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WJEC A2 Computing CG3 - Tuesday 23rd June 2015 [Exam Discussion Thread]

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Reply 280
Original post by danster549
So true, they purposely ask multiple questions in the opening question and then underneath ask one other sub question to explain or discuss... caught me out last year in CG1


Definitely helps to read the question twice. You're not short of time to :wink:


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whats the difference between visual and object oriented programming languages?
Reply 282
Original post by actanide
whats the difference between visual and object oriented programming languages?


There's not a difference per se, as Object oriented programming languages are (in the main), types of visual languages.

Visual languages are concerned with the production of objects, buttons and icons and may be used in a visual/GUI/WIMP/windows/event driven environment. They are usually relatively intuitive to use and easy to learn.

Object oriented programming languages are concerned with the use of objects based on classes. They contain both data and associated processing. They may be used in a visual environment. Classes may contain objects, properties and methods.


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Original post by CD223
There's not a difference per se, as Object oriented programming languages are (in the main), types of visual languages.

Visual languages are concerned with the production of objects, buttons and icons and may be used in a visual/GUI/WIMP/windows/event driven environment. They are usually relatively intuitive to use and easy to learn.

Object oriented programming languages are concerned with the use of objects based on classes. They contain both data and associated processing. They may be used in a visual environment. Classes may contain objects, properties and methods.


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Thanks, wasnt really sure how to differentiate them :smile:
Reply 284
Original post by actanide
Thanks, wasnt really sure how to differentiate them :smile:


No worries! I do sometimes wonder why WJEC ask us to compare language types like that when OOP is a type of Visual language that fits under that umbrella.


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Reply 285
In regards to indexed sequential files what does 'Avoidsoverheads of random' mean?

thanks
Reply 286
Original post by jt663
In regards to indexed sequential files what does 'Avoidsoverheads of random' mean?

thanks


The use of the hashing algorithm creates overheads (code is more memory intensive) that otherwise don't exist in sequential and indexed sequential files.


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Original post by danster549
anyone have any last minute advice?


Some advice for you!

Before the exam:
1) Revise tonight things you're not certain on, but leave plenty of time to wind down before you sleep, and try and get a good sleep
2) Make sure you know pseudo code, 3rd normal form, and BNF/syntax diagrams as these almost always come up and if you can nail them all, its around 15 marks already sorted
3) Tomorrow morning have some breakfast
4) I've heard doing exercise for 20 minutes has been shown to increase performance for up to 2 hours after the exercise, unsure if this is true though

In the exam:
1) Before you start doing any of the questions, read through the whole question paper once or twice, this lets you prepare for all the questions, and with the exam 3 hours long, it hardly puts any pressure on you time wise
2) When answering the questions make sure you answer what they are asking, the problem with doing past papers is that, at least i find, that you can familiarise yourself with questions and then answer them incorrectly, for exam in a past paper it asked me which logical operation was used in masking and my answer was "mask" because i lost concentration, be sure to answer the question they ask
3) Make sure to give examples, even if they don't ask for one, this can be crucial in getting a whole 2 marks in a 2 mark question, or can turn a 8 mark answer into an 11 or 12 mark answer if you explain all points with examples
4) Use correct technical terms through-out, some marks are only given if certain words are used
5) If you don't know the answer, have a go, you are unlikely to lose marks for writing something which is incorrect so you might as well have a go, you may pick up a few marks
6) Take in a bottle of water in the exam to stay hydrated, if you panic, you can sit back, relax and have a drink to calm down before looking again at the question
Reply 288
Original post by jamietopp21
Some advice for you!

