Key Stage 5 OCR A Level Computer Science

The aims of the course are to enable learners to develop: An understanding and ability to apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including: abstraction, decomposition, logic, algorithms and data representation, the ability to analyse problems in computational terms through practical experience of solving such problems, including writing programs to do so, the capacity to think creatively, innovatively, analytically, logically and critically, the capacity to see relationships between different aspects of computer science, and develop mathematical skills.

Students will study

1. The characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices
2. Software and software development
3. Exchanging data
4. Data types, data structures and algorithms
5. Legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues
6. Elements of computational thinking
7. Problem solving and programming
8. Algorithms to solve problems and standard algorithms

Assessment

There are two exam papers plus a Programming project for A Level Computer Science:

Paper 1: Computer Systems (40% of total A Level)
Paper 2: Algorithms and programming (40% of total A Level)
Programming project: 20% of total A Level