IT General Practitioners (BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma)

Specific Entry Criteria

Grade C in English Language or Maths.

About the Subject

This programme is equivalent to 3 A levels and would suit anyone who wishes to make a career in IT or improve their employment prospects by gaining skills relevant to the workplace.

This course will help students to understand how computers work and gain confidence in setting up a computer system; enables students to investigate different types of software and gain experience in selecting and using the best software for a given task. Students will also study specific areas of Web Design and Databases that are popular and growing areas of IT within industry today.

In addition to the main qualification, students studying on this programme will have the opportunity to obtain an industry recognized IT qualification awarded by CISCO systems.

Course Content

Year 1

In the first year the emphasis is on gaining a thorough understanding of Personal Computer hardware where you will learn how to build and repair Personal Computer Systems. You will also learn how to connect Personal Computers together to form a Network. You will learn how to create Computer Programs in modern programming languages such as Java and Visual Basic.

Year 2

The second year focuses on commercial Software Applications used in Businesses today. You will learn how to use commercial applications to solve business related problems. You will also learn how to create exciting e-Commerce websites using Dreamweaver and Flash. Work experience is an important part of this course. Students will be expected to complete a one week work placement early in the second year.

This course is usually studied on its own, although there is an option to study a further GCSE or AS level in any other subject if required.

Assessment

The course is made up of 18 units. Each unit and the IT based project will be assessed by your teacher; there are no examinations in this course.

You will be expected to take an active responsibility for planning, organising and completing your work on time. Each unit will be awarded a grade and also a number of points (e.g. 2 points for a pass). You will need to pass at least 16 units and achieve at least 36 points to achieve the basic qualification. The IT based project is equivalent to four units and therefore is worth four times the number of points awarded for a standard unit. The points scored are cumulative and will ultimately determine your final grade.