WJEC Information &amp; Communication Technology IT3 (LEGACY) 1243/01 - 16 Jun 2017

OP

Original post by Mande1724

How do you get an A*? my teacher said you get an A* if you get an A in every unit including IT1 AND 1T2.

Your teacher is wrong.

A* is obtained when you have at least 320 UMS across ALL FOUR units, with at least 180 of this UMS coming from IT3/IT4

So basically A grade overall will be upgraded to A* when you have 90% in the A2

But, don't hold your breath for it as only about 0.7% of candidates get it per year which is like one candidate in every 8 centres (as far as I recall)

Not to say it's impossible, but wouldn't want you to get your hopes up when the odds are so low. Just do your best and if you bring your A game on the day then you might well get it.

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Reply 262

Mande1724

7

Original post by PedanticStudent

Your teacher is wrong.

A* is obtained when you have at least 320 UMS across ALL FOUR units, with at least 180 of this UMS coming from IT3/IT4

So basically A grade overall will be upgraded to A* when you have 90% in the A2

But, don't hold your breath for it as only about 0.7% of candidates get it per year which is like one candidate in every 8 centres (as far as I recall)

Not to say it's impossible, but wouldn't want you to get your hopes up when the odds are so low. Just do your best and if you bring your A game on the day then you might well get it.

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How many candidates get As?

Reply 263

OP

Original post by Mande1724

How many candidates get As?

About 9%

IT actually has the lowest A/A* percentage of all the A levels offered by WJEC. It's a total cash cow which rakes in money for the exam board by forcing people to resit through harsh marking and abstract questions.

Don't panic though like I say, just carry on doing as advised on the front page and you will be fine.

I'd imagine that all A/A* candidates know how to play the game like us.

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(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 264

mayhs98

Original post by PedanticStudent

About 9%

IT actually has the lowest A/A* percentage of all the A levels offered by WJEC. It's a total cash cow which rakes in money for the exam board by forcing people to resit through harsh marking and abstract questions.

Don't panic though like I say, just carry on doing as advised on the front page and you will be fine.

I'd imagine that all A/A* candidates know how to play the game like us.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Yes your absolutely right here about the extremely harsh marking and money making scheme by WJEC. I think its absolutely absurd and someone should definately do something about it to not let them get away with it because its people's future we're talking about here.

In my school, there was a really bright individual that missed out on an A by 2 marks on the IT1 paper and when he got his paper back there was at least 10-15 marks that they missed out. One of the questions that was in the Section B on "where you have used a macro in your spreadsheet" was a perfect answer by him as written in the mark scheme (he even put a definition of a macro even though it doesn't specify you need to) but the examiner still gave him zero for it.

When the case was taken further to the executive head of the WJEC board or something to that affection they basically gave him a "polite piss off" and that was the end of that.

In the end he managed to get his A in Year 13 but yeah the point is I think its really important that people's answers should be very specific to the mark scheme as the examiners are really pedantic. Sometimes I worry that they'll still mark something wrong even if its according to the mark scheme - its just ridiculous.

Reply 265

OP

Original post by mayhs98

Yes your absolutely right here about the extremely harsh marking and money making scheme by WJEC. I think its absolutely absurd and someone should definately do something about it to not let them get away with it because its people's future we're talking about here.

In my school, there was a really bright individual that missed out on an A by 2 marks on the IT1 paper and when he got his paper back there was at least 10-15 marks that they missed out. One of the questions that was in the Section B on "where you have used a macro in your spreadsheet" was a perfect answer by him as written in the mark scheme (he even put a definition of a macro even though it doesn't specify you need to) but the examiner still gave him zero for it.

When the case was taken further to the executive head of the WJEC board or something to that affection they basically gave him a "polite piss off" and that was the end of that.

In the end he managed to get his A in Year 13 but yeah the point is I think its really important that people's answers should be very specific to the mark scheme as the examiners are really pedantic. Sometimes I worry that they'll still mark something wrong even if its according to the mark scheme - its just ridiculous.

