Examination board

GCSE Computing OCR – J275

AS and A2 Computer Science AQA - 2510

Vision

“Although they are invisible and intangible, software systems are amongst the largest and most complex artefacts ever created by human beings…”

Computing at School Working Group – March 2012

The aim of the Computer Science department at University Technical College Cambridge is to develop the knowledge and skills required for our students to play an active role in the digital world that surrounds them. Developing a firm grasp of computing concepts will help them get the best from the systems they use, solve problems when they go wrong and develop new systems when they are required.

We believe all students will find a combination of computational thinking, computing principles and computational approach to problem solving empowering. The ability to focus this fusion of academic and practical skills on a problem will help bring success in all curriculum subjects and the UTC science challenge projects.

There can sometimes be confusion about the differences between ICT and Computing. Computer Science refers to the processes used to create usable computer programs and applications together with all theory behind those processes. Information technology on the other hand refers to the application of computer programs to solve problems. Information technology is very vast in terms of scale because it is applied virtually to any type of process that may require automation, from business, scientific research to the music industry, telecoms and banking.

Course overview

GCSE Computer Science

GCSE specifications in Computing will encourage learners to be inspired, moved and challenged by following a coherent, satisfying and worthwhile course of study. They help learners to gain an insight into related sectors. They will prepare learners to make informed decisions about further learning opportunities and career choices.

Computing is a two year course. In the first year students study:

An introduction to programming with Small Basic and Python

• Variables and variable operations
• Data-Types
• Lists, IF, ELSE IF, FOR, WHILE statements
• Functions
• Parameters

Theory Topics include:

• Boolean Logic
• Binary
• How data is stored in images and sound
• Flow Charting
• Computer Hardware
• Client side coding for websites
• HTML
• Java-Script
• Cascading style sheets

Written Exam paper: 90 mins – 40% of the qualification
Candidates answer all questions including a mixture of short and long answer questions, some of which will require students to write program code.

Controlled assessment – An investigative task 30% of the qualification
Candidates carry out a practical investigation of a topic chosen from a set of options.

Controlled assessment – 30% of the qualification
Candidates create solutions to computing tasks chosen from a set of options supplied.

GCSE Resources

www.python.org

www.smallbasic.com

www.cambridgegcsecomputing.org

Course Overview

A Level Computer Science

Year 12 - Learning

Unit 1

AS unit 1 is called ‘Problem Solving, programming, Data Representation and Practical Exercise’. Unit 1 is concerned with problem solving. Problem solving skills are taught and tested by showing students how to write computer programs to represent problems and then write algorithms or recipes to solve these problems. At UTC we will focus on Visual Basic .net

Unit 2

AS unit 2 is called ‘Computer Components’, the stored Program Concept and the Internet Unit 2 complements unit 1 and is concerned with the Hardware and Software of Computing. It introduces the students to the internal workings of every computer, and the science behind technologies such as plasma screens. The varied syllabus covers essential engineering basics such as logic gates and Boolean algebra through to an introduction for students on how to build their own websites.

Year 12 – Examinations

Unit 1 - 60% of AS, 30% of A Level

2 hour on-screen examination

100 marks

The practical on-screen examination is 2 hours long and tests the students ability to read and write programs in their chosen language. The questions are based on a scenario described in pre-release material approximately 4 weeks before the exam. This year’s assignment was based on the Hangman word game.

Unit 2 - 40% of AS, 20% of A Level

1 hour written examination

60 marks

The written exam is 1 hour in duration and tests the knowledge and understanding of the architecture of computers and the functionality of the different types of software.

Year 13 - Learning

Unit 3

AS unit 3 is called ‘Problems Solving, Programming, Operating Systems, Databases and Networking’ After the first year, students have a good introduction to what is computing and what resources are available to them. Unit 3 looks more closely at computational thinking - what problems can be computed, what solutions can computers provide which humans on their own cannot. Students will now have an idea of programming and know the syntax of how to write programs, and unit 3 covers methods for solving common problems, and how to structure computer programs to make them more efficient no matter their size. Students learn in–depth knowledge of networking and security of computer systems, hot topics in IT currently.

Unit 4

A2 unit 4 is called ‘ The Computing Practical Project’ Unit 4 is an independent problem solving exercise where the students write a report based on software, which they write for a real customer. This is the unit that students usually enjoy the most, as it allows them to practice everything they have learnt in the course, and produce a piece of software which actually solves a real-world problem. Students must liaise with a client, delve into the data and organization problems their company has and design and implement a suitable solution. All of the stages of the project are written up into a final report for submission.

Year 13 – Examinations

Unit 3 - 30% of A Level

2 hour 30 minutes written examination

100 marks

The written exam is 2 and a half hours long and is the sole exam for computing A2. It covers all of the theory on the hardware and programming techniques covered. The students will be fully prepared for the exam and will have sat mock papers under exam conditions.

Unit 4 - 20% of A Level

Coursework

75 marks

All course work is internally assessed and moderated by AQA

A Level Resources

www.visualstudio.com/en-us/products/visual-studio-express-vs.aspx

en.wikibooks.org/wiki/A-level_Computing/AQA/VB

www.studyvb.com