Sydney Smith School

GCSE ICT Core Subject 2008

Information Technology has a major impact on everyone’s life both in and out of work. This relatively new course provides students with an ICT qualification that develops their practical skills to a high standard, using industry standard Microsoft Office software. Many employers today regard ICT skills as a pre-requisite for all staff at all levels in the successful business of today. Previous students have gone on from this course into employment as office juniors or onto administration courses at college.

The Course:

The course focuses upon developing practical skills by mirroring the workplace environment.

What will you learn:

Areas covered include the following:

Word processing, databases, desk top publishing, spreadsheets and graphics
Electronic and traditional communication methods and the growth of e-commerce
ICT and legal issues relating to storage and processing of data
Types of networks and network security
Layout and design of the workplace
Trends in ICT
Health and Safety at work

Assessments:

All students are required to sit two papers. Level of entry will be decided upon nearer the examination.

Paper 1
A one hour theory paper which covers all aspects of the subject content. This is worth 33% of the total marks. This is scenario based and comprises of short answers with some extended writing.

Paper 2
A two hour practical exam using a computer. This is worth 67% of the total marks. This involves completing up to seven compulsory tasks, which will test competence using a range of software applications to produce accurate, appropriately designed documents using the correct software package.

Examination:

Communication Systems GCSE (using AQA specification) has two levels of entry:

Foundation:
Grades G - C

Higher:
Grades D—A*

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