20 replies to this topic

[Amazoph]

Time for some of us to start worrying about Computing... its my next exam (and second last ).

Fortuanely for me I've no other exams til then so I can hopefully get plenty of revision done in the 12 days til the exam, so I'm feeling pretty confident about it.

[Pete]

Computing is my last exam. I'm pretty confident about it, but in all honesty the only past paper I've ever done was the prelim, so I should probably get cracking I also flicked through the past paper book and noticed that a lot of questions have apparently easy answers until you read the question properly. Like in the prelim, there was a networking question, and the way they worded it they made it sound like they wanted you to give "star topology" as an answer, but the actual answer was "client-server network". Shocking.

[John]

Both get you the marks though

[sparky]

A lot of the times where questions asked you to give a network topology - the SQA never accepted 'Mesh' since it costs too much to have all the hardware. I remember that from doing all the past papers - some 4 years ago now I reckon! lol

Really Section 1 of the exam is where you can pick up a lot of easy marks. It's just standard re-call of information - each one worth justt a few marks.
(e.g. A program can be said to be maintainable, readable and reliable Describe what is meant by these 3 terms.)

Again, if anybody needs any help just post away!

[ross_rosco]

Yeah Computing is my last exam as well, and I'll have nearly a week to revise for it. Computing is a tough exam, partly because they can be very pernickity with the answers they're looking for and also I find the length of the exam itself can be quite a strain.

Past papers are definately the best way to revise for it, since they often repeat questions, but there are only two new-higher past papers!

[Pete]

A lot of the times where questions asked you to give a network topology - the SQA never accepted 'Mesh' since it costs too much to have all the hardware. I remember that from doing all the past papers - some 4 years ago now I reckon! lol

Yeah, I kinda disagree with that. A topology is a topology, and if you can justify it you should get the marks. For a test we did once a friend of mine wrote tree topology as one of the answers when it was perfectly acceptable, yet the teacher claimed that it "does not exist"

[Angel-Light]

Computing is my second last one as well but on the day of the exam I have Higher Geography exams in the morning -.-

My hand is going to be sore that night...

My teachers just told me to keep doing past papers as the questions every year are similar, let's pray it's not too hard

[321]

What do you mean 2 new higher papers? Are they laid out differently or something? My teacher hasnt explained anything about the actual paper so Im a wee bit confused... In the 2nd section, iv gathered that you choose 2 questions? How do i go about this? Should i just skim through all the questions and choose one that ill be able to answer most on.. are the sections similar each year?!



Ahh im starting to panick..got 3 exams next week, its so difficult trying to space out the studying.

[Allan_r_123]

Well if it's anything like info systems we have 2 compulsory sections then there is 3 topics to choose from in the 3rd section (applied multimedia, expert systems and the internet). We only learned Applid Multimedia so thats obviously the one I do...

[sparky]

As far as I was aware, when I was in 6th yr the exam format for Higher changed.

It used to be:
Section 1: 10-15 short(ish) questions which were fairly easy.
Section 2: 6 questions out of which you answered 4. 2 were compulsory, and then you had a choice.
Section 3: AI, Multimedia etc (with a choice in the questions)

It now is(as far as I am aware):
Section 1: the same.
Section 2: harder/longer questions than section 1, but you now answer them all (no choice)
Section 3: AI, multimedia etc (no choice in questions)

If you have a look at
http://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/Computing_Higher_SQP.pdf

Then it has an example paper of the format which you will face, and also explains the paper to you.

[321]

oh right ok thanks alot! iv only got old past papers and didnt realised it had all changed.

[ross_rosco]

Yeah the new higher started in 2005. so the only new format papers are 2005 & 2006.

[Pete]

Doesn't mean the older past papers are irrelevant, though. The substance of the questions is still much the same ("What is -14 in 8-bit two's complement", etc.), only the overall layout of the paper has changed.

[ross_rosco]

yes, yes, of course. You are right the old ones aren't irrelevant (excuse the double negative), they're just not 100% relavant - i'd say about 10/15% of the questions woud never be asked at higehr now. There's also a certain 'je ne c'est quat' (spelling?) about them - I just can't put my finger on what else is different.

[Pete]

Well, looking through the past paper book there used to be a Computer Programming section which they've gotten rid of in the new arrangements. I'd assume that the difference you're noticing is the lack of repetitive "What does readable/maintainable/reliable/robust mean" questions (They're still asked now, right enough) and other programming-oriented questions.

[John]

The main diffrence is that they moved the Programming section almost whoely into the AH.

Changed the paper layouts as mentioned, and added a little more depth to the 3 units, but not alot, pretty much just removed a unit and changed the exam layou.

[Dave]

worth noting there is two 2005 papers an old and an new layout since dual running of courses took place that year

[sparky]

I would still encourage everyone to do as many past papers as possible. The course hasn't changed all that much - I think some newer things such as 'viruses' have been added in etc. Questions talking about the 'software development process' and 'computer organisation/computer systems' will still all be relevant.

Paricularly all the section 1 questions. If you look at Section 1 of the SQP - I would expect anyone who sat the old higher to be able to answer it all bar around 2 marks.

Q1, 6, 8, 10 from the SQP are fairly "typical" exam questions that will pop up somewhere nearly every year. Q12 in Section 2 is also nearly identical to a question from the old higher. Q14 likewise. As is most of Q15 and 16.

[Amazoph]

The exam is coming! Hide

No, seriously, good luck everyone

[verticalforce]

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