A LEVEL
COMPUTER SCIENCE

What does this qualification cover?

Studying Computer Science will enable students to:

• Understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of Computer Science, including abstraction, decomposition, logic, algorithms, and data representation
• Analyse problems in computational terms through practical experience in solving such problems, including designing, writing, and debugging programs
• Think creatively, innovatively, analytically, logically, and critically
• Understand the components that make up digital systems and how they communicate with one another and with other systems
• Understand the impacts of digital technology on the individual and wider society
• Apply mathematical skills relevant to Computer Science

What’s included?

It covers:

• The characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices
• Types of software and the different methodologies used to develop software
• Data exchange between different systems
• Data types, data structures and algorithms
• Legal, moral, cultural, and ethical issues

Component 02: algorithms and programming
This builds on component 01 to include computational thinking and problem-solving.

It covers:

• What is meant by computational thinking (thinking abstractly, thinking ahead, thinking procedurally etc.)
• Problem solving and programming – how computers and programs can be used to solve problems
• Algorithms and how they can be used to describe and solve problems

Component 03: Programming project

• Students apply the principles of computational thinking to a practical programming project. This topic provides the skills to define, analyse, design, develop and evaluate a solution to a problem
• We learn how to program, not just the language, but the techniques required to develop robust programs which are both logically and syntactically correct
• The project is designed to be independently chosen by the student and provides them with the flexibility to investigate projects within the diverse field of computer science. We support a wide and diverse range of languages, like Python, Java and C++

Key Features

The OCR A Level in Computer Science will inspire, motivate and challenge students by following a broad, coherent, practical, satisfying and worthwhile course of study.

The key features of this specification encourage:

• Emphasis on problem solving using computers
• Emphasis on computer programming and algorithms
• Include agile methods during system development in component 3
• Emphasis on the mathematical skills used to express computational laws and processes, e.g., Boolean algebra/logic and comparison of the complexity of algorithms
• Emphasis on network design and security

Links to workplace

By choosing A Level Computer Science one will have access to a wide range of rewarding occupations for example:

• Data Analyst
• Computer technician
• Network Manager
• IT Manager/consultant
• Network design
• Project Manager
• Cybersecurity specialist

The course is also run in parallel with industry qualifications namely: Cisco Networking Academy courses and Palo Alto Academy courses (Cybersecurity).