Computing is of enormous importance to the economy, and the role of Computer Science as a discipline in itself and as an ‘underpinning’ subject across Science and Engineering is growing rapidly.
Computer technology continues to advance rapidly and the way that technology is consumed has also been changing at a fast pace. The growth in the use of mobile devices and web-related technologies has exploded. Businesses today require an ever-increasing number of technologically-aware individuals.
Course Content
In this first unit you will learn about Systems architecture, Memory and storage, Computer networks, connections and protocols and Network security. As well as hardware you will also study systems software, the ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impacts of digital technology.
In this unit you will learn about the theory of creating computer programs. In this new specification there is NO REQUIREMENT to know the syntax of a particular programming language. You will learn how to create Algorithms and Programming fundamentals such as functions and procedures. You will learn how to create secure and robust programs. Boolean logic is introduced and how an IDE can be used to create programs.
The specification requires that you carry out at least 20 hours of practical coding, we will do well over this over the two years of the course, we will use python to explore the ideas that are covered in a theory module, for example we will code using all of the programming structures.
Paper 1 – Computer Systems – theoretical knowledge of computer science.
- Written exam set in practical based scenarios: 1 hour 30 minutes
- 80 marks
- 50 per cent of GCSE
- A mix of multiple choice, short answer and longer answer questions.
Paper 2 – Computational Thinking & Programming – assesses theoretical knowledge of programming and problem solving.
- Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes
- 80 marks
- 50 per cent of GCSE
- A mix of multiple choice, short answer, longer answer and extended response questions assessing a student’s theoretical knowledge.
| Key Course Details | |
|---|---|
| Exam board | OCR |
| Assessment | 100% examination |