BTEC Assignment Brief
Pearson BTEC International Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in
Qualification
Information Technology
Unit number and title Unit 4: Programming
A: Examine the computational thinking skills and principles of
Learning aim(s) (For NQF computer programming
only) B: Design a software solution to meet client requirements
C: Develop a software solution to meet client requirements
Assignment title College Hackathon Management System
Rupa Raju
Assessor
26-04-2025
Issue date
02-06-2025
Hand in deadline
You are a junior employee at a small software development
company. Your company has been invited by a local college to assist
in managing an upcoming Hackathon event.
Vocational Scenario or To prepare for this, your supervisor has provided you with a
Context portfolio of existing scoring and ranking systems used in
competitive programming and hackathons. Your task is to research
these systems and develop a knowledge base to help design an
effective Hackathon scoring system.
You will analyze the provided programs and conduct research on
programming languages, scoring algorithms, and best practices for
competition management. Your research should cover the following:
1️. Computational Thinking in Hackathons
● Explain computational thinking and analyze how
programmers use it to solve problems in coding
competitions
● Discuss how programmers identify, break down, and
describe problems, as well as how they communicate
Task 1 features and processes.
● Examine pattern recognition, generalization, and abstraction
in competitive programming.
● Describe how problems are represented and structured in
scoring and ranking systems.
2️. Software Applications for Competitive Programming
● Explain the role of software applications in managing
hackathons.
● Analyze how software can track scores, evaluate solutions,
provide feedback, and enhance user experience.
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● Explore how these applications meet the needs of competitors
judges, and organizers.
3. Programming Languages for Hackathon Scoring Systems
● Compare different programming languages (e.g., Python,
JavaScript, Java) based on their suitability for real-time
scoring, performance analysis, and data handling.
● Explain which programming languages are best suited for
handling large-scale competition data and why.
4. Constructs and Techniques in Programming
● Describe common constructs and techniques (e.g., data
structures, sorting algorithms, database handling) used in
scoring systems.
● Explain how these constructs are implemented in different
programming languages and contrast their effectiveness.
5. Application of Logic to Program Design
● Analyze how mathematical logic, propositional logic, and set
theory are applied in ranking and scoring calculations.
● Evaluate the use of iteration, recursion, and decision-making
structures in automated scoring systems.
6. Evaluating the Quality of Hackathon Scoring Systems
● Assess how well existing scoring systems meet user
requirements in terms of accuracy, efficiency,
maintainability, and ease of use.
● Evaluate the robustness, scalability, and performance of
different scoring methods.
● Discuss the importance of portability and cross-platform
compatibility for Hackathon management applications.
Outcome
Your research will serve as the foundation for designing and
developing an effective Hackathon Scoring System. The insights
gained will help you:
● Recommend best practices for ranking and point allocation
● Identify the most suitable programming languages and
frameworks
● Ensure the system is efficient, accurate, and scalable
● Understand how to optimize program logic for competitive
event scoring
This research phase will directly influence the design and
development of the Hackathon Scoring System, ensuring that it
meets the needs of both the college and the competitors.
Checklist of evidence A Knowledge Base Document
required
Criteria covered by this task:
Unit/Criteria
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
reference
Evaluate how computational thinking skills can impact software design and the
4/A.D1
quality of the software applications produced.
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Analyse how computational thinking skills can impact software design and the
4/A.M1
quality of the software applications produced.
Explain how the principles of software design are used to produce high-quality
4/A.P3
software applications that meet the needs of users.
Explain how principles of computer programming are applied in different
4/A.P2
languages to produce software applications.
Explain how computational thinking skills are applied in finding solutions that
4/A.P1
can be interpreted into software applications.
You are a junior employee at a small software development
company. Recently, your company delivered a successful guest
lecture at a local college, and as a result, the college has invited
your company to assist in managing an upcoming Hackathon
event.
