COMPUTER SCIENCE

Exam Board – OCR (9-1) – J277

What can I expect from this subject?

In GCSE computer science pupils will learn how to combine a theore9cal understanding of the subject with the ability to think logically and crea9vely to solve problems. Pupils will develop a good understanding of how computers work, how the internet works, cyber security aeacks and preven9on, and the ethical and environmental impacts of computers. Pupils will learn to write code, and be able to read and understand small coding problems. The course is also very interes9ng and highly sa9sfying!

Pupils will be assessed through two 90-minute exams, worth 50% of the final mark each. They will also be given the opportunity to undertake programming tasks during the course of study which allows them to develop your skills to design, write, test and refine programs.

What can I do to prepare for this course?

1. Seek out ac9vi9es such as BEBRAS, Cyber Discovery or The Na9onal Cipher Challenge. 2. Try coding puzzles and games from websites such as Hour of Code, Blockly, Microso^’s Makecode or Google’s CS First. 3. Try tutorials on websites such as Khan Academy or Code Academy. 4. Find out how to make a website. 5. Listen to podcasts or read ar9cles about new technology such as driverless cars, the internet of things, autonomous weapons or planned obsolescence

What will my next steps be?

A computer science qualifica9on makes a pupil very employable. Computer science graduates, along with engineers typically earn the highest star9ng salaries of all graduates. Computer science gives many transferable skills such as thinking logically, resilience and problem solving. Many non-compu9ng jobs will require some use of code. Computer science is available to study in the Sixth Form at Westonbirt.