Subject Title: ICT – Nationals

Lead Teacher: Mrs C Huggins

Examining Body: OCR

Level: GCSE equivalent (Max 4 GCSEs)

Why should I study this subject?

ICT is everywhere, everyone uses it in some form or other and almost every employer will expect you to have some degree of working knowledge of ICT when you leave school. From plumber to policeman or policewoman, hairdresser to chef, car mechanic to army infantry, ICT is in everyone’s lives.

An ICT qualification will open many doors. It will give an employer the impression that you are an organised and resourceful person, someone who can use their imagination to solve a problem and who can work to a professional level.

Although you will use ICT throughout your KS4 curriculum you can also opt to take it as a qualification. You are being given the opportunity to work towards OCR Nationals in ICT Level 2. This is worth between one and four GCSEs, depending on how many option groups you take it in and how many units you complete.

What use will a qualification in this subject be to me when I leave school?

Unit 1 ICT in Business will develop your ICT skills in using ICT in a professional capacity. It will allow you to look at how ICT is used in the outside world through scenarios. It will develop your understanding of how a computer works and how it can work for you. You will look at ICT in other forms, developing an understanding of the fact that computers are in everything from your microwave to your car, your washing machine to your mobile phone.
The other units you will be offered will be a choice of various different projects – Graphics, Multimedia, Web Design, Animation, Video and Sound. So if you want to be a graphic designer, in television, a cartoonist or even a rock star this course might just start you on the right road (other skills may also required!).

How will this subject be taught and what will be expected from me?

The subject will be taught on a coursework only basis. There is no exam. Each unit is assessed by the completion of a project – you are given a scenario and specific tasks to complete. You will create a folder to contain all the work you have created, which will be moderated by an external assessor. 

How will the work be marked and assessed?

You will have a set period of time in which to complete the each project and a set mark sheet with very specific criteria which you need to meet in order to achieve a Pass = C, a Merit = B/A or a Distinction A/A*. Your work will be tracked through a piece of software that we have in school which you can also install at home (if you have a computer with internet access) so you can work at home too.