Yes there have been similar reports in my sixth form.

My teacher has reason to believe that they literally just grab random people who may not necessarily have a background in IT at all... could be some penniless Sport degree student for all we know.

Fortunately for future students, this course is being scrapped in 2019 - and thank god it is. Its total luck of the draw whether you get a marker that has a clue what they are doing. Most other subjects have strict prerequisites for examiners... such as "You must have taught the subject for 2 years".

One particular individual's mark went up by like 14 RAW upon querying the result... madness. If you feel there is something wrong with your paper you must try and get your exams officer to order a photocopy as soon as possible so that you can still have the paper remarked - since if you ask for the actual script back they will totally refuse to change anything.

The best thing to do is box them into a corner by writing it exactly as it is on the mark scheme this way even a clueless marker would give the mark as your answer matches up with the mark scheme given by WJEC.

Examiners' reports, though brief, do tend to reiterate again and again a message synonymous with "just learn the points on the mark scheme". At least we can sort of presume that since the course is being scrapped so soon that our exam will just be a series of questions copied from a range of past papers.

Can't wait to leave this crap course.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 266

mayhs98

Original post by PedanticStudent

Yes there have been similar reports in my sixth form.

My teacher has reason to believe that they literally just grab random people who may not necessarily have a background in IT at all... could be some penniless Sport degree student for all we know.

Fortunately for future students, this course is being scrapped in 2019 - and thank god it is. Its total luck of the draw whether you get a marker that has a clue what they are doing. Most other subjects have strict prerequisites for examiners... such as "You must have taught the subject for 2 years".

One particular individual's mark went up by like 14 RAW upon querying the result... madness. If you feel there is something wrong with your paper you must try and get your exams officer to order a photocopy as soon as possible so that you can still have the paper remarked - since if you ask for the actual script back they will totally refuse to change anything.

The best thing to do is box them into a corner by writing it exactly as it is on the mark scheme this way even a clueless marker would give the mark as your answer matches up with the mark scheme given by WJEC.

Examiners' reports, though brief, do tend to reiterate again and again a message synonymous with "just learn the points on the mark scheme". At least we can sort of presume that since the course is being scrapped so soon that our exam will just be a series of questions copied from a range of past papers.

Can't wait to leave this crap course.

Oh yes the guy did definitely have it remarked, as did I last year for my paper and other students but instead of going up they actually had the cheek to mark them down by 1-2 marks which was probably to put them off from sending a remark request in the future.

Reply 267

OP

Original post by mayhs98

Oh yes the guy did definitely have it remarked, as did I last year for my paper and other students but instead of going up they actually had the cheek to mark them down by 1-2 marks which was probably to put them off from sending a remark request in the future.

Yes we just have to pray that the same does not happen to us. In all fairness they do seem to be getting their **** together a little bit as like I say it was only one person which faced a horrendously inaccurate mark (they didn't learn the mark scheme so marker was likely confused as to where to give the marks), but this was put right upon the remark with no squabbling.

I had 99 (low A) UMS in IT1 which I was initially a little displeased with (I am a perfectionist) - went for a remark and went up by 1 RAW bringing it to 101 UMS

A friend of mine had a C grade IT1 remarked and he went up by 2 RAW.

Another friend just had a go at the remark anyway (he sadly had an E grade) and went up 1 RAW.

At least there is a trend of marks going up and when they do it isn't by much, thus showing that the marking is generally quite accurate these days - I haven't come across anyone personally who has had any marks taken off them following a post-results check.

Furthermore, I have noticed that the mark schemes are getting a lot more organised, demonstrating further that a little more effort is going into the administrative side of things. - things are actually getting put in neat little tables now instead of blocks of text being dumped on the page... likely going to improve marking accuracy.

