NEW GCE ICT Support Event for amended specification October 2009

Agenda Amendments to AS specification Amendments to A2 specification A2 Revision Guide Changes are in RED

ICT Microsite www.ccea.org.uk/ict Select ICT from Microsite Quickfind drop down menu

Our support online Specification Specimen papers and mark schemes Chief Examiner’s reports with tips for improving examination performance Student Guides Schemes of Work Sample Coursework

Local support A local team fully committed to supporting you Accessible subject officers and specification support officers Tailored guidance from a subject specialist Centre visits on request

Our support Exemplification of standards 10th November Corr’s Corner 12th November Silver Birch Hotel Omagh AS Agreement Trials 21st October Wellington Park Hotel Belfast 22nd October Tullylagan Hotel Cookstown A2 Agreement Trials 3rd December Tullylagan Hotel Cookstown 4th December Park Avenue Hotel Belfast

Stretch and challenge Regulatory requirement QCA guidance: fewer structured questions more open-ended questions which require the response to be constructed by the candidate understanding and connectivity to be tested through synoptic questions more extended writing.

CCEA response Writing teams were asked to: use a variety of stems in questions – for example analyse, evaluate, discuss, compare ensure connectivity between sections of questions use a wider range of question types to address different skills improve synoptic assessment.

Stretch and challenge Questions will: Only be asked in A21 (Module 3) Use a variety of stems in questions – for example analyse, evaluate, discuss, compare Address synoptic assessment. Name and describe 3 CASE Tools Evaluate the use of CASE tools in system development question more open ended Questions written with a grade in mind

Award of A* An A* will be awarded to the candidates who: attain an overall grade A in the qualification an aggregate of at least 90% of the uniform marks across the A2 units

Award of A* AS1 AS2 A21 A22 Total Grade 80 80 90 90 340 A* 95 95 88 89 367

Revision of Specification In the first year of a qualification, performance might drop (Ofqual) Teacher experience of the new course less than for legacy Teachers tend to build up resources over time Centres haven’t had the benefit of feedback on a completed examination series

Revision of Specification Summer 2009 – Standard was maintained 29.3% A 51.4% B (cumulative) 71.1% C 82.6% D 90.6% E

Amendments to Specification To clarify learning outcomes To remove duplication of content To provide clear guidance on coursework (including changes to Candidate Record Sheets) To reduce technical demands within a centre Amendments are already on the website 6 validation checks

Still the same demands Stretch and challenge – similarities to legacy Module 5 paper Systems Life cycle approach to coursework Another 2 hour examination in same format as AS paper i.e writing responses on the question paper

Unit A21: Information Systems Externally assessed 2 hour examination Worth 25% of A level (50% of A2) 100 uniform marks Extension to Unit AS1: Components of ICT Acquiring knowledge and understanding of Information Systems

AS Coursework AS Systems Life Cycle Data Processing Multi-media Analysis Y Design Software Development Testing Evaluation User Guide

A2 Coursework Section Mark Analysis 20 Design Implementation and Testing User Documentation 10 Evaluation

CCEA Support Agreement Trials Schemes of Work for new specification Teacher/student support materials Specification On-line materials such as coursework exemplars

Our support Exemplification of standards 10th November Corr’s Corner 12th November Silver Birch Hotel Omagh AS Agreement Trials 21st October Wellington Park Hotel Belfast 22nd October Tullylagan Hotel Cookstown A2 Agreement Trials 3rd December Tullylagan Hotel Cookstown 4th December Park Avenue Hotel Belfast

Contacts Subject Officer: Joe McGurk Email: jmcgurk@ccea.org.uk Telephone: 028 90 261443 Specification Support Officer: Nuala Braniff nbraniff@ccea.org.uk Telephone: 028 90 261200 Ext 2292 Distribution Email: cceadistribution@ccea.org.uk Telephone: 028 90 261242