COMPUTER SCIENCE
The Computer Science specification will above all else be relevant to the modern and changing world of computing. OCR 2 Year A Level The specification will: • Focus on programming, building on IGCSE Computer Science and emphasise the importance of computational thinking as a discipline.
• Put computational thinking at its core, helping to develop the skills to solve problems, design systems and understand human and machine intelligence.
• Have an expanded maths focus, much of which will be embedded within the course.
• Allow you to apply the academic principles learned in the classroom to real-world systems in an exciting and engaging manner.
1. Computer Systems
2. Algorithms and Programming
3. Programming Project
• The characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices
• Elements of computational thinking
• Analysis of the problem
• Problem solving and programming
• Implementation of the solution
• Software and software development
• Algorithms
• Exchanging data • Data types, data structures and algorithms • Legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues Mix of question types: including short-answer, longer-answer, and banded mark-scheme-type questions.
Section A: Traditional questions concerning computational thinking. Section B: Scenario/task contained in the paper, which could be an algorithm but will involve problem solving.
• Design of the solution • Evaluation Candidates and / or centres select their own user-driven problem of an appropriate size and complexity to solve. This will enable them to demonstrate the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the assessment objectives.
Mix of question types including short-answer, longer-answer, and levels of mark-scheme-type questions.
Assessment Component
Assessment
%
Marks and Duration
1. Computer Systems
Externally marked question paper
40%
140 marks / 2 hr 30 min
2. Algorithms and Programming
Externally marked question paper
40%
140 marks / 2 hr 30 min
3. Programming Project
Internally assessed, externally moderated
20%
70 marks
22
Head of Department: Mr PJ Mapstone - pjm@kes.hants.sch.uk
