1. BTEC Extended Diploma in IT
Software Development
Graphics Stream
Year 2
Course Guide
"Anyone who has never
made a mistake has never
tried anything new."

2. Contents
Page
• Introduction to study skills 2
• Note taking 6
• Proof reading and spell checking 9
• Standard ways of working 10
• Summarising 12
• Grade checker 14
• Cover letter sample 15
• CV Writing 16
• Personal profile 18
• Personal profile sample 20
• Action plans 22
Course handbook Page 2

3. Introduction to Study and Study habits
Welcome to the Burnley College Study Skills Guide.
The information, tips, advice and activities contained here are aimed at:
· Those new to study
· Students with a little experience
· Anyone who feels that their studies are perhaps not developing as well
as they expected.
What are Study Skills?
You have study skills in some form already, even if you are unaware of it at the
moment. In general terms they are the skills which help you:
• Find information;
• Think about new information;
• Connect this with old information
• Use or apply what you have learned.
Why are these skills important?
A large part of becoming a successful student is based on developing good study
skills. Effective study means more than having a good memory, it means:
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4. · Getting organised;
· Doing today instead of putting off until tomorrow;
· Using your time productively;
· Knowing where to find information;
· Knowing how to use what you find and then how to present your information
Remember:
There are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ ways to study - each individual will use different ways
to complete their work. These methods will sometimes give successful results, and
sometimes not.
It is up to you to find out which ways of studying work the best for you.
Have a go at completing the ---------
‘ Study Habits Questionnaire
Activity
Read the following questions and mark your response.
2 = Yes x = No ? = sometimes
Do not compare yourself to some kind of ideal student - they do not exist! Think
about the best you yourself can achieve. This means that you will be able to set
realistic targets for yourself.
Attitudes and approaches to study
1. Do you keep an aim in mind when studying?
2. Is the energy you put into your studies matched by the results you achieve?
3. Do you find it enjoyable to study?
4. Are you satisfied with your study habits?
Concentration
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5. 1. Do you find it difficult to make a start on your work?
2. Are you easily distracted from your studies?
Organisation
1. Do you know at what time of the day you work best?
2. Do you set aside regular times for study each week?
3. Do you spread your study periods over the week?
4. Do you tackle the most important tasks first?
5. Do you take planned breaks?
6. Do you keep up to date with homework assignments?
7. Do you divide your time appropriately between your different subjects?
8. Have you got somewhere convenient to study?
9. Do you waste time looking for pens and equipment, notes and files?
Psychology of Study
1. Do you reward yourself after finishing a task?
2. Do you know something about how learning happens?
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6. 3. Do you understand how memory works?
Libraries
1. Do you understand how a library works?
2. Are you aware of all the services a library can offer you?
3. Can you find information quickly?
Reading and books
1. Do you do any background reading for your subjects?
2. Do you find it takes you a long time to read a recommended book?
3. Do you read every book in exactly the same way?
4. Do you understand how to use a dictionary and thesaurus properly?
Notes
1. Are your notes easy to understand?
2. Are your notes easy to revise from?
3. Are they well organised?
Assignments and Essays
1. Are your assignments / essays well planned?
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7. 2. Do you tend to repeat yourself in essays?
3. Do you tell the story of something instead of analysing the topic?
4. Can you distinguish between main ideas and supporting details or evidence?
Data
1. Can you interpret data accurately?
2. Can you create accurate charts and tables?
SELF ASSESSMENT
Analyse below your own responses to the study habits questionnaire. Look at your
answers to the study habits questionnaire. What did you score high or positive
about?
Identify your strengths and weaknesses and complete the table below
Strengths Weaknesses
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8. There is nothing wrong with having weaknesses (everyone has them). Recognise
them and treat them with respect, but do not dwell on them. Work on your strengths
to overcome them and your confidence will grow.
If you keep concentrating on your weaknesses it will make you less confident and
therefore less able to manage your workload. This can then lead to a downward
spiral which is difficult to overcome.
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9. Note Taking – AND - What Do Notes Do?
Note-taking is one of those skills that rarely get taught. Tutors assume either that taking
good notes comes naturally or that someone else must have already taught students
how to take notes. Then we sit around and complain that our students don’t know how to
take notes.
I think it’s about time to do something about that. Whether you’re a high school junior or
a college senior or a grad student or a mid-level professional or the Attorney General of
the United States, the ability to take effective, meaningful notes is a crucial skill. Not only
do good notes help us recall facts and ideas we may have forgotten, the act of writing
things down helps many of us to remember them better in the first place.
One of the reasons people have trouble taking effective notes is that they’re not really
sure what notes are for. I think a lot of people, students and professionals alike, attempt
to capture a complete record of a lecture, book, or meeting in their notes. This is a
recipe for failure. Trying to get every last fact and figure down like that leaves
no room for thinking about what you’re writing and how it fits together. The
purpose of note-taking is simple: to help you study better and more
quickly. This means your notes don’t have to contain everything, they have to contain
the most important things. And if you’re focused on capturing everything, you won’t
have the spare mental “cycles” to recognise what’s truly important.
What to Write Down
Your focus while taking notes should be two-fold. First, what’s new to you? There’s
no point in writing down facts you already know. If you already know the Declaration of
Independence was written and signed in 1776, there’s no reason to write that down.
Anything you know you know you can leave out of your notes. Second, what’s
relevant? What information is most likely to be of use later, whether on a test, in an
essay, or in completing a project? Focus on points that directly relate to or illustrate your
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10. reading (which means you’ll have to have actually done the reading…). The kinds of
information to pay special attention to are:
• Dates of events: Dates allow you to
a) Create a chronology, putting things in order according to when they happened,
and
b) Understand the context of an event. For instance, knowing Isaac Newton was
born in 1643 allows you to situate his work in relation to that of other physicists
who came before and after him, as well as in relation to other trends of the 17th
century.
• Names of people: Being able to associate names with key ideas also helps
remember ideas better and, when names come up again, to recognise ties
between different ideas whether proposed by the same individuals or by people
related in some way.
• Theories / Definitions: These are usually the main points made within the
topic and, unless you are positive you already know the definition of a term, it
should be written down. Keep in mind that many subject areas use everyday
words in ways that are unfamiliar to us.
• Arguments and debates: Any list of pros and cons, any critique of a key idea,
both sides of any debate related in class or your reading should be recorded.
• Images and exercises: Whenever an image is used to illustrate a point, or
when an in-class exercise is performed, a few words are required to record the
experience. Obviously, it is overkill to describe every tiny detail, but a short
description or a short statement about what the class did should be enough to
remind you and help reconstruct the experience.
• Other stuff: Just about anything a tutor writes on a board should probably be
written down, unless it’s either self-evident or something you already know. Titles
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11. of books, movies, TV series, and other media are usually useful, though they may
be irrelevant to the topic at hand. Consider noting these points in the margin to
look up later.
• Your own questions: Make sure to record your own questions about the topic
as they occur to you. This will help you remember to ask the tutor or look
something up later, as well as prompt you to think through the gaps in your
understanding.
Note-Taking Techniques
You don’t have to be super-fancy in your note-taking to be effective, but there are a few
techniques that seem to work best for most people.
• Outlining: Whether you use Roman numerals or bullet points, outlining is an
effective way to capture the hierarchical relationships between ideas and data. In
a theory class, you might write the name of important facts. Under each of them,
a short description. Outlining is a great way to take notes from books, because
the author has usually organised the material in a fairly effective way, and you
can go from start to end of a chapter and simply reproduce that structure in your
notes.
For lectures, however, outlining has limitations. The relationship between ideas
isn’t always hierarchical, and the instructor might jump around a lot. A point later
in the lecture might relate better to information earlier in the lecture, leaving you
to either a) flip back and forth to find where the information goes best (and hope
there’s still room to write it in) or b) risk losing the relationship between what the
tutor just said and what she said before.
• Mind-mapping: For lectures, a mind-map might be a more appropriate way of
keeping track of the relationships between ideas. Here’s the idea: in the centre of
a blank sheet of paper, you write the lecture’s main topic. As new sub-topics are
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12. introduced (the kind of thing you’d create a new heading for in an outline), you
draw a branch outward from the centre and write the sub-topic along the branch.
