Computer Science

You are most likely to enjoy the subject if you have an interest in science and maths; you are a logical thinker and enjoy problem solving. You will need to commit an extra hour of your time each week to improve your coding skills, and ideally your Maths and Computer Science ability will be at least Secure.

The course is designed to:

• Inspire and enthuse you to become more technologically savvy – a future producer of digital products rather than just a consumer.
• Give you the opportunity to gain a broad understanding and knowledge of computer science, with an emphasis on programming and problem-solving skills.
• Encourage personal development, motivation and confidence, through practical participation and by giving you responsibility for your own project.

EXAM BOARD: OCR

HOW IS THE COURSE ASSESSED?

This two-unit course is designed to give you an in-depth understanding of how computer technology works and provides an opportunity to look at what goes on ‘behind the scenes’.

WHAT WILL YOU STUDY?

The new OCR GCSE Computer Science syllabus gives you the opportunity to investigate how computers work, and how they are used. The course will help you learn about critical thinking, analysis and problem solving. We hope you’ll find it a fun and interesting way to develop these skills that can also be transferred to other subjects and applied in day-to-day life.

COMPONENT 1: COMPUTER SYSTEMS

The computer systems unit will teach you the theory about a wide range of issues such as hardware and software, databases, computer communications and networking, system security and more. You will learn how computers work and how they communicate with each other. You’ll learn about how processors work and its relationship to memory and speed. You’ll begin to understand some of the workings behind the Internet including how an e-mail gets from one place to another. You will explore how all computer processing is based on binary logic and why computers represent data in binary form. You will appreciate how just a simple stream of 0s and 1s can represent numbers, characters, images and sound. This unit will be assessed through a written exam and is worth 50% of the GCSE.

COMPONENT 2: COMPUTATIONAL THINKING, ALGORITHMS AND PROGRAMMING

You will also be learning some of the key techniques behind programming: how to express ideas in sequences of steps, how to approach solving problems and what the main tricks are to get your software code doing what you want. You will learn how to use algorithms to search and sort and how to write robust code. You will also discover about various testing methods to ensure programs are robust. This unit will be assessed through a written exam and is worth 50% of the GCSE.

PYTHON PROGRAMMING

In your lessons you will learn how to code in Python using various techniques and apply them to various coding challenges. This will introduce you to the practical programming used by application, games, and website developers.

MORE INFORMATION

If you have any further questions, please speak to Mr Acton.

You can also find more detailed information on the OCR website.

GCSE - Computer Science (9-1) - J277 (from 2020) - OCR