Course Full Title: AAQ Cambridge Advanced National in Computing: Application Development
Exam Board: OCR
Specification Code: H129
Why study IT?
The qualification will give you the knowledge, understanding and competency needed when considering entering employment in the IT sector. You will gain grounding in skills that are suitable if you want to progress onto other related study or a career in IT or computing, such as higher education courses in Computer Science, Computer Games Development, Computing, Creative Computing, Web and Mobile Development, Web and User Experience Design.
What will I study over the two years?
Through a combination of theoretical study and hands-on experience, you will develop the
necessary knowledge and skills that can support progression to higher education computing study.
In the examined unit, you will study key knowledge and understanding relevant to application
development. In the non examined assessment (NEA) unit, you will demonstrate knowledge and
skills you learn by completing a practical assignment.
Here is a list of the units you will study:
Fundamentals of application development:
In this unit you will learn about the different stages that developers go through to produce a
working software application, how developers scope application requirements, and the design
features which make applications intuitive for users.
Developing application software:
In this unit you will learn about implementation methodology and the areas that need to be
considered when applications are being developed for different platforms. You will also learn
about how data moves in applications and beyond, and how to make sure applications are
safe to use and the data they hold is secure. You will also learn how developers deploy
finished applications to users, how they’re installed on devices, and maintained in the future.
Designing and communicating UX/UI solutions:
In this unit you will learn the principles of UX/UI design and what makes an interface easy to
use. You will learn tools and techniques to plan UX/UI solutions and how to design high-fidelity
prototypes of UX/UI solutions. You will also learn how to communicate effectively with clients.
Game development:
In this unit you will learn how types and genres of digital games and their characteristics affect
game design. You will then learn how to plan, design, create, and test game prototypes.
Website development:
In this unit you will learn about website principles and the components of web pages. You will
then learn how to plan, design, create, and test website prototypes that can be viewed on a
range of devices.
What are the entrance requirements?
- Level 2 Pass or higher in BTEC DiT if studied
- Grade 4 or above in Computing if studied
- 5 or more grades 4-9; including equivalents across at least 4 subjects
- Maths and English Language Grade 4 or above
- Average GCSE GRADE of at least 3.5 (average of ALL GCSE full courses taken)