Before the exam:
1) Revise tonight things you're not certain on, but leave plenty of time to wind down before you sleep, and try and get a good sleep
2) Make sure you know pseudo code, 3rd normal form, and BNF/syntax diagrams as these almost always come up and if you can nail them all, its around 15 marks already sorted
3) Tomorrow morning have some breakfast
4) I've heard doing exercise for 20 minutes has been shown to increase performance for up to 2 hours after the exercise, unsure if this is true though

In the exam:
1) Before you start doing any of the questions, read through the whole question paper once or twice, this lets you prepare for all the questions, and with the exam 3 hours long, it hardly puts any pressure on you time wise
2) When answering the questions make sure you answer what they are asking, the problem with doing past papers is that, at least i find, that you can familiarise yourself with questions and then answer them incorrectly, for exam in a past paper it asked me which logical operation was used in masking and my answer was "mask" because i lost concentration, be sure to answer the question they ask
3) Make sure to give examples, even if they don't ask for one, this can be crucial in getting a whole 2 marks in a 2 mark question, or can turn a 8 mark answer into an 11 or 12 mark answer if you explain all points with examples
4) Use correct technical terms through-out, some marks are only given if certain words are used
5) If you don't know the answer, have a go, you are unlikely to lose marks for writing something which is incorrect so you might as well have a go, you may pick up a few marks
6) Take in a bottle of water in the exam to stay hydrated, if you panic, you can sit back, relax and have a drink to calm down before looking again at the question


The bottle of water is the saving grace in this exam. I was parched last year :L


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Reply 289
Original post by CD223
The use of the hashing algorithm creates overheads (code is more memory intensive) that otherwise don't exist in sequential and indexed sequential files.


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Thanks for helping us out :smile:
Reply 290
Original post by jt663
Thanks for helping us out :smile:


No problem! Good luck.


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Let's hope for low grade boundaries. On around half of the papers, 91-92 /100 marks will get you 130UMS.
Reply 292
Original post by kkamil113
Let's hope for low grade boundaries. On around half of the papers, 91-92 /100 marks will get you 130UMS.


Woah. How much UMS do you need?


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Original post by CD223
Woah. How much UMS do you need?
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I need an A, but ideally A*. Got 70/70 UMS (provisional) in CG4. To get an A*, you need 180/200UMS in A2 Units and an A overall, so I need 110/130UMS in the exam.

In the Jun 2014 exam, this would mean 85/100 marks (at least), whereas in Jan 2014, it was only 77 marks for 110 UMS. It varies a bit but its usually around 80.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by danster549
anyone have any last minute advice?


Make sure you know your internet questions e.g. VLE, blog, Intranet etc. as these usually come up at the start of the paper and give you a good start which may relax you a bit more in the exam.
Reply 295
Original post by kkamil113
I need an A, but ideally A*. Got 70/70 UMS (provisional) in CG4. To get an A*, you need 180/200UMS in A2 Units and an A overall, so I need 110/130UMS in the exam.

In the Jun 2014 exam, this would mean 85/100 marks (at least), whereas in Jan 2014, it was only 77 marks for 110 UMS. It varies a bit but its usually around 80.


Decent! I'm in the same position provisionally due to moderation. Got 99 raw marks in the coursework - dropped on the software demonstration with annotations haha. How about you?

What did you get last year?:smile:


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Reply 296
Original post by Nerinom
Make sure you know your internet questions e.g. VLE, blog, Intranet etc. as these usually come up at the start of the paper and give you a good start which may relax you a bit more in the exam.


It feels so patronising when they ask stuff about VLEs, blogs, search engines etc. :L Mainly because someone who doesn't do A level computing could answer it - although I suppose WJEC are strict in their definitions.


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Original post by CD223
It feels so patronising when they ask stuff about VLEs, blogs, search engines etc. :L Mainly because someone who doesn't do A level computing could answer it - although I suppose WJEC are strict in their definitions.


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I know where you're coming from, you could have the best understanding and word it different to the mark scheme and get 0 marks, it's more of a memory game to be honest.
Reply 298
Original post by Nerinom
I know where you're coming from, you could have the best understanding and word it different to the mark scheme and get 0 marks, it's more of a memory game to be honest.


It's demoralising - I wanna do Computer Science at uni but I feel this exam result won't reflect my knowledge of the field... -,-


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Original post by CD223
It's demoralising - I wanna do Computer Science at uni but I feel this exam result won't reflect my knowledge of the field... -,-


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I learnt that from last year, so I've try to integrate the mark scheme into my revision a lot more.

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