A-Level Programme - BTEC in Computing (AAQ)

Our new alternative academic qualification in computing forms part of our A-Level programme and will cover important fundamentals for progression, such as programming, networking and human interaction.

On our A-Level programme, you will study three or four subjects. Please apply for three or four subjects and use our course selector here to check what options you can do!

This qualification has been developed by Pearson in consultation with universities and sector experts to ensure that you'll gain the knowledge and skills required to progress into higher education. Throughout the course, you'll begin to learn and understand programming design and methodologies, principles of software development, security threats and technical skills in a relevant context.

What will I study in this subject?

Over the two years, you will study four mandatory units:

• Programming fundamentals; computing concepts and their application through programming and design methodologies

• Computing network security and encryption; types and origins of security threats, regulations, methods and tools to detect and prevent threats and encryption

• Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) - user experience and user interface design principles, HCI design and meeting diverse needs

• Practical programming - principles of computer science related to software development and their application in developing and managing software solutions

This subject is assessed by two external examinations and assignments.

How many UCAS points can I achieve from this subject?

Our alternative academic qualifications which form part of our A-Level programme qualify for UCAS tariff points to apply for university in the same way as A-Levels. For this subject, you could achieve up to 56 UCAS points (the UCAS tariff points from your other subjects will be added to this, too!) depending on how you are graded:

| AAQ grade | UCAS Points |
| --- | --- |
| D*| 56 |
| D | 48 |
| M | 32 |
| P | 16 |

You can find more details and examples on the UCAS tariff points calculator here.

You will need:

• 5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including a grade 5 in English and maths