I am confused... my teachers (ICT)tell me that GCSE ICT is hard and
that AS/A2 ICT is even harder to get good grades. I have the option to
take ICT, Business studies or Economics amongst others but I cannot
choose between them, some, I like the teacher, others the course. They
are all subsidary to my main choices but I need the extra points for
uni entry. What do you suggest? Which give me the best options and
why?

On Thu, 9 Mar 2005, Martin Fellows wrote:


> I am confused... my teachers (ICT)tell me that GCSE ICT is hard and
> that AS/A2 ICT is even harder to get good grades. I have the option to
> take ICT, Business studies or Economics amongst others but I cannot
> choose between them, some, I like the teacher, others the course. They
> are all subsidary to my main choices but I need the extra points for
> uni entry. What do you suggest? Which give me the best options and
> why?


Ah, here we go, someone making my point for me about the UCAS tariff system.
It leads people like our enquirer here to suppose that all a university
department requires for entry is a particular points score, never mind how
it is obtained.

Actually, if it's just a subsidiary A-level and the other A-levels are
the ones relevant to the degree programme planned, it doesn't matter too
much. But from my point of view (admissions tutor for a Computer Science
department), and I don't think I'm alone, Economics would be regarded more 
favourably than the other subjects.

It looks like it may be the case that one reason why few people taking
A-level ICT get high grades is that it's a subject which tends to be taken
by those who are academically weak. I have a particular problem with it,
which is that students taking it often suppose that a Computer Science
degree will be an extension of it, which it is not. I have had too many
experiences with students with high grades (A or B) in A-level ICT taken
onto the Computer Science degree, doing badly and complaining they don't
like it and it isn't what they expected. So it may be that I
have more reason to be negative about it than others.

Matthew Huntbach

"Matthew Huntbach"  wrote in message 
news:Pine.LNX.4.61.0503101337380.12053@frank.dcs.qmul.ac.uk...

> On Thu, 9 Mar 2005, Martin Fellows wrote:
>
>> I am confused... my teachers (ICT)tell me that GCSE ICT is hard and
>> that AS/A2 ICT is even harder to get good grades. I have the option to
>> take ICT, Business studies or Economics amongst others but I cannot


A-level ICT is not hard, in comparison to the theory surrounding AL maths - 
it is just longwinded and extremely boring. You are more likely to get a D 
or in my case a C from *underperforming* out of sheer boredom and lack of 
interest.

From doing the AL course, it is just like GCSE ICT, to the point where it 
almost feels as though the course content is constantly being recycled even 
at A2. If you have poor ICT teachers like I did, who just expect you to copy 
and paste notes out of books all day long, as well as other things. Then I 
strongly recommend that you do not do it, unless you are interested in Excel 
and Access to the point it makes you excited to learn about how to implement 
pivot tables. If not, expect an A-level course where you have to painfully 
plough through the course content.

If I was in your position (I wish I was) I would or should have choosen AL 
Maths, AL Politics, AL History and AS Art - then drop Art at the start of 
A2.