Information and Communication Technology
Work Hard, Reap the Rewards!
Oh, hello there!
This is where you should be if you are looking for IT1 and IT3 examination units for the ICT A level qualification from WJEC. If you're a Year 12 following the new course from WJEC, don't worry, I have resources for you too!
For Year 12 students: The exam board has marginally redeveloped the ICT qualification. The new specification presents a very small number of changes to assessment style/structure and content. The materials in this section are directly relevant to your course.
Specimen Assessment Materials Specification AS Level Coursework Ticklist
For Year 13 students and resitters: For the Summer 2018 series, Year 13s will be following the older specification for both the examination and the coursework module. Further, If you sat an ICT exam in Summer 2017 or before, the materials in this section are directly relevant to your course.
For Year 12 students: While a minority of these materials are not completely relevant to your course, they will still likely be of use to you in learning the content requested by your specification.
Specimen Assessment Materials Specification Teaching Outline Examiners' Reports AS Level Coursework Ticklist A Level Coursework Ticklist
Theory Packs
IT1 Theory Pack IT3 Theory PackQuestion Packs & Miscellaneous
IT3 Questions - Topic Revision Pack TSR IT3 Summer 2017 ThreadPast Papers & Mark Schemes
SERIES | IT1 | IT3 | MARK SCHEME |
---|---|---|---|
Winter 2009 | IT1 | N/A | Mark Scheme |
Summer 2009 | IT1 | N/A | Mark Scheme |
Winter 2010 | IT1 | IT3 | Mark Scheme |
Summer 2010 | IT1 | IT3 | Mark Scheme |
Winter 2011 | IT1 | IT3 | Mark Scheme |
Summer 2011 | IT1 | IT3 | Mark Scheme |
Winter 2012 | IT1 | IT3 | Mark Scheme |
Summer 2012 | IT1 | IT3 | Mark Scheme |
Winter 2013 | IT1 | IT3 | Mark Scheme |
Summer 2013 | IT1 | IT3 | Mark Scheme |
Winter 2014 | IT1 | IT3 | Mark Scheme |
Summer 2014 | IT1 | IT3 | Mark Scheme |
Summer 2015 | IT1 | IT3 | Mark Scheme |
Summer 2016 | IT1 | IT3 | Mark Scheme |
Summer 2017 | IT1 | IT3 | Mark Scheme |
Every year, countless students use all of the wrong materials and waste hours of their time studying information which simply will not help them in passing their ICT A level exams.
ICT is now renowned for having one of the lowest A*/A achievement percentages, indicating that students are consistently falling short of what is desired by the exam board. Be warned that the marking
of ICT exams is very harsh.
Year | A* Grade | A Grade | B Grade | C Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 (3402 candidates) | 0.9% / 31 candidates | 8.5% / 289 candidates | 22.4% / 762 candidates | 27.1% / 922 candidates |
2015 (3369 candidates) | 0.6% / 20 candidates | 7.4% / 249 candidates | 20.1% / 677 candidates | 27.2% / 916 candidates |
2016 (3297 candidates) | 0.7% / 23 candidates | 8.4% / 277 candidates | 19% / 626 candidates | 28.3% / 933 candidates |
2017 (2739 candidates) | 0.4% / 11 candidates | 6.9% / 189 candidates | 18.8% / 515 candidates | 28.8% / 789 candidates |
Source: WJEC Results Statistics
So what do I do?
Through extensive research, it has been discovered that the only reliable way in which to secure a top grade in ICT is to learn the marking schemes for past paper questions by heart and
be able to subsequently regurgitate them under examination conditions. A C/B can often be achieved by an excellent mark in the easier coursework modules complemented by a less than stellar performance
in the examinations. However to access the top mark in every question (which you will need to be able to do if you are after an A, let alone an A*) you must give the examiner exactly what they are after.
Forget everything you know about ICT because if it isn't on the mark scheme, you aren't getting any marks 95% of the time. It is as simple as that.
I recommend the following technique:
Step One
Segregate the questions by topic, and answer all of them by reading the marking scheme and writing down everything you can remember - then confirm that you have accurately copied.
Step Two
Try to answer all of the distinct question types from that topic again, only using the mark scheme when you feel you REALLY need it to jog your memory (only a glance!!!) - then confirm you have accurately copied.
Step Three
Answer all of the distinct question types from the topic again but this time, NO mark schemes. Only use them after you have completed the question. NO CHEATING!. Nudge yourself when you get something wrong, remember your error and correct it!!
Step Four
After you feel you have adequate knowledge of each topic's mark schemes, proceed to complete a past paper. I recommend doing the more recent ones first. Pay close attention to any discrepancies between your work and the mark scheme and apply effort to ensure that you are writing as snugly to the scheme as you can!
Step Five
Keep your knowledge strong and pound it into your long term memory by regularly completing past papers (one a week?) right through to the exam. When you run out, just start from the start and work through them all again. Also, refer to this document for extra practice on questions which have never appeared before.
I did this with IT1 (a little less perfectly) and came out with 101/120 UMS. (A) in IT1, then again with IT3 and got 110/120.
More details, tips and resources will be added soon! Until then, all the best and good luck in the summer!
© Jack Tilson 2017
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DISCLAIMER:
Past Papers and Mark Schemes are the property of WJEC CBAC Ltd.
All works/documents accessible via this web site are to be used for non-commercial research and private study only.
All works/documents are the property of their rightful owners.