AQA A2 COMP 3 Computing 2015 - Official Thread

OP

Original post by ScruffyQuaver

wooo Comp3 people! Why are the numbers so low for taking this paper Async? I see everyone did fairly well with Comp4 :smile:

I was rather happy after it was over, got marked at an A* (on the boundary) doing about 615 pages... So glad I dont have to print that out. Reckon the whole Amazon rainforest has to come down for that :frown:

How is Comp3 for you all? Personally I have to get a total of 80 more marks in my Comp1 retake and Comp3 to achieve an A, should be doable. However Comp3 I find a lot harder than other modules. What are the hardest topics in your opinion?

Yeah same I am on the boundary of A*/A i'm hoping for an A*. Really? I think Comp3 is easier compared to Comp1 and Comp2 combined its just a bit more to remember. You might laugh at this but the hardest topic for me is creating relations with tables in database. So like which attribute is meant to go in which table and then you need to select primary keys and stuff. I hate it I can't do it at all. I also can't do ER diagrams. The rest I think is quite straight forward and with practice, probably easy.

Reply 43

Original post by sagar448

Yeah same I am on the boundary of A*/A i'm hoping for an A*. Really? I think Comp3 is easier compared to Comp1 and Comp2 combined its just a bit more to remember. You might laugh at this but the hardest topic for me is creating relations with tables in database. So like which attribute is meant to go in which table and then you need to select primary keys and stuff. I hate it I can't do it at all. I also can't do ER diagrams. The rest I think is quite straight forward and with practice, probably easy.

Not laughing I find it hard as well, it's the concept that can be confusing when it's shown in an exam. Linking tables etc. is complex sometimes.

I suck at big O notation, then again I haven't revised it yet

Reply 44

OP

Original post by ScruffyQuaver

Not laughing I find it hard as well, it's the concept that can be confusing when it's shown in an exam. Linking tables etc. is complex sometimes.

I suck at big O notation, then again I haven't revised it yet

Big O is fine to an extent but then when they give you a graph and say identify which big O notation it is it's a little bit confusing then because it's GCSE level maths and I've forgotten it but i get it at the end it's not a big topic so don't worry about it that much.

Reply 45

Async

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Original post by ScruffyQuaver

X

Original post by sagar448

X

Big O notation is definitely not GCSE Maths. Big O notation is just a mathematical way to find out how an algorithm takes. So for an example, if you wanted to find the smallest item in a list. There are two methods we could use each having different efficiency levels.I could use a bubble sort or quick sort. Quick sort is an O(n log n) and Bubble Sort is O(n^2) Therefore any algorithm that is O(n log n) is always going to be faster than an algorithm that is O(n^2). When sorting bubble sort compares each item, but quick sort doesn't. Quick sort halves it and sorts sub lists.

Here's an example I wrote in VB.NET. I created two arrays of integers with 600,000 elements.I timed the quick sort and bubble sort algorithms, and the quick sort was MILESSSS quicker than BB sort.

Spoiler

If you have Visual Studio you can test this. Here's the code.
http://pastebin.com/kFNvL38U

Finally, here's a resource that can help explain Big O for you.
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/A-level_Computing/AQA/Problem_Solving,_Programming,_Operating_Systems,_Databases_and_Networking/Problem_Solving/Big_O_Notation

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 46

Async

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Original post by Danielb7

Hey, Thanks it went well, I think I got an A atleast, my technical solution has lot of high level programming techniquesto solicit an A-A*. But I think my write up may have pulled it down slightlythings such as class diagrams I feel I didn’t do that well. I really surprisedeveryone knows or has an idea about their grades?! My teacher won’t tell any of our class anything about our gradesnot even a hint! And yeah I did terrible last year on COMP1; I wasn’t really intoComputing last year so that led to me failing. Its Comp4 that made me like Programming,which is weird because its the unit that makes people hate Computing :P

Well done man, good on you :smile:

, that's nice to hear. Yes, a lot of people do struggle in Comp4. I found it the easiest module and it makes me enjoy computing even more. If you enjoy Comp4 then you will also find Comp1, Comp2 easier. I love Comp3, it's very interesting.

I'm a bit disappointed about my Comp4 grade though, I wanted to get full marks, I put in so much work day in day out, and I only got an A. One mark off an A*. But life goes on. Hopefully when it gets externally moderated, examiner can be nice and give me 1 more mark.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 47

Danielb7

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Original post by Async

Well done man, good on you :smile:

, that's nice to hear. Yes, a lot of people do struggle in Comp4. I found it the easiest module and it makes me enjoy computing even more. If you enjoy Comp4 then you will also find Comp1, Comp2 easier. I love Comp3, it's very interesting.

I'm a bit disappointed about my Comp4 grade though, I wanted to get full marks, I put in so much work day in day out, and I only got an A. One mark off an A*. But life goes on. Hopefully when it gets externally moderated, examiner can be nice and give me 1 more mark.

Thanks man, good to hear you got A. Its so annoying when your one mark off, thats why i feel they should do conclusive marking on coursework. Hopefully you get an A* i feel your expertise should shine through to the moderator

Reply 48

Exaltation

2

It was easy last year

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 49

Maybe I should start revising for this exam :P only 3 weeks left!

Reply 50

OP

Original post by ScruffyQuaver

Maybe I should start revising for this exam :P only 3 weeks left!

Yes the sooner you start the better it will be, I've done minimal revision but I do have 5-6 days before the exam to study so I think I will be fine. :biggrin:

Reply 51

Original post by sagar448

Yes the sooner you start the better it will be, I've done minimal revision but I do have 5-6 days before the exam to study so I think I will be fine. :biggrin:

If I do well in Comp1 resit I could get an A overall just getting a low C in comp3 which is good :biggrin:

Reply 52

OP

Original post by ScruffyQuaver

If I do well in Comp1 resit I could get an A overall just getting a low C in comp3 which is good :biggrin:

Nice, good luck then. :biggrin:

Reply 53

Async

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Original post by ScruffyQuaver

If I do well in Comp1 resit I could get an A overall just getting a low C in comp3 which is good :biggrin:

Do you know what is the average you need to get in all modules to get an A in computing?

Reply 54

Original post by Async

Do you know what is the average you need to get in all modules to get an A in computing?

well I need 80 more marks in both papers to get an A. If that helps.

Sorry I am not sure of the marks needed in all modules

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 55

PancakePIC

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Anyone got any decent revision materials? I know there's multiwingspan and wikibooks but I'm looking for a bit of variety.

Reply 56

blackers

I got a comfy A for my coursework. It was a school management system covering all aspects of school stuff (students, teachers, personal info, grades, attendance, timetables, lessons, classes, etc)! I'm a bit lazy with my documenting which is why it wasn't higher. I'm feeling good about COMP4, most of the questions are easy just need to watch out for the two long-answer questions.

Reply 57