish the work

but i do like it, so if you liked it last year, and you don't mind spending time on coursework then take it :smile:

what would your other subjects be?

Reply 17

0range

Long and boring which makes it hard. My coursework for A2 is 260 pages long...

Reply 18

H.Maleki

The process is not that hard (except complex spreadsheets) its just the logness of having to print screen the work you do rather than hand in an actual website/databse/spreadsheet. Then having to write so much bull**** about it. That makes it soooooo long which makes it hard. But to be fair if you do it quick and crack on from the start, not hard

Reply 19

sherbetlily

I'm doing the AS with Edexcel at the moment. There is a lot of coursework and you need to be prepared to put a lot of time and effort into it. Though I found that most of the time I was just repeating myself and writing a load of rubbish- it got me the marks though! I do enjoy it but dreading the 2 and a half hour exam on spreadsheets :frown: