ICT practical skills mean using software to produce files that meet a brief: documents, spreadsheets, databases, presentations and web pages. Computer Science programming means writing code to solve a problem.
They share ideas such as conditions and testing, but the work you hand in is different. Check your entry code and the current syllabus before deciding what to revise.
This page helps you keep your revision on the right track within the module on practical workflow and software versions. For how the whole subject fits together, see the ICT learning guide.
What is actually going wrong?
The confusion usually has a simple cause. Online tutorials use the word “ICT” or “computing” loosely, and some tutorials for spreadsheets and databases drift into code. A student then spends revision time on something that may not be assessed by their qualification.
There are three usual patterns:
- A tutorial mixes both subjects. A database video moves from a validation rule to a full programming script.
- A formula feels like code, so it is filed under programming.
- Family or friends use “IT” for everything, so advice from a Computer Science student is applied to ICT.
How do the two differ in practice?
| Question | ICT practical | Computer Science programming |
|---|---|---|
| What do you produce? | A file: document, sheet, database, page | Program code and its output |
| What tools do you use? | Application software | A programming language or pseudocode |
| What shows your work? | The file plus evidence of settings | The code and test results |
| Typical skill | Set a validation rule, build a chart | Write a loop, trace a variable |
This is a guide for orientation only. The exact content of each qualification is on its Cambridge syllabus page.
A worked example: the same idea, two subjects
Task idea: accept an age only if it is from 11 to 18 inclusive.
ICT practical version. In a database, you set a validation rule on the Age field so that values must be between 11 and 18. The wording of the rule depends on your software. Then you test with 10, 11, 18 and 19, and take a screenshot of the rule and the error message for evidence.
Computer Science version. You write code such as this:
IF age < 11 OR age > 18 THEN
OUTPUT "Invalid"
ENDIFThen you trace it with the same four test values.
What is shared? The boundary values 11 and 18 and the testing habit. What differs? ICT asks for the software feature and the evidence. Computer Science asks for code.
The mistake to watch for
A student meets a spreadsheet question on checking marks and writes a block of code instead of a cell formula such as =IF(B2>=50,"Pass","Fail"). The logic is correct, but the question needs a formula in a cell that shows “Pass” or “Fail” for the data. The correction is to read the question for the required output: a file, a formula in a cell, or a written explanation.
A simple way to sort your resources
- Write your entry code at the start of your revision file.
- Label each resource as “ICT practical”, “ICT theory” or “check first”.
- Test each tutorial with one question: does it end with a file I can submit?
- Ask your teacher or centre about anything marked “check first”.
The syllabus and exam-year navigator helps you record which code and year you confirmed.
Check yourself
1. A video teaches a loop that prints numbers 1 to 10. Is it an ICT practical skill?
Show answer
Loops are programming, so the video belongs to Computer Science unless your syllabus says otherwise. Mark it “check first” and confirm with your teacher against the Cambridge page.
2. You set a validation rule for ages 11 to 18. Name two test values that check the boundaries.
Show answer
11 and 18 are accepted boundaries, and 10 and 19 are the values just outside. Use all four.
3. What should your evidence show for a validation task in ICT?
Show answer
The rule itself, the file it belongs to, and the error shown for an invalid value. See the page on screenshots that show the required setting.
Where this leads next
Return to database structure and validation for practical validation, or practise defining a key and a validation condition. If you are studying both subjects, the Computer Science learning guide shows where the programming side begins.
A teacher who works with you one to one can go through your notes and show what belongs where. That is one thing online one-to-one ICT tuition is for.