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Computer Science GCSE

Mrs. K. Holloway

Head of Department

Computer Science GCSE

Examining Board: AQA 

How will you be assessed?

2 assessments at the end of Year 11.

Paper 1: Computational thinking and Programming.

Paper 2: Data representation, Computer Systems, Fundamentals of computer Networks, Cyber security, Relational databases and SQL, Ethical legal and environmental impacts of digital technology on wider society.

What will you learn?

Fundamentals of algorithms

–          Learn how to break down a given problem into its component parts.

 

Programming

–          We teach our students how to program in Python 3 – Easy and readable language

–          Python 3 is one of the most commonly used programming languages in many industries.

o   Can be used to code games

o   Machine Learning and Artificial intelligence

o   Data analysis

o   Web development

 

Fundamentals of Data Representation

–          How does a computer represent text, images and sound?

–          How does encryption work?

–          How do we compress a file?

 

Computer Systems

–          What is hardware and software? How do they work together?

–          What at the different types of software?

–          How does a computer turn python into the binary language its CPU can understand?

–          What are the fundamental parts of a computer?

 

Fundamentals of computer Networks

–          What is a computer network?

–          How do computer networks work?

 

Cyber security

–          The basics of cyber security

–          What types of cybersecurity threats are there?

–          How do we protect ourselves against cybersecurity threats?

 

Relational databases and structured query language

–          What is a database?

–          What are the main features of a database?

–          How to retrieve data from a database using SQL (structured query language)

 

Ethical, legal and environmental impacts of digital technology on wider society, including issues of privacy.

–          Explain the current ethical, legal and environmental impact and risks of digital technology on society.

What qualification will you get?: 

Qualification Level

GCSE

2

Grade 9

Grade 8

Grade 7

Grade 6

Grade 5

Grade 4

1

Grade 3

Grade 2

Grade 1

Fail

U

Careers In Digital Computer Science

  • The digital sector is a major source of employment in the UK.
  • According to the CompTIA State of the Tech Workforce UK 2023report, the UK tech workforce grew by 75,280 net-new positions since 2017.
  • The UK has positioned itself to be the ‘Digital capital of Europe’ as it continues to invest billions
  • every year in digital skills and commerce.
  • The modern world expects digital skills to be as important as English and maths.
  • Having both technical skills and business understanding is the key to success.