Then each point under that heading gets its own, smaller branch off the main
one. When another new sub-topic is mentioned, you draw a new main branch
from the centre. The thing is, if a point should go under the first heading but
you’re on the fourth heading, you can easily just draw it in on the first branch.
Likewise, if a point connects to two different ideas, you can connect it to two
different branches. If you want to neaten things up later, you can re-draw the map
or type it up
I am sure this is only scratching the surface of the variety of techniques and strategies
people have come up with to take good notes. Some people use highlighters or
coloured pens whilst others a system of post it notes. Whatever method / mixture of
methods you use does not matter so long as it works for you.
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13. Proof reading and spell checking
Importance of proof-reading
• Displays, letters, flyers etc.
• 100% accurate
• Professionals
What do we mean by Proofreading?
• Checking against the source material
• Spelling
• Punctuation
• Layout
• Positioning of graphics
• Your responsibility, check words, spaces
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14. • Get into the habit
Why?
• It saves time
• Money
• Paper
• Ink
• Check the printed copy
Spellcheck
• Dictionary of words
• Query words it does not know
Standard ways of working
Information in ICT systems can very easily be lost or misused eg:
• Unauthorised people may gain access to confidential information.
• People may copy original work and present it as their own.
• Data files may be lost, corrupted by a virus or damaged in other ways.
• Computers may be damaged so that data stored in them cannot be
recovered.
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15. • Inaccurate or poorly written information may confuse or annoy readers.
• Information presented professionally may be believed, even though it
may be inaccurate.
• Poorly laid out workplaces may cause physical stress or be hazardous
to ICT operators.
• Use of ICT systems may result in less attention to the planning and
managing of work.
How can we overcome this problem?
• Manage your work effectively.
• Keep information secure.
• Ensure that information you produce is accurate and readable.
• Work to standards commonly accepted by organisations.
• Work safely.
Keeping information secure
• Keeping information secure, for example from theft, loss, viruses, fire.
• Protecting confidentiality, for example preventing illegal access to
medical or criminal records.
• Respecting copyright, for example not using or presenting the work of
others without permission.
How can we overcome this problem?
• By saving work regularly, and using different filenames.
• By keeping dated backup copies of files on another disk and in another
location.
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16. Course handbook Page 16

17. Summarising
(meaning to sum up)
Information Technology is not just sitting at a computer keying in data, writing
programmes or drawing diagrams. You need to write reports, take down messages
either by telephone or verbally and make notes at meetings and during tutorials.
Therefore, you need to illustrate good summarising practices.
You need to decide which parts of a given piece of material need to be extracted and
relayed in a particular format to meet the needs of a third party.
Applications of summarising techniques
• Researching topics for assignments
• Taking notes during tutorials
• Relaying to your team the outcome of a meeting
• Passing on a message, either orally or on a message pad
• Designing an advertisement for a job
• Delivering a report to a company
• Producing a sales report
• Writing a letter or memorandum passing on information or a point of view
• Editing a press-release for inclusion in a newspaper
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18. • Writing an article for inclusion in a house magazine
• Drafting a notice or circular
• Using the telephone – particular over a long distance
• Interviewing a candidate for an appointment
• Giving a briefing to a group
• Getting across a point of view or suggestion
• Delivering a PowerPoint presentation
Many oral and written situations arise daily, requiring summarising techniques.
The principles of summarising
• Check that you understand clearly the requirement or brief – which may only
involve part of the item for summarising
• Read the item thoroughly, since you cannot summarise what you do not fully
understand. Read for:
• The general drift or meaning
• For the meaning of individual words of phrases
• For the structure of the item and the development of its ideas or
arguments
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19. • Give the item a title conveying the essence of the summary. This will act as a
yardstick against which no measure points for importance and relevance.
• Check your list of points against the original in case something has been
overlooked. Check your points against your title for relevance.
• Establish, which format, is appropriate for the summarising version –
schematic layout or paragraphed.
• Compose a rough draft leaving room for subsequent refinements and using
your own words to convey the sense rather than copying phrases or
sentences; remember that you need not find alternatives for specialist terms
like ’inflation’ or ‘wage-freeze’ etc.
