Computer science is part of our extended course offer.
Why study A level computer science?
The course will enable you to analyse problems and critically evaluate solutions in a changing world. You will learn about computer systems, hardware, software and data exchange, together with a practical topic on evaluation of algorithms and developing programming techniques. Contemporary computer science issues such as the legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues associated with computer systems are also explored.
Students can move on to higher education courses relating to computer programming, systems analysis, as well as take up professional roles in web development and STEM related industries.
Course type
A level
Examination board
OCR
Entry requirements
Grade 5 in GCSE maths
How will A level computer science be delivered?
| Topic | Description |
| Computer systems | You will gain a