Computing and IT (A Level Equivalent)

This qualification aims to develop students’ knowledge, understanding and skills within the area of Information Technology and Computing. Students will gain a valuable insight into the IT and Computing sector and explore areas such as website development, game development, planning and designing UX/UI solutions, and the fundamentals of application development.

The vocational nature of this course gives students hands-on opportunities to design, build and test a range of applications across different platforms. The qualification will also help you develop independence and confidence in using skills that are relevant to the sector and that prepare you for progressing to university courses where independent study skills are needed.

Information Technology goes well with a wide range of subjects including:

• Business
• Engineering
• Physics
• Maths

The course has five units:

• Fundamentals of application development. This is an exam assessed unit where you will learn about the stages that a developer would go through when designing and producing a software application, including HCIs and job roles and skills in this area.
• Developing application software. This is an exam assessed unit where you will learn about the different methods of implementations and what would need to be considered when you are developing applications for use on different platforms. This unit will also consider APIs, legal issues, and software security.
• Designing and communicating UX/UI solutions. In this practical coursework assessed unit you will plan, design, create, review, and improve a UX/UI solution to a given scenario. You’ll have to create a solution which is easy to use, high quality, and uses a range of tools and techniques.
• Game Development. In this practical coursework assessed unit you will plan, design, create, test, review and improve a digital game for a specific scenario. This will include learning to use game engine tools and programming techniques to create game scenes, characters, and functionality.
• Website Development. In this practical coursework assessed unit you will plan, design, create, test, review and improve a website for a given scenario. This will include how to prepare assets to use on your website and how to use web authoring tools to create templates and individual webpages that also meet accessibility guidelines.

Students have the opportunity to get involved in a variety of course related experiences, including:

• Trip to Bletchley Park
• Industry speakers coming and sharing their insights and career pathways

In addition to course specific experiences, students also have the opportunity to get involved in the College’s Activities Programme.

All students need to gain experience of the workplace during their time at College and for students studying vocational courses it should ideally be linked to one of their subject areas.

The course comprises five units across two years; two of which are assessed externally as paper-based exams, together representing 40% of the total qualification. The remaining 60% involves three units, which have internally assessed coursework.

The exam board for this Level 3 Alternative Academic Qualification Cambridge Advanced National in Computing: Application Development is OCR.

All students need to have at least five GCSEs at Grade 4 or above (and a satisfactory school reference) in order to be accepted on an A Level/BTEC Level 3 Programme. In addition, students should meet the following minimum GCSE requirement:

• Grade 4 in Maths and
• Grade 4 in English Language

This course will suit students who are interested in the practical aspects of computers and enjoy learning new IT related skills.

Does this course replace the old IT course?

The Level 3 Cambridge Technical IT: Application Development course will no longer exist for new learners from Sept 2025. This course is a new course we are offering instead that is very similar. However, there are some differences including in exam content, the addition of designing a user interface, and the introduction of an element of programming.

Does this course have any exams?

Yes. This course is 40% exam based. Unit 1 and Unit 2 both have external paper-based exams.

You will also have one opportunity to resit the exam, should you wish to improve on your grade.  If a resit is taken, the highest of the two attempts will be taken for the final grading.

How will the course contribute to UCAS points?

The course carries the same UCAS points as A Levels with the following mapping:

Distinction * –   same as A* = 56 points

Distinction    –   same as A   = 48 points

Merit             –   same as C    = 32 points

Pass               –   same as E    = 16 points

Do I need to have studied IT or Computer Science before to do this course?

No, it is not a requirement to have studied GCSE Computer Science as the course covers all the necessary knowledge. If you have done it before then you will know some of the content at the start of the course already.

What career / study options could I pursue on completing this course?

Many of our students apply to university to further their IT studies in sectors such as Games Design, Cyber Security, Computer Science or Business and Information Technology. Alternatively, others have successfully secured apprenticeships (including degree-based) in Cyber Security, Web development and IT.