• Check the rough draft to ensure that the points are linked in connected
sentences that read smoothly and where the progression is logical and
intelligible. Then polish into a final version by improving vocabulary, syntax,
tone etc. Ensure that the final version has been checked for transcription
errors of spelling, punctuation etc.
BTEC Extended Diploma for IT Practitioners
Software Development (Graphics)
Recording Achievement: Year 1 and 2
Unit No. Unit Title Grade Points
Unit 1 Communications & Employment Skills for IT P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 2 Computer Skills P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 6 Software Design and Development P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 11 System Analysis and Design P/M/D 70/80/90
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20. Unit 16 Procedural Programming P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 18 Database Design P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 28 Website Design P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 30 Digital Graphics P /M / D 70/80/90
Unit 42 Spread sheet modelling P/M/D 70/80/90
Year 1 points
Student
target
grade
Unit 3 Information Systems P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 4 Impact of ICT on Business Systems P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 8 E-Commerce P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 14 Event Driven Programming P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 17 Project Planning with IT P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 23 HCI P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 39 Web Animation for Interactive Media P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 41 3D Modelling P/M/D 70/80/90
Unit 43 Multimedia Design P/M/D 70/80/90
Year 1 points
Year 2 points
Final points and grade
Points Grade UCAS Points
1260-1299 PPP 120
1300-1339 MPP 160
1340-1379 MMP 200
1380-1419 MMM 240
1420-1459 DMM 280
1460-1499 DDM 320
1500-1529 DDD 360
1530-1559 DDD*
1560-1589 DD*D*
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21. 1590 or above D*D*D*
Covering letter sample
Miss Freda Freda
2 made up street
Anytown
Freda@you.com
Tries to find the
name of the
appropriate person
Miss Sarah Bradley to write to if possible.
Personnel manager
Manchester Hospital
Any Street
Anytown
th State job applying for
MN12 4MM 6 April 2101
Dear Miss Bradley
I am looking for a placement within a hospital environment from June to September of this year.
Says why she is
I am writing to you as I understand the Manchester Hospital may have appropriate vacancies
interested in this
available. I have a strong interest in laboratory procedures and clinical diagnostics which I type of work.
understand are predominately carried out at this hospital. As I live within commuting distance
from your site, travel and accommodation would not be a problem. Summarises her
strength and how
they might be an
I first became interested in the hospital environment after a school visit to your site. I was taken advantage to the
organisation
on a tour around the laboratories where the differing techniques used in testing clinical
samples for patients were demonstrated. Since then, discussion with my careers advisor has confirmed
my decision to aim for a career in this field.
Mentions dates she
would be available
Through mu degree course, I have been able to develop my interest in Biochemistry, whilst improving for interview
my laboratory skills along with my numeracy skills. I have gained some experience in HPLC and have
good computing skill, having used several scientific databases. I achieved 68% in my first year having Thanks the employer
and mentions the
examinations and hope to achieve a high 2:1 for my course work this year. While at university, I enclosed CV.
have also been able to utilise my skills in working with people through a variety of vocational jobs.
My work at a busy insurance office was valuable in teaching me the importance of ascertaining customers’ needs and
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22. providing clear and accurate information.
I would be grateful if you could consider me for suitable positions. I will be available for interview at
Any time and will be at my home address form late may onwards. At any other time please contact me
by e-mail. Please see enclosed my CV where you will find further information.
Yours Sincerely
Sarah Bradley
Enc
CV Writing – 10 main points to remember
Think of your CV as a shop window – it must effectively display your experience,
skills and qualities in a short period of time. The following tips will help you produce
a CV that does just that.
1. Keep it short and clear
Before you start, choose the right structure for your CV. The most important
information, such as your key skills and recent experience, needs to be near the top,
where it can be seen straight away. Sections you need to include are your Profile,
Achievements, Experience, Special Skills (languages / computers), Education,
Training and (if you wish) Interests / Hobbies. Your CV should normally be no longer
than two A4 pages in length.
If you haven’t caught the recruiter’s interest by page two then they probably won’t
read any further pages anyway.
