Computer Science

| Education | Curriculum | Computer Science

Why study Computer Science?

Computing and computer technology are part of just about everything that touches our lives from the cars we drive and the movies we watch, to the ways businesses and governments deal with us. Understanding different dimensions of computing is part of the necessary skill set for an educated person in the 21st century.

How will I study Computer Science?

Pupils study Computer Science through substantive and procedural knowledge. The curriculum teaches pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to solve problems. Pupils will learn the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work and how to create programs and systems of their own using high-level programming languages. As a result, our pupils will become responsible, competent, confident, and creative users of information and communication technology, with the skills to solve problems, design systems and understand human and machine intelligence. They will learn how to apply the academic principles they learn in the classroom to real-world systems in an exciting and engaging way.

What will I study at Key Stage 3?

Students in KS3 will explore computer systems and digital devices, including both physical and digital components. They will master problem solving through using computational thinking and create algorithms to solve problems. The curriculum introduces students to text-based programming with Python. The lessons form a journey that starts with simple programs involving input and output, and gradually moves on through arithmetic operations, selection, iteration and string manipulation. Students develop essential knowledge on binary representations and how computers translate human interaction. Students are introduced to binary digits and how they can be used to represent text and numbers.

Students go on to develop their understanding of information and digital literacy skills. Students will develop skills in coding and physical computing working with Scratch programming moving into Python over the course of KS3. Students look at social engineering techniques used by cybercriminals and how to prevent these threats. This is followed by students exploring the technologies that make up the internet and the World Wide Web.

What will I study at Key Stage 4?

During the GCSE Computer Science course, students will develop an understanding of Computer Science methods in the real world, providing you with a real study of computation and reflection on today’s global world.
Students will study principles of computer science and application of computational thinking. Following on from more visual programming environments, programming skills will be developed further using high-level textual programming languages.

What will I study at Key Stage 5?

During the AS Level Computer Science course, pupils will apply academic principles to real world systems. Computer Science is an intensely creative subject that looks at the natural world through a digital prism.
Pupils will study principles of computer science and application of computational thinking which involves problem solving. Following on from more visual programming environments, programming skills will be developed further using high-level textual programming languages. The qualification is an opportunity to understand the power and limits of human and machine intelligence. Mathematical skills are further developed as it is embedded into the course.

Assessment at Key Stage 4

GCSE OCR Computer Science J277

J277/01: Computer systems

Overview	Focus
Written paper: 1 hour and 30 minutes 50% of total GCSE 80 marks	Systems architecture, memory and storage, computer networks, connections and protocols, network security, systems software and ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impacts of digital technology The question paper will consist of short and medium answer questions. There will also be one 8-mark extended response question

J277/02: Computational thinking, algorithms and programming

Overview	Focus
Written paper: 1 hour and 30 minutes 50% of total GCSE 80 marks	Section A is worth 50 marks, and assesses students’ knowledge and understanding of the concepts of Computer Science. Students then apply these to problems in computational terms, where they may use an algorithmic approach. Section B is worth 30 marks, and assesses students’ Practical Programming skills and their ability to design, write, test and refine programs.

Assessment at Key Stage 5

A Level AQA Computer Science 7517

7517/1A: C#

Overview	Focus
On screen paper: 2 hour 30 minutes 40% of total A level	This paper tests a student’s ability to program, as well as their theoretical knowledge of Computer Science from subject content 10-13 (Fundamentals of programming, data structures, algorithms; Theory of computation) and the skills required from section 22 (Systematic approach to problem solving). Students answer a series of short questions and write/adapt/extend programs in an Electronic Answer Document provided by AQA. AQA will issue Preliminary Material, a Skeleton Program (available in each of the Programming Languages) and, where appropriate, test data, for use in the exam.

Overview

Focus

On screen paper: 2 hour 30 minutes
40% of total A level

This paper tests a student’s ability to program, as well as their theoretical knowledge of Computer Science from subject content 10-13 (Fundamentals of programming, data structures, algorithms; Theory of computation) and the skills required from section 22 (Systematic approach to problem solving).
Students answer a series of short questions and write/adapt/extend programs in an Electronic Answer Document provided by AQA.

AQA will issue Preliminary Material, a Skeleton Program (available in each of the Programming Languages) and, where appropriate, test data, for use in the exam.

7517/02: Algorithms and problem solving

Overview	Focus
Written paper: 2 hour 30 minutes 40% of total A level 140 marks	This paper tests a student’s ability to answer questions from subject content 14-21 (Fundamentals of; data representation, computer systems, computer organisation and architecture, communication and networking, databases, functional programming. Consequences of uses of computing, Big Data). Questions are a mixture of compulsory short-answer and extended-answers.

Overview

Focus

Written paper: 2 hour 30 minutes
40% of total A level
140 marks

This paper tests a student’s ability to answer questions from subject content 14-21 (Fundamentals of; data representation, computer systems, computer organisation and architecture, communication and networking, databases, functional programming. Consequences of uses of computing, Big Data).

Questions are a mixture of compulsory short-answer and extended-answers.

7517/03: Programming project

Overview	Focus
Non-exam assessment 20% of total A level 75 marks	Learners will be expected to analyse, design, develop, test, evaluate and document a program written in a suitable programming language. The underlying approach to the project is to apply the principles of computational thinking to a practical coding problem. Learners are expected to apply appropriate principles from an agile development approach to the project development.

Careers

The study of Computing can lead to future careers ranging from Games Programmer, Digital Content Producer and Software Engineer to Analyst, Formula 1 Engineer and Coder. Famous Computing graduates include James Gosling (creator of Java), Anita Borg (founding director of the Institute for Women and Technology (IWT) and the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing).

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