What our students need to do to earn our certificates

Certificate assessment tasks

This page gives an overview of our Certificate levels and the tasks that must be completed to earn them.

certificateLevels

Our certificates recognise specific levels of understanding, knowledge and skills. As an example, here is an overview of the level expectations for Games Design.

  • Level 1 - Students will understand the interface of the software they are using, how to open and save files, and can complete basic tasks under instruction. They will begin the process of understanding, experimentation and explored learning and adapt and practice techniques.
  • Level 2 - Students will be familiar with the basics of game creation and begin to reach a deeper understanding of what they have learnt. They will begin to customise and add features to their work, understand the basic features and skills and be able to create simple scripts on their own to create simple games.
  • Level 3 - Students start to learn intermediate and some advanced skills and techniques. They will understand and be able to create and use variables. They will refine their work with some professional techniques. They will be able to work independently and learn to explore and find solutions for themselves both through analysis and research.
  • Level 4 - Students will begin to use complex functions and formulas to create algorithms that create deeper game play. This may include levels, simple AI, greater realisim in animation, or effects such as acceleration and gravity.
  • Level 5 - Students will be adept at solving problems, by applying what they know or researching. They will be able to integrate a range of techniques and technologies to produce a professional result that is coherent and satisfying to a player. They will have an excellent understand of the theory and use of processes and technologies.

Certificates

Subject & level What a student needs to be able to do

Young Games Designer Level 1 Pixel Gang Certificate

This Certificate is about basic concepts and techniques in using an object orientated coding learning, or environment (such as Scratch) to create a simple game.

Students will need to be able to use a relevant program to build some simple scripts to create sequences of instructions for the computer to follow. They will need to apply some maths, solve logic problems, and think about what instructions the computer will need.

You must be able to open and save games, be able to use the different program windows and tabs, and begin to know the different types of script blocks and how to create basic player controlled animation.

You should be able to create images for a game and know how to build a basic script.
Subject & level What a student needs to be able to do

Young Games Designer Level 2 Pixel Gang Certificate

This Certificate builds on Level 1 by including intermediate coding concepts, including variables.

At this level students add more involved features to their games. They learn how to employ variables in their scripts to create algorithms for devices such as timers, health counters and to check the states of animation sprites.

You must have completed all Level 1 tasks. You will also know how to use forever, if, broadcasting, repeat loops and sensing script blocks to animate sprites and change their costumes.
Subject & level What a student needs to be able to do

Games Design Level 3 Pixel Gang Certificate

This Certificate is about introducing advanced coding algorithms.

At this level students will need to complete a basic game that is coherent and works.

You must have completed all Level 1 and 2 tasks. You will also know how to use operators and variables in a basic way, and be able to create scripts to allow a character to throw/fire a projectile, make health or scores, and a "game over" screen.
Subject & level What a student needs to be able to do

Games Design Level 4 Pixel Gang Certificate

This Certificate is about adding advanced coding algorithms that involve mathematical calculations, multiple variables and instruction/start and end screens.

At this level students will be thinking about the standard features players expect in a game and creating sufficient interest and depth to keep them engaged.

You must have completed all Level 1, 2 and 3 tasks. You will also know how to use some advanced scripting techniques to create interactive animation. For example you will be able to make a space invaders game, a fruit machine game, or a game in which a character can select and carry different tools from an inventory.
Subject & level What a student needs to be able to do

Games Design Level 5 Pixel Gang Certificate

This Certificate is about creating a sophisticated game with progression, levels and rewards.

At this level students will be thinking about how to engage a player and keep them interested ad entertained.

You must have completed all Level 1, 2, 3 and 4 tasks. You will also know how to create advanced scripts that use variable lists, and maths to create effects such as calculated animations, gravity, or automatic target selection based on distance. You will be able to make a complete game with levels, player customisation elements, and a reward/feedback system.
Subject & level What a student needs to be able to do

Young Web Designer Level 1 Pixel Gang Certificate

This Certificate is for first time 7-12 year old students and provides an introduction to hand coding web pages with html tags, adding text and images, navigating between site pages and to other 'external' sites, and successfully viewing a site in a browser.

Students will create a local site folder, and learn how to use a simple text editor (or other html coding tool) and a browser to create, code, test, and save correctly named files.
  1. Hand code two (or more) html documents: You must include, html, head, title, body, h1, h2 and p tags.
  2. Add links to navigate between two (or more) html documents: Enclose some linking text with <a href> tags (relative link).
  3. Add a link to an external website: Enclose some linking text with <a href> tags (absolute link).
  4. Add an image to each html document: Use <img src> tags.
  5. Successfully view the finished website in a browser:
Subject & level What a student needs to be able to do

Young Web Designer Level 2 Pixel Gang Certificate

This certificates builds upon the basic skills acquired at level 1 but introduces CCS styling and layouts.

Students will hand code a style sheet and use it to control layout and text styling. They will also learn how to link and embed external media.
  1. Be competent in all level 1 tasks.
  2. Understand the difference between the internet and the world wide web.
  3. Use CSS: Create and link a CCS style sheet to web pages.
  4. Edit CSS styles: Know style syntax and add style rules to control the appearance of text.
  5. Use class styles.
  6. Page layout: Understand the box model and use <div> tags and styles to control positioning of elements on a page.
  7. Create a common navigation "device": Add to all site pages.
  8. External links: Add links to external sites.
  9. Embed external media: Such as a YouTube video or Scratch game.
Subject & level What a student needs to be able to do

Young Web Designer Level 3 Pixel Gang Certificate

This certificate is about adding additional professional features to a site.

Students will go beyond the basics and start to end professional features.
  1. Be competent in all level 1 and 2 tasks.
  2. Tables: Add a table of data to a page.
  3. CSS selector types: Understand and use the different categories of CSS styles.
  4. SEO: Understand and implement SEO friendly tags.
  5. Web fonts: Use web fonts throughout a site.
  6. Text wrap: Use class styles to format and float images.
Subject & level What a student needs to be able to do

Young Web Designer Level 4 Pixel Gang Certificate

This certificate is is about adding finishing touches to a website.

Students will deploy advanced CSS effects, JQuery and forms, and learn how to make their sites pages shareable by visitors.
  1. Be competent in all level 1 and 2 tasks.
  2. Opacity: Add transparency to elements.
  3. Gradients: Add gradients to solid background colours.
  4. Slideshow: Use JavaScript to create an image slideshow.
  5. Forms: Add a form to a page.
  6. html 5: Use CSS effects such as shadows, rounded corners and transitions.
  7. Social media widgets: Embed social media share widgets.