2. Make it look good
Clear, attractive presentation is also important if your CV is to stand out. Ensure that
it’s uncluttered, with easy to spot key points. Use bullet points and keep the
sentences relatively short. Plenty of ‘white space’ around the borders and between
each section keeps the document easier on the eye.
3. Most recent first
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23. Put your employment history in date order, starting with the most recent first. Avoid
leaving any gaps, so if you have had time out for some reason, do mention this.
Don’t go into details about positions you held over 10 years ago. Include details of
holiday or temporary work only if relevant to the job you are applying for.
4. Include many facts
List your job duties beneath each position. Also list your achievements,
responsibilities and results. Talk about results and what difference did your
presence make? Use numbers for achievements wherever possible, e.g. “Boosted
sales by 20% in the first year” Always write in a slightly formal manner and never use
the word “I”, e.g. “Supervised the team” rather than “I supervised the team”. Use the
past tense for previous jobs and the present tense for your current job.
5. Not too many lists
Include specific skills, such as languages, administrative or computing skills, in a
separate section in your CV. Don’t relist them for every job you have used them in.
This is particularly so for IT work – lists of tools and packages make dull reading and
won’t make you stand out from other people with the same abilities.
6. Breathe some life into it
Remember the employer wants a sense of the kind of person you are, as well as
what you can do. Are you punctual, conscientious, or motivated? Do you rise to a
challenge? With each point you write, ask yourself “What does this say about me?”
7. Be accurate
Always check for errors. Run a spelling and grammar check and ask someone else
to read it for you. Read it out loud. The employer is not going to believe you are a
good communicator if your CV is full of mistakes.
8. Adapt it
Do not use the same CV every time. You can have two or three versions, each for a
different kind of job. OR tailor it to suit the job you are applying for.
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24. It is not a case of one size fits all.
9. Send a covering letter
Unless the advert tells you not to, always include a covering letter. This should
highlight the two or three areas of experience from your CV that are most relevant to
the advertised post.
Never send your CV on its own.
10. Be truthful
Although you obviously want to present yourself well, do not go too far and embellish
the truth. It can easily backfire on you.
Personal profile
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25. This is an important area of a CV. It is basically about your back ground and your
skills. It should be tailored to the job you are looking to do and can change from
application to application. It gives you a chance to sell yourself and make you stand
out to an employer.
Here are some key words and phrases which may help, circle or highlight the ones
which you feel applies to you. Make a note or any other relevant words or phrases
for future reference.
Keywords
Enthusiastic Perceptive Hardworking
Keen to learn new skills Good team worker Full of initiative
Dynamic Adaptable Self – motivated
Resourceful Dependable Quick thinking
Disciplined Reliable Independent
Mature Attitude Versatile Creative
Punctual Organised Articulate
Outgoing Methodical Energetic
Confident Practical Responsible
Tactful Competent Highly skilled
Knowledgeable Effective Efficient
Qualified Forward thinker Positive attitude
Supportive
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26. Key Skills and Phrases
Good communication skills Administrative skills Customer service skills
Enjoy a challenge Enumerative Mechanical skills
Can cope with pressure Keyboard skills Can motivate others
Analysing problems and Arranging meetings or An effective team player
developing solutions events
Excellent interpersonal Able to organise and Managing a change
skills motivate others
Experienced in handling Able to analyse and Excellent negotiation skills
customer complaints interpret information
Careful and methodical Accurate record keeper Can work well without
approach supervision
Able to work well under High level of IT skills Good sense of humour
pressure
Excellent graphics design Excellent programming Networking knowledge
skills skills
Excellent Network security A ‘people person’ Data input skills
knowledge
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27. Personal Profile sample
Page 1
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28. Page 2
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29. Course handbook Page 29

30. Action plan
Date of 1:1 Unit Action Date to be
number completed
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31. Date of 1:1 Unit Action Date to be
number completed
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32. Date of 1:1 Unit Action Date to be
number completed
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33. Date of 1:1 Unit Action Date to be
number completed
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34. Date of 1:1 Unit Action Date to be
number completed
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35. Course handbook Page 35