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!