Computer Science

Course summary

Course content Advances in computing are transforming the way we work and this new Computer Science specification is changing with the times to deliver a flexible, accessible and rigorous qualification. Many great challenges lie in the future for Computer Scientists. The discipline is about designing new algorithms to solve new problems and this course, with its emphasis on abstract thinking, general problem solving, algorithmic and mathematical reasoning, scientific and engineering-based thinking, is a great foundation for understanding these future challenges. AS Level Problem solving, programming including HTML, CSS and JavaScript, software development, theory of computation, machine level architecture, the characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices and databases A Level ( in addition to the above) Compression, encryption, hacking, data structures, networking and standard algorithms Non-exam assessment – the computational practical project Other skills developed The course has an emphasis on computational thinking – a kind of reasoning used by both humans and machines. Thinking computationally is an important life skill and means using abstraction and decomposition and discovering what can be computed and how to compute it. The course will also encourage students to: Analyse a problem and identify the parts which are appropriate for a computer solution. Select, justify and apply appropriate techniques and principles to develop data structures and algorithms for the solutions to problems. Design, implement and document an effective solution using appropriate hardware and software including the use of a programming language. Career value The course will have even stronger links to Maths, Further Maths and science-based subjects but it also lends itself quite naturally to careers as varied as medicine, law, business or any type of science.