Computing Science will be a good fit for pupils who have an interest in technology. This subject would also suit those with good literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills. 

National 4

The course has two compulsory units, plus an added value unit that assesses your practical skills.

Software Design and Development

In this unit you will:

• learn, understand and solve problems in software design and development

• develop basic computational thinking and programming skills through practical tasks

• learn how data and instructions are stored in binary form and how programming supports computer applications.

Information System Design and Development 

In this unit you will:

• learn, understand and solve problems in information system design and development

• use suitable development tools to create databases, web-based information systems or multimedia information systems

• learn about basic computer hardware, software, connectivity and security issues through a range of practical and research tasks.

Added Value Unit: Computing Science Assignment 

In this unit you will:

•  investigate and find a solution to a computing problem

•  produce a short report on how you tested the solution.

National 5

Software Design and Development

Students will develop knowledge and practical problem-solving skills using the Visual Studio programming environment. This develops their programming and computational-thinking skills. They are expected to analyse, problems, and design, implement, test and evaluate their solution. 

Computer Systems 

Computer Systems students develop and understanding of how data and instructions are stored in binary form and basic computer architecture. They will also look into the environmental impact of computer systems and security precautions to protect hardware. 

Database Design and Development 

Students will develop knowledge and practical problem-solving skills using the Access database program. They will analyse, design, build and test relational databases within different contexts. They will also learn about the SQL (Structured Query language) development tool and be able to implement this within their database.

Web Design and Development 

Students will develop knowledge and practical problem-solving skills in web design. They will apply computational-thinking skills to analyse, design, build, test and evaluate web pages using development tools like HTML, CSS and Javascript. 

Higher

The Higher course is split into four different units of work all of which build on skills and knowledge gained from the National 5 course.

Software Design and Development 

Students will develop knowledge and practical problem-solving skills using the Visual Studio programming environment. This develops their programming and computational-thinking skills beyond National 5 level. They are expected to analyse problems, design, implement, test and evaluate their solutions. 

Computer Systems 

Students will develop a deeper understanding of how data and instructions are stored in binary form and learn about more advanced computer architecture. They will also look into the environmental impact of intelligent systems and learn about security problems and how to protect hardware and software. 

Database Design and Development 

Students will develop advanced knowledge and practical problem-solving skills using the Access database program. They will analyse, design, build and test relational databases within different contexts. They will also extend their SQL (Structured Query language) skills from National 5 and be able to implement this within their database. 

Web Design and Development 

Students will develop advanced knowledge and practical problem-solving skills in web design. They will apply computational-thinking skills to analyse, design, build, test and evaluate web pages using development tools like HTML, CSS and Javascript. 

Advanced Higher

Software Design and Development 

Students develop knowledge, understanding, and advanced practical problem-solving skills in software design and development. They do this by using appropriate software development environments. Students develop object-oriented programming and computational-thinking skills by analysing, designing, implementing, testing, and evaluating practical solutions and explaining how these modular programs work. They use their knowledge of data types and constructs to create efficient programs to solve advanced problems.

Web Design and Development 

Students develop knowledge, understanding, and advanced practical problem-solving skills in web design and development. They do this through a range of practical and investigative tasks. Students apply computational-thinking skills to analyse, design, implement, test, and evaluate practical solutions to web-based problems, using a range of development tools including HTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and PHP. Candidates apply interpretation skills to tasks involving some complex features in both familiar and new contexts.

Database Design and Development 

Students develop knowledge, understanding, and advanced practical problem-solving skills in database design and development. They do this through a range of practical tasks, using SQL to create and query relational databases. Students apply computational-thinking skills to analyse, design, implement, test, and evaluate practical solutions, using a range of development tools. Candidates apply interpretation skills to tasks involving some complex features in both familiar and new contexts.

Integration

The integration of technologies is central to the AH course. Students will learn how to integrate their software program with either a database or a web-based digital solution. Students are expected to use this knowledge when designing and implementing their project assessment.