Why should STUDENTS choose GCSE Computer Science?

Our whole world revolves around computers! GCSE computer science will give you the chance to understand how they work and the relevance of technology in society. You’ll learn how to break down big problems into small, simple ones and then how to solve them using programming. You’ll develop your logic skills, your creativity and your resilience. 

What will STUDENTS need to be successful in this course? 

You will need to be patient, resilient and curious about how things work. You don’t need to be the best at solving problems but you need to be enthusiastic about trying. You’ll need to be interested in the theory behind how computers and technology work as well as the practical programming aspects of the course. 

support for students

This course is suitable for students of all target grades. Students aiming for high grades of 7 and above will be given the opportunity to stretch themselves further with challenging coding projects and extension tasks. Those with aspirations of Grade 3 and above will be given support with key words and content and examples of code to base their own own. For all students there will be regular past paper assessments to allow them to monitor their progress, all lesson resources posted on google classroom and revision materials for each topic.

Course Content

Component 1 – Computer Systems (written exam 50%):  This unit will introduce learners to the Central Processing Unit (CPU), computer memory and storage, wired and wireless networks, network topologies, system security and system software.  It is expected that learners will become familiar with the impact of Computer Science in a global context through the study of the ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns associated with Computer Science.

Component 2 – Computational thinking, algorithms and programming (written exam 50%):  This unit incorporates and builds on the knowledge and understanding gained in part 1, encouraging learners to apply this knowledge and understanding using computational thinking. Learners will be introduced to algorithms and programming.  Learning about programming techniques, how to produce robust programs, computational logic, translators, facilities of computing languages and data representation.  Learners will become familiar with computing related mathematics.

Programming Experience: Programming skills are assessed as part of the component 2 paper - there is no coursework. Students will be required to develop good functional programming skills and be able to plan, design, code and evaluate a software application using real world conditions. This is a challenging part of the course, which requires patience and resilience as students develop their abilities over three years. 

Assessment

There are two 90 minute exams at the end of year 11, one for each component. Each exam is worth 50% of your final GCSE grade. 

Further Education and Career Pathways

Progression to A-level/Apprenticeships in Computing, ICT, Software Engineering, ICT & Informatics and IT Practitioners.  Information Security, Networking and Cryptography.  See also the BTEC Tech Award in Creative Media Production course.  Possible careers would include any in the computing sector e.g. software engineering, database administration, information architecture etc.