Years 10 and 11

Computer science is a key stage 4 course option only.

Awarding body
Pearson – GCSE

Course overview

This qualification reflects the fast-changing world of computer science and helps students develop the computational skills needed for an exciting digital future. With a strong practical focus, students will engage in real-life programming tasks and build skills that are highly relevant to future careers. The course includes innovative and forward-thinking onscreen assessments that reflect modern industry practice.

What will students study?

There are six topics that will be covered during the course. These are:

Topic 1: Computational thinking – understanding of what algorithms are, what they are used for
and how they work, the ability to follow, amend and write algorithms, and the ability to construct truth tables.

Topic 2: Data – understanding of binary, data representation, data storage and compression.

Topic 3: Computers – understanding of hardware and software components of computer systems
and characteristics of programming languages.

Topic 4: Networks – understanding of computer networks and network security.

Topic 5: Issues and impact – awareness of emerging trends in computing technologies, and
the impact of computing on individuals, society and the environment, including ethical, legal and ownership issues.

Topic 6: Problem-solving with programming – understanding algorithms, decomposing problems and reading, writing, refining and evaluating programs.

Assessment

Paper 1: Principles of computer science
Written examination: 1 hour and 30 minutes (50%)

Paper 2: Application of computational thinking
Onscreen examination: 2 hours (50%)