Computer Science
| Exam Type: | Linear 2 year A-level |
| Exam Board: | OCR |
About the Course
Computer Science is the study of computers and computational systems. Knowing how to program is essential to the study of computer science but it is only one element of the field.
Computer scientists design and analyse algorithms to solve programs and study the performance of computer hardware and software.
The problems that computer scientists encounter range from the abstract– determining what problems can be solved with computers and the complexity of the algorithms that solve them – to the tangible – designing applications that perform well on handheld devices, that are easy to use, and that uphold security measures.
This is why computer science is a key skill that spans across many subjects such as Mathematics, Science and Economics to name a few.
It is expected that students will have achieved a minimum of Grade 6 in GCSE Mathematics and GCSE Computer Science.
- 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
- Elements of computational thinking
- Problem solving and programming
- Algorithms to solve problems and standard algorithms
Component 1: Computer systems
Component 2: Algorithms and programming
Component 3: Programming project
A Computer Science A-level helps to prepare you for many courses at University. It is a highly academic subject that will help you to develop the problem solving and algorithmic skills needed in areas such as Mathematics, Science, Economics as well as standard Computer Science. Computer science careers offer diverse opportunities, including software development, data science, cybersecurity, network administration, cloud architecture, and more, with the potential for high demand, competitive salaries, and innovation in an ever-evolving field.
