A pdf presentation, with a comment on Wirral Met. College's decision not to display the exact written examinations venue on my GCSE Biology Cert. (if it needed to be displayed at all), displaying virtually all my scientific, technological and engineering qualifications, credentials etc. certificates and diplomas which I've obtained from the year 1989 to the present (2011) and now with the new Wirral Metropolitan College and Liverpool Community College insignias/identities.

2. Science is defined as the intellectual
and practical activity encompassing
the systematic study of the structure
and behaviour of the physical and
natural world through observation and
experiment.
The Edexcel general science GCSE
programme that I followed as an Adult
Continuing Education (ACE) mature
student at Birkenhead Sixth Form
College during Tuesday evenings from
late September 2007 until June 2008
was of a modular structure and
covered the fundamental natural
sciences of Astronomy, Biology,
Chemistry and Physics to Dept. for
Innovation & Skills (DfIS) “level 2”
educational standard.

3. Mathematics is defined as the branch of
science concerned with number, quantity
and space either as abstract concepts,
known as “pure mathematics”, or as applied
to physics, engineering and other subjects
i.e. “applied mathematics”. Maths is classed
as a “formal science”.
I obtained a GCSE grade “C” at this
science subject in the summer of 1990
whilst I was a first year BTEC National
Diploma engineering student, specializing
in electronics & communications, at
Sandown College in Liverpool.
This GCSE covered the branches of
mathematics known as algebra, arithmetic,
geometry, statistics and trigonometry etc. to
the DfIS predecessor’s “Level 2” standard.

4. Astronomy is defined as the branch
of science which deals with the study
of celestial objects, space and the
physical universe as a whole.
I studied for my GCSE Astronomy
award as a night ACE student at
Birkenhead Sixth Form College in
Claughton, Birkenhead, from
September 2000 until June 2001.
In the Edexcel summer 2001
examinations sitting I attained a grade
of “C” after sitting the higher of the
two examination tiers available; the
lower and higher tiers each having
separate examination papers.

5. Physics is defined as the branch of science
concerned with the nature and properties of
matter and energy.
I studied for this GCSE award at Neston
County High School, located in Neston,
Cheshire, as a lower sixth former. The Midland
Examining Group (MEG) syllabus for GCSE
Physics was considered superior for the school
in comparison to the Northern Examining
Association’s physics syllabus at this level.
I sat the “higher tier” physics examinations
enabling me to obtain either a grade “A”, “B”
or “C”. The “lower tier” enabled suitably
registered MEG candidates to obtain either
grades, “C”, “D”, “E”, “F” or “G”.
At the summer 1989 MEG examinations
sitting I was awarded a GCSE Physics grade
“B” pass grade.

6. The subject of biology is defined as the scientific
study of living organisms. The “-ology” in this
science’s name means “a discipline of study” and so
biology is therefore a scientific discipline.
I obtained my GCSE Biology result in the summer of
2009 after I’d completed this course as a one-
evening-per-week night school mature student at
Wirral Metropolitan College (WMC). The certificate
awarded to me by the AQA Examinations Board is
shown on the right and display’s a grade of “B”.
Although this Biology course was conducted at
WMC’s “Twelve Keys” campus in Birkenhead, the
college, for some reason, chose to hold the written
examinations for this course at an off-campus venue
used for a variety of general functions, this being
Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight, Wirral. For some
unknown reason, WMC chose to display the name of
its campus that was situated closest to Hulme Hall on
this GCSE Biology award document; this being
“Carlett Park”. Why not the Hulme Hall name itself ?

7. Chemistry is defined as the branch of
science concerned with the properties and
interactions of the substances of which
matter is composed.
I studied for this GCSE award whilst I
was in the lower sixth form of Neston
County High School , now a specialist
science and arts college, during the
academic year starting in September
1988 and concluding in July 1989.

8. Shown opposite is my City of Liverpool
Community College academic report,
produced after my two years of study at the
college, listing the BTEC level II & III
units passed on the programme, in July
1991.
At the time I enrolled at this further
education establishment, it was called
“Sandown College”. Prior to this name
change, it was known as Riversdale
College of Technology; a nationally
renowned Association of Marine & Radio
Colleges (AMARC) establishment.
In late 1991 it was merged with other
colleges in Liverpool and became known
as “City of Liverpool Community College”
and then, by the late 1990’s, “Liverpool
Community College”.

9. This is the actual BTEC National Diploma
document itself, awarded to me in the summer
of 1991. It’s presented in a different format to its
associated “Notification of Performance” (NoP);
the NoP being re-issued – on payment of a fee
of £26.00 from me – by BTEC-Edexcel in June
2004, due to the loss of the original document…
fig.1 shows my
“customer-not-present”
HSBC Visa Debit Card
transaction receipt sent
to me from Edexcel,
then.
fig.1

10. I obtained the BTEC National Diploma in
Engineering: Electronics &
Communications, in July 1991, following
two years of study at Sandown College in
Liverpool – now called Liverpool
Community College.
This NoP lists all the units I passed on the
National Diploma and the degree of pass
percentage range achieved, i.e. :
“PASS”– that’s minimum pass percentage
range achieved,
“MERIT”– denoting an above average
performance, and finally,
“DISTINCTION”– denoting excellence...

11. From September 1991 until July 1992 I
studied a number of technology units at
Salford College of Technology; a college of
HE. It’s now part of the University of
Salford.
The “Audio & Video Techniques” BTEC
Level H unit involved attending a college-
timetabled class, after 7.00 PM in the
evening, whose venue was in the basement
of the college’s Adelphi campus where a
24-track magnetic-tape recording studio
was located; a personal security risk for a
lone student in early 1990’s Salford!
At this college I also covered analogue
electronics, digital electronics, mathematics,
use of computers for graphics & sound,
together with communication skills and
industrial organisation to “Level H”
standard.

12. My Higher National Certificate (HNC) was awarded
to me in January 1997 after I completed the
programme at Liverpool Community College running
from January 1995 to December 1996; this being a
modular HNC engineering programme.
This engineering programme involved the study of
marine navigational systems which included S-band
and X-band RADAR*, radio communication systems
in addition to electronics.
I gained extensive fault diagnostic experience of radio
communications and RADAR equipment in use during
the 1990’s for civilian marine applications. The
principles learned, however, can be applied to military
RADAR and other communications systems – see NoP
on next slide…
*strictly
MADAR as these systems were emitting signals above 1 GHz;
“M” being an abbreviation for microwave radiation

13. The document, displayed opposite,
is the Notification of Performance
accompanying my HNC. It displays the
Level “H” units making up this HNC
qualification, and the degree to which
each unit qualifying criterion has been
met. Again, the PASS, MERIT and
DISTINCTION grading system is used
‒ see slide no. 3 further back.
I felt I had been underrated concerning
the “Common Skills Profile” grades and
therefore feel I should have been
awarded at least MERIT grades for most
of the common skills assessed in this
profile. I also have similar sentiments
concerning some of the engineering and
technology unit grade results displayed
on this NoP.

14. The image shown opposite is of my City
& Guilds of London Institute Radio
Amateurs’ Examination certificate; this
being awarded in December 1992. I
obtained a Radiocommunications Agency
(now OFCOM) Radio Amateurs licence
earlier the following year.
Strictly, a radio amateur (“ham”) should
really be known as an “amateur-wireless
operator” as some radio amateurs operate
on the microwave spectrum, i.e. above 1
GHz, and/or transmit slow-scan television
on the RF and/or microwave amateur
frequency allocations…

15. I studied for both components comprising the
City & Guilds Radio Amateurs Examination
(RAE) during 1992 and took the examination
for both components in November 1992. My
RAE certificate was awarded in December of
that year. I appeared to have passed both
examination components with “CREDIT”
attainments. In the context of City & Guilds
awards, a CREDIT denotes an above-average
performance.
Gaining the RAE allowed me to obtain an
OFCOM Full Radio Licence which I’ve held
since 1993. My call sign is G7OKR and my
details are listed in amateur radio
communications call books throughout the
world.
In the past I’ve operated mainly on the shorter
wavelength HF bands i.e. 10m, 15m, 20m, and
40m and obtained QSOs with Germany, Italy,
Lithuania, Russian Federation, Spain and other
nations…

16. The British Computer Society’s European Computer Driving Licence
(ECDL) credential. I was awarded this ECDL certificate in June 2002:

18. This is my West Cheshire College
certificate, which recognises that I’ve
fulfilled at least the minimum standard
necessary in order to qualify for this basic
personal computer hardware assembly
qualification entitled “Build Your Own
PC”.
It was gained in March 2003 after a one-
evening-per-week course lasting about two
months and based at the Handbridge,
Chester, campus of this college of FE.
The first use I made of this qualification
was in connection with installing a UHF
PAL analogue terrestrial TV receiver card
(which then digitised the demodulated PAL
signal) into my former PC using one of its
“expansion-card-slots” (located in its
system-unit) in the spring of 2003.