● The Hackathon is a competitive event where students will
work individually or in teams to develop innovative
software solutions within a limited time frame. The college
expects:
● 4 teams, each consisting of 5 members
● 20 individual participants
● Each team or individual will work on 5 coding challenges
covering different problem domains, including data
structures, algorithms, AI, cybersecurity, and web
development
● The event will include both team-based and individual
competitions
Vocational Scenario or
● Participants will earn points based on the accuracy,
Context
efficiency, and creativity of their solutions
● The college is open to suggestions on how points should be
awarded
● Participants may also opt to compete in a single challenge
instead of all five
You have been asked to design and develop a computer program
to manage the scoring system for the Hackathon.
Your system should:
● Register participants (both individuals and teams)
● Manage challenge submissions and track progress
● Calculate and update scores dynamically based on
predefined scoring criteria
● Allow real-time leaderboard updates and ranking
● Provide automated feedback on code efficiency and
correctness
● Generate final reports for winners and performance analysis
Design and develop
Produce a design for the College Hackathon Management System
application including clear and effective diagrams, illustrations and
Task 2 algorithm designs. You will produce a design report in which you
will:
● discuss software development life cycle stages, considering
what areas of design and development should happen in
which stages. You will produce an assessment of the
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scoring systems requirements and a design specification
before any code is developed
● document the design of the system you will create,
including descriptions the tasks your program needs to
fulfil, algorithms your program will use, data structures and
data storage needed by the system
● you should ensure that all of your diagrams and
illustrations are relevant and accurately describe the
programs you intend to create
● analyse the design options for the system, considering the
features of the software you will create
● you should consider the advantages and drawbacks of
using certain programming languages, identify any
pre-defined code and assets available for use and how it
could be integrated into the new system
● review your designs with others to obtain feedback and
identify areas for improvement to evaluate and justify your
final design
● using appropriate methods, compile a test plan with test
data for the system to be tested against once development
is complete.
Following the design you will develop the application. You will
implement the program to provide the functionality required by
the college. You will produce a development report in which you
will:
● demonstrate your use of a development environment and
the chosen programming language, including the use of any
pre-defined code and library routines within your program
identifying how they improve program efficiency
● run your test plans from the design stage, ensuring that
the program is thoroughly tested and that any errors found
are documented with reasons why the error occurred and
suggestions for repair
● repair errors found during the testing process with clear
documentation for how repairs were made and results of
retesting
● document errors that cannot be repaired, giving reasons
why this is the case and suggest repairs for future
reference
● review your program following feedback from users to
identify areas for improvement and optimisation and
prioritise which improvements to make with regard to the
time frame available to you.
● evaluate your final product covering how the decisions from
all stages of the design and development process have
ensured that the computer program produced, in
comparison to other possible solutions, resulted in solutions
that fully meet the college's requirements and the impact
these processes had on the effectiveness of the
development of the final outcomes.
You also need to show how you have taken individual responsibility
and effectively managed yourself while completing this
assignment. For example, you need to show how you have:
● planned and managed your time and met targets.
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● reviewed and responded to outcomes including the use of
feedback from others
● behaved appropriately while completing the assignment –
including professionalism, etiquette, supportive of others,
timely and appropriate leadership, accountability and
individual responsibility
● evaluated outcomes to help inform high-quality justified
recommendations and decisions
● used appropriate methods of communication effectively
Checklist of evidence You should include:
required ● all of your design documents such as, diagrams,
pseudo-code and illustrations.
● records of review discussions (what was discussed and
what decisions were made?)
● test plans (what will be tested and how?)
● program code
● program files (your working program)
● test logs (results of your test)
● error reports (what went wrong and how it was fixed)
● optimisation logs (what was improved)
● your evaluation of the development and the completed
program
● a document which demonstrates that you have shown
individual responsibility and effective self-management
Criteria covered by this task:
Unit/Criteria
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
reference
Demonstrate individual responsibility, creativity and effective
4/BC.D3
self-management in the design, development and review of the computer
program
4/BC.D2 Evaluate the final design and optimised software application against client
requirements
Justify design decisions, showing how the design will result in an effective
4/B.M2
solution
4/C.M3 Optimise the computer program to meet client requirements
4/B.P4 Produce a design for a computer program to meet client requirements
Review the design with others to identify and inform improvements to the
4/B.P5
proposed solution
4/C.P6 Produce a computer program that meets client requirements
Review the extent to which the final computer program meets client
4/C.P7
requirements
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