Computer Science

Staff Contact Details : Staff Contact Details: Ms Manekshaw

The aim of the curriculum is to develop confident digital citizens who are ready to meet the challenges of the digital world.

The curriculum

OCR AS/A Level Computer Science H446

This course has been updated to reflect new and emerging technologies.The focus has shifted towards computational thinking within the field of Computer Science, with its emphasis on abstract thinking and algorithmic problem-solving, it is a good foundation for understanding the technological challenges currently facing the industry.

Computer Science is also a practical subject where students can apply the computational thinking principles learned in the classroom to real-world systems.

Topics covered

Year 12

1.1 The characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices:
The internal components of a computer and their uses

1.2 Software and software development:
Types of software and the different methodologies used to develop software

1.3 Exchanging data:
How data is exchanged between different computer systems

1.4 Data types, data structures and algorithms:
How data is represented and stored within different structures. Different algorithms that can be applied to these structures

1.5 Legal, moral, ethical and cultural issues:
The individual moral, social, ethical and cultural opportunities and risks of digital technology. Legislation surrounding the use of computers and ethical issues that can or may in the future arise from the use of computers

2.1 Elements of computational thinking:
Understanding what is meant by computational thinking

2.2 Problem solving and programming:
How computers can be used to solve problems and programs can be written to solve them

2.3 Algorithms: The use of algorithms to describe problems and standard algorithms

Year 13
Extension of the topics studied in Year 12, with the addition of the following topics related to the final year project

3.1 Analysis of the problem

3.2 Design of the solution

3.3 Developing the solution

3.4 Evaluation

E-records of student progress are updated regularly, and often at the end of each lesson. At present the department is developing systems which will allow for online access to these records by both the student and the parent, to engender further motivation and progress.

Enrichment and Extra Curricular

Robotics Club - for committed Computer Science students.

Exam Board

OCR

Course code: H446 http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce/as-a-level-gce-computer-science-h046-h446-from-2015/

Specification: http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/170844-specification-accredited-a-level-gce-computer-science-h446.pdf

Past papers: