Computer Science

STATEMENT OF INTENT FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE

Students of Computing will become digitally literate, able to develop their ideas and express themselves through information and communication technology. They will learn how to use programming languages to design algorithms which solve computational problems. Students opting to study ICT at KS4, will also acquire practical skills to become confident users of creative media and an understanding of how wider digital media plays an important role in their everyday lives.

This means:

• They will develop the skills to use a range of software for a variety of purposes including office applications, web authoring and graphics editing.
• They will be able to analyse a task, identify the requirements, design and implement a solution.
• They will be able to design algorithms to solve problems and code solutions using two or more high-level programming languages.
• They will be able to critically reflect on their work, evaluate the extent to which it meets the requirements and identify future improvements.
• They will develop their understanding of the legal, social, economic, ethical and environmental issues raised by ICT and Computer Science.

SUMMARY OF CURRICULUM 

A Level Computer Science is “an intensely creative subject that combines invention and excitement, and can look at the natural world through a digital prism” (OCR, specification, 2016). The qualification builds upon the GCSE enabling students to gain a deeper understanding and further ability to apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, decomposition, logic, algorithms and data representation. Students will develop their ability to analyse problems in computational terms through practical experience of solving such problems, including writing programs. Another aim of the qualification is for students to be able to think creatively, innovatively, analytically, logically and critically. They will be able to articulate the moral, ethical, legal and cultural opportunities and risks of digital technology. Students will develop the capacity to see relationships between different aspects of computer science and develop the mathematical skills used to express computational laws and processes e.g. Boolean algebra.

COURSE DETAILS

Component 1: Computer systems (Y12) – This component introduces students to the internal workings of the Central Processing Unit (CPU), the exchange of data and will also look at software development, data types and legal and ethical issues.

Component 2: Algorithms and programming (Y12 and Y13) – In this component students will learn what is meant by computational thinking, the benefits of applying it and the principles of solving problems by computational methods. Students will learn to use algorithms to describe problems, and to analyse problems by identifying the component parts.

Component 3: Programming project (Y13) – This component is a non-examined assessment in which students are expected to analyse, design, develop, test, evaluate and document a program written in a suitable programming language. Students are expected to apply appropriate principles from an agile development approach to the project development.

KEY STAGE 5 ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE

The minimum entry requirements for Charters Sixth Form can be viewed here

EXAM BOARD: OCR

BE INSPIRED

Take a look around the links below to find our where this exciting subject could lead.