The current ICAAE GCSE in ICT has been developed to take account of the revised Subject Criteria for Information and Communication Technology, the Common Criteria and the revised GCSE General Criteria published by the regulatory authorities in March 2000.

This specification has been designed with flexibility in mind and allows teachers to structure an individual student’s ICT experience for success. Students could follow their studies in a number of different curriculum areas, developing a range of ICT systems, or in a single area, developing systems in greater depth. It is designed to promote continuity, coherence and progression within the study of ICT and builds upon the knowledge, understanding and skills developed within Key Stage 3, Entry Level vocational awards and the National Curriculum requirements for ICT at Key Stage 4.

To fulfil the specification students are required to work through projects related to the Study Areas. The compulsory Core Study Areas are:

• IT User (Foundation Level)
• IT User (Higher Level)
• Publishing
• Spreadsheet
• Database
• Communications
• Multimedia* - Presentation or Web Design

* This Study Area may be substituted with one of the Optional Study Areas – Image Creation, CAD/CAM, Monitoring Data, Music Technology or Expert Systems.

The specification contains indicators for the coverage of all of the Key Skills.

There are two tiers of entry - Foundation and Higher. Target grades for the two tiers are C - G and A* - D respectively.

The scheme of assessment for the Full course consists of Coursework Components (60%) and a terminal examination (40%). The Coursework Components are a coursework portfolio (40%), representing work related to the Study Areas, and an externally set timed practical task (20%) that will enable the student to demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of ICT to solve a problem. The terminal examination comprises the IT Key Skills Test and a single question paper based upon an externally set context. The scheme of assessment for the Short course is the same, except that the terminal examination is the IT Key Skills Test only.