S5 · Building Depth

Goal: finish Compulsory Part, dive into your two electives, and finish SBA Task 1.

Term 1 (Sep–Dec)

Week	Focus	Deliverable
1–3	Module D programming wrap-up	Full pseudocode → Python conversion exercise
4–6	Elective A — first half	10 SQL queries / 10 PHP routes / 5 algorithms (depending on elective)
7–9	Elective B — first half	Same
10	SBA Task 1 topic locked in with teacher	Topic + scope document
11–13	Term test	Modules + half of each elective

Term 2 (Jan–Mar)

Week	Focus	Deliverable
1–3	Elective A — second half	All learning outcomes covered
4–6	Elective B — second half	All learning outcomes covered
7–10	SBA Task 1 build	Working prototype
11–12	First past paper attempt	Mark + analyse
13	Term test	Both electives examined

SBA milestone — end of Term 2

You should have:

• ✅ Topic, scope and design document
• ✅ ER diagram and database schema
• ✅ At least 70% of features implemented
• ✅ Sample data inserted
• ✅ Initial draft of user guide

Term 3 (Apr–Jul)

Week	Focus	Deliverable
1–4	Polish SBA Task 1 + start Task 2 testing	Full test plan, screenshots
5–8	First proper past paper rotation	1 paper per week, marked
9–12	Identify weak topics, targeted revision	Notebook of weak topics
13	End-of-year exam	Full DSE format mock

Summer between S5 and S6

• Re-do every past paper from the last 5 years (Paper 1 + your two electives in Paper 2).
• Polish SBA Task 2 report.
• Build a one-page "cheat sheet" for each module.
• Sleep enough — burnout in S6 is real.

What "good" looks like by end of S5

• All Compulsory Part learning outcomes covered at least twice.
• All elective learning outcomes covered.
• SBA Task 1 fully built and Task 2 mostly done.
• 5+ past papers attempted and marked.
• Confident with prepared statements and SQL JOINs (if you took 2A/2B).

Keep SQL skills sharp every week

Even a 15-minute weekly drill on SQL Books — "write 5 queries on this sandbox" — pays back massively. Paper 2A questions reward speed and accuracy, not just knowledge.

➡️ Next: S6 · Final Sprint