19. My GCE “AS” Level Computing award that I
obtained from Wigan & Leigh College in the summer of
2001 is shown opposite. This certificate also displays
my GCE “AS” Level Electronics award of a grade “A”.
Computing is defined as the “use and operation of
computers” – don’t confuse it with “Computer Science”
which means “the study of the principles and use of
computers”.
Electronics is defined as “the branch of physics and
technology concerned with the behaviour and
movement of electrons, especially in semiconductors
and gases”.
I studied for these two “AS” Levels as a part-time
mature student during the academic year running from
September 2000 until July 2001…

20. I studied for my Advanced Level GCE
examinations in Electronics as a private
candidate. Consequently, I couldn’t
submit any work for the last unit of the
course (Unit ELE 6) because this required
continual supervision by a suitably
qualified tutor; this being in accordance
with the examination board’s
specification (syllabus). I was unable to
fund supervision. This meant that I was
awarded this certificate based on a
reduced number of components that were
submitted to the examiner for marking.
I’m therefore capable of achieving a
grade “A” or “B” instead of the grade
“C” actually awarded!

21. This CAI Basic Installation Practices
credential serves as proof that I satisfy at
least the minimum standard, concerning
both the theoretical and practical
knowledge, that’s required in order that a
VHF Band II, UHF Band IV or V Yagi-Uda
Array aerial can be selected and installed
for the purposes of providing an adequate
signal level to the aerial input of a domestic
analogue VHF-FM radio tuner (or receiver)
or UHF PAL television receiver.
Because analogue television broadcasting
services are being phased out in the UK, I
obtained a further qualification (see next
slide)…

22. To increase the scope of my knowledge of
domestic television receiver aerial installation
related to digital terrestrial television (DTT)
systems I took a course validated by the City &
Guilds of London Institute, the CAI and
ASTRA.
Although UHF Band IV and V are also used
for DTT, suitable Yagi-Uda Array aerials for a
given DTT aerial group will nearly always
need to be of a greater gain, i.e. more
directional, than those for Band IV and V
groups radiating analogue signals, as the DTT
transmitter power will usually only be about 1⁄5
that of an analogue transmitter installation
covering the same area. Additionally, with
DTT receivers, most of the technical
parameters which are used to assess reception
quality are different and, therefore, the test &
diagnostic equipment required for successful
DTT aerial installation is different also; hence
the need to gain this additional qualification…

23. 
GCSE Astronomy
Joseph P. Campbell holds the 
GCSE Biology
following scientific, 
GCSE Chemistry
technological 
GCSE Mathematics
and 
GCSE Physics
engineering qualifications

GCSE Science [general]
and
credentials:

GCE “AS” Level: Computing

GCE “AS” Level: Electronics

GCE “A” Level Electronics

BCS ECDL PC Literacy
credential
 West Cheshire College’s
“Build-Your-Own-PC”
qualification

24. City & Guilds Radio Amateurs Examination
BTEC Certificate of Achievement
– displaying level “H” audio & video systems technologically related
units.
CAI Basic Installation Practices
City & Guilds Certificate in Digital Terrestrial
Television, Domestic Aerial and Network
Installation

25. BTEC National Diploma: Engineering
– Electronics & Communications: D686.
BTEC Higher National Certificate: Engineering
– Marine Navigational Systems…

26. Joseph P. Campbell is 39 years old and, although
qualified with an HNC in marine navigational
systems engineering plus a number of other
qualifications and credentials, he’s currently
unemployed.
Joseph has an interest in the technologies and
sciences of relevance to the use of the RF and
microwave spectrum for all forms of
communications uses e.g. broadcast radio and Joseph P. Campbell,
television and other forms of telecomm- photographed here at
unications, satellite communications, short-range BBC GMR* in
wireless systems etc. December 1990
He’s a student member of the Inst.of Engineering
& Technology (IET) and the BCS in addition to
being a qualified radio amateur. His OFCOM call
sign is G7OKR and he’s based in the ITU zone Email: g7okr@hotmail.co.uk
27, CQ zone 14 area.
*BBC GMR was renamed “BBC Radio Manchester” some years ago