COMPUTER SCIENCE

WHY STUDY COMPUTER SCIENCE?

A Level in Computer Science will encourage learners to be inspired, motivated and challenged by following a broad, coherent, practical, satisfying and worthwhile course of study.

 

It will provide insight into, and experience of how computer science works, stimulating learners’ curiosity and encouraging them to engage with computer science in their everyday lives and to make informed choices about further study or career choices.

 

The key features of this specification encourage:

• emphasis on problem solving using computers

• emphasis on computer programming and algorithms

• emphasis on the mathematical skills used to express computational laws and processes, e.g. Boolean algebra/logic and comparison of the complexity of algorithms

• less emphasis on ICT.

 

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COURSE CONTENT

Computer Systems

• The characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices

• Software and software development

• Exchanging data

• Data types, data structures and algorithms

• Legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues

 

Algorithms and programming

• Elements of computational thinking

• Problem solving and programming

• Algorithms

 

Programming project

• Analysis of the problem

• Design of the solution

• Developing the solution

• Evaluation

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RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

• www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/zmtchbk

• www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-science

• www.codecademy.com/

• senecalearning.com/en-GB/

• OCR GCSE (9-1) Computer Science J277 - S Robson and P. M. Heathcote

• A/AS Level Computer Science for OCR. Student Book - A Level Comp 2 Computer Science OCR - Alistair Surrall, Adam Hamflett

• OCR AS and A Level Computer Science - P. M. Heathcote, R. S. U. Heathcote

• Tackling A Level Projects in Computer Science OCR H446 - Ceredig Cattanach-Chell

• My Revision Notes OCR A level Computer Science - George Rouse, Sean O'Byrne, Jason Pitt

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