I would expect that we will be alright and shouldn't suffer at the hand of shabby marking- lets hope it goes well for us all.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 268

OP

Original post by mayhs98

Oh yes the guy did definitely have it remarked, as did I last year for my paper and other students but instead of going up they actually had the cheek to mark them down by 1-2 marks which was probably to put them off from sending a remark request in the future.

Might I ask what year this lad you speak of was a candidate?

Reply 269

mayhs98

Original post by PedanticStudent

Might I ask what year this lad you speak of was a candidate?

He was in year 12 when he sat the exam and got hia remark (down 1 mark) in year 13.

Reply 270

OP

99 and 100 raw marks in the IT4 usually give 80/80UMS.

With this in mind:

67 UMS IT3 for an A overall

100 UMS for an A* overall.

This is the thing that many of us are going to face now is we will achieve A overall by getting 60. 70, 80 UMS etc on the IT3, but there is a great deal of ground to cover in order to reach the A* gate of 100UMS. Recently, a candidate would only be able to afford losing 9-10 raw marks before they fall short of the 100UMS.

Keep your accuracy high - very very slim margin.

Good luck.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 271

Jasmine_Bunn

1

Original post by PedanticStudent

99 and 100 raw marks in the IT4 usually give 80/80UMS.

With this in mind:

67 UMS IT3 for an A overall

100 UMS for an A* overall.

This is the thing that many of us are going to face now is we will achieve A overall by getting 60. 70, 80 UMS etc on the IT3, but there is a great deal of ground to cover in order to reach the A* gate of 100UMS. Recently, a candidate would only be able to afford losing 9-10 raw marks before they fall short of the 100UMS.

Keep your accuracy high - very very slim margin.

Good luck.

Thank you that's really helpful!
so what would 67 UMS be as a raw mark?

Reply 272

OP

Original post by Jasmine_Bunn

Thank you that's really helpful!
so what would 67 UMS be as a raw mark?

It varies by year but you can anticipate it to be 59±3

(out of 90 raw)

Reply 273

Mande1724

7

Is getting 96 UMS on both of the IT1 and IT3 exams realistic?

Reply 274

OP

Original post by Mande1724

Is getting 96 UMS on both of the IT1 and IT3 exams realistic?

IT1, sure it is, boundaries tend to be reasonable for that because thousands of students do incredibly bad in it. (due to people not learning the course the right way and complications with the spreadsheets I presume)

IT3 not so much, I'm pretty sure that is like 77/90 or so.

I mean its possible, but your accuracy has got to be immaculate basically as we can't know whether he is going to throw in a random question we haven't studied

(e.g: videoconferencing was a surprise in 2015 and the links removal question last year was also a surprise) - accuracy is crucial in the rest of the paper given that this happens and you are not able to form the answers he is looking for.

Luckily though, the "list of questions yet to be asked" is shrinking because this spec has been going since 2009.

I think many will agree that the UMS comes more easily in IT1, so you can probably make up for any losses in IT3 with gains in the IT1.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 275

OP

Also, for those of you guys who are very thorough like myself, you may find this useful; I went through the spec a while ago and pulled out the areas which have never been questioned (up until 2016).

PDF of the list is here:

http://jacktilson.net/dl/IT3-untouched-questions.pdf

I wouldn't worry about it too much however as when a new question is put in its only like 6 marks - just something extra for you to do if you find the time and wouldn't like to take the risk. I can just see him sneaking in something little like C) or D) from Topic 6 etc... like he did with "entities, attributes and relationships" last year.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 276

AA923

Original post by PedanticStudent

Also, for those of you guys who are very thorough like myself, you may find this useful; I went through the spec a while ago and pulled out the areas which have never been questioned (up until 2016).

PDF of the list is here:

http://jacktilson.net/dl/IT3-untouched-questions.pdf

I wouldn't worry about it too much however as when a new question is put in its only like 6 marks - just something extra for you to do if you find the time and wouldn't like to take the risk. I can just see him sneaking in something little like C) or D) from Topic 6 etc... like he did with "entities, attributes and relationships" last year.

Do u have the answers to these.....

Reply 277

OP