Administration & IT

This course is designed for those who are interested in the practical uses of IT and want to develop their administrative and IT skills further.  Administrative and IT skills have extensive application not only in employment but also in other walks of life.

National 4

The course consists of four units:

  • IT Solutions for Administrators – This unit develops pupils’ basic skills in IT.  They will be required to create, organise and process information in administration related contexts.  Pupils will use the functions of the following IT applications – Spreadsheets (MS Excel), Databases (MS Access), Word Processing (MS Word)
  • Communication in Administration – In this unit pupils will use IT for gathering and sharing information with others in familiar administration related contexts.  Pupils will develop an understanding of the appropriate methods for gathering information and of how to communicate information, making use of appropriate electronic methods.  Pupils will use the functions of the following IT applications – Presentation (MS Powerpoint), Desktop Publishing (MS Publisher), Email and E-diaries (MS Outlook), The Internet
  • Administrative Practices – The aim of this unit is to provide pupils with a basic appreciation of administration in the workplace and to enable them to carry out a range of straightforward administrative tasks in the context of organising and supporting small-scale events
  • Added Value Unit – Pupils who complete this unit will be able to organise and support a small-scale event to a given brief, making use of current or emerging equivalent technologies.

All four units are internally assessed.  To achieve the National 4 Administration & IT course, pupils must pass all units.

National 5

The course consists of two main areas of study:

  • IT Applications – the aim of this unit is to develop pupils’ skills in IT and organising and managing information. Pupils will interpret a given brief that will help them to develop problem solving skills. They will select appropriate IT applications: Word Processing (MS Word), Desktop Publishing (MS Publisher), Presentation (MS Powerpoint), Spreadsheets (MS Excel), Databases (MS Access), Electronic Communication (MS Outlook)
  • Theory – The aim of this unit is to give pupils a broad introduction to administration in the workplace and to enable them to carry out a range of administrative tasks in the context of organising and supporting events

Pupils must complete the entire closed book course assignment under supervised conditions over a period not exceeding 3 hours.  The course assignment will be externally assessed. Pupils must also complete an exam under SQA supervised conditions over a period not exceeding 2 hours.  The exam will be externally assessed.

Higher

The course consists of two main areas of study:

  • IT Applications – Candidates develop skills in organising and managing information using digital technology in administrative contexts. They use software application (MS Word, MS Access, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and MS Outlook) 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
  • 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

The course assessment will consist of two components: a practical assignment (58%) and a question paper (42%).  The practical assignment is set by SQA and completed in class under controlled conditions to be completed within a time limit of no more than 2 hours.