Electronics A Level
Overview
You will study the WJEC EDUQAS A level Electronics specification. This course will develop your skills in a range of theoretical, practical, industrial and environmental contexts.
Course Objectives:
- You will develop essential scientific knowledge and understand concepts that will help to predict the behaviour of electrical/electronic circuits
- You will develop skills in practical work, producing a specification to solve a problem and evaluating their own work
- You will be able to apply knowledge of electronic concepts to the world around them and to observe electronics at work in the world of engineering
- The course will develop their interest in electronics, including developing an interest in further study and careers associated with electronics.
Key information
- A minimum of seven GCSE’s grade A*-C including English Language
- Grade B in GCSE Mathematics and grade C in GCSE Science
The course centres around practical work, building and testing electronic circuits is key to understanding how electronic systems work. You will be expected to produce your own ideas as working projects including using a programming language to control Microcontrollers.
Exams:
- Component 1 – Principles of Electronics 40%
- Component 2 – Application of Electronics 40%
- Component 3 – Extended System Design and Realisation 20% (Project work)
Task 1 A design and program task to create a microcontroller system programmed in assembler language to solve an identified problem, need or opportunity.
Task 2 A substantial integrated design and realisation task to create an electronic system to solve an identified problem, need or opportunity.
Students who take A Level Electronics apply for courses in university which relate to engineering such as Electrical Engineering, Materials Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. During the course, you will learn how to use microcontrollers to control and respond to inputs and outputs, this can lead to an interest in courses that involve computer programming. Due to its practical nature, students have also chosen to do apprenticeships with electronics companies. With new technologies being invented every year, electronics students are in great demand for careers around the world such as electrical engineer and electrical technician, some of the jobs that students will apply for don’t even exist yet!
The average salary in Wales for an electrical engineer is £41,274 with a starting salary of £30,000. 6,239 of these jobs are advertised every year.