Administration and IT - Higher

Vale of Leven Academy

The course consists of two areas of study:

Administrative theory and practice

Candidates develop their understanding of the factors contributing to an efficient administrative function. These include time and task management, effective teams, complying with workplace legislation, the impact of digital technologies, and customer care.

IT applications

Candidates develop skills in organising and managing information using digital technology in administrative contexts. They use software application functions to analyse, process and manage information, in order to create and edit complex business documents. Candidates develop an understanding of barriers to communication and ways of overcoming them to ensure communication is effective. They also develop skills, knowledge and understanding of how to maintain the security and confidentiality of information.

Question paper 50 marks

The question paper gives candidates the opportunity to:

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of administrative theory from all aspects of the course
• draw valid conclusions based on evidence provided

The question paper has a total mark allocation of 50 marks. This is 42% of the overall marks for the course assessment. It has two sections.

Section 1 is worth 10 marks and contains of a set of questions based on a piece of stimulus material. The questions generally relate to the stimulus, although some questions may be based on topics surrounding the stimulus material. They assess problem solving, the application of knowledge and understanding, and may range in value from 1–6 marks.

Section 2 is worth 40 marks and contains questions that assess the application of knowledge and understanding. Questions may range in value from 1–6 marks.

Candidates have 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete the question paper.

Assignment 70 marks

The assignment gives candidates the opportunity to demonstrate:

• using advanced functions in word processing, spreadsheets, databases and presentation software to produce, process and manage information, and solve problems in unfamiliar contexts
• electronic research skills to source complex information
• effective communication skills, taking account of context, purpose and audience

The assignment has a total mark allocation of 70 marks. This is 58% of the overall marks for the course assessment. 20 marks each are allocated to spreadsheets, databases and word processing with the remaining 10 being allocated to communications.

The assignment is set on an annual basis. It is a closed book assessment and is conducted under a high degree of supervision and control and is marked externally by the SQA. The assignment must be carried out in one 2 hour block.