IT BTEC - Diploma | Birkenhead Sixth Form College

Exam Board: Pearson Edexcel

Explore different social media websites, the ways in which they can be used and the potential pitfalls when using them for business purposes.
Develop and implement a plan to use social media strategies for business purposes to achieve specific aims and objectives.
Study the design, creation, testing and evaluation of a relational database system to manage information.
Create efficient data designs to implement an effective and useful database and test this solution to evaluate the effectiveness of your database solution.

Entry Requirements

Five GCSEs including Maths & English Language: a minimum of three GCSEs at Grade 4 and two GCSEs at Grade 5.

Is this course for me?

The Diploma is equivalent to two A Level subject option blocks.
You want the opportunity to gain the practical knowledge and skills you’ll need to start a career in IT.
You want to develop your skills using industry standard software, time management, report and presentation preparation, creativity skills, team work, investigation and research.

Where does it lead?

The IT BTEC Diploma course offers a good foundation for many careers and it also provides an extremely valuable addition to many other career routes. Having studied this course you might consider apprenticeships in industry or taking a trainee post as an ICT technician or operator. Many students also choose to progress onto Higher Education and there are a wide variety of courses to suit a number of preferences including computer science, software engineering, business information systems and computer games design.

What will I learn?

Year 1

Creating systems to manage information

Five hours of supervised assessment in which you will apply your knowledge and understanding of the IT sector to design, create, test and evaluate a relational database system that manages information.

Using Social Media in Business

You will explore how businesses use social media to promote their products and services. You will also implement social media activities in a business to meet requirements.

Information Technology Systems

This exam assesses your understanding of: the relationships between IT systems hardware and software; the way systems work individually and together; the relationship between the user and the system; IT systems issues and their impact on organisations and individuals.

Website Development

You will investigate website development principles. You will then design and develop a website using scripting languages.

Year 2

Programming

You will learn about computational thinking skills and the principles of designing and developing computer programs. You will apply computational thinking skills to design, develop, test, refine and review computer programs for a given range of purposes.

Computer Games Development

You will apply analytical skills that would be used by any software developer to investigate the available technologies and current trends in order to design and develop appropriate software solutions.

Project Management

You will investigate the principles of project management, deliver an IT project using project management methodology. You will undertake the planning, execution and monitoring and control stages of the project and close the project by reflecting on the success of the outcome and your personal performance.

Cyber Security and Incident Management

You will investigate the techniques used to assess risks and ways of planning to deal with the results of a cyber-security incident and recover systems following an incident. You will also examine evidence from cyber security incidents and relevant security documentation, using the evidence to make recommendations for improvement.

How will I be assessed?

Year 1 is assessed through a mixture of coursework (42%), external exam (33%) and externally marked controlled assessment (25%).

Year 2 is assessed through a mixture of coursework (67%) and externally marked controlled assessment (33%).

What activities can I get Involved in?

The College has lots of exciting enrichment and CV building opportunities. See the College Prospectus for further information about what is on offer.

*We have made every effort to ensure that the information displayed is accurate. The College reserves the right to make changes and cannot accept liability arising out of, or in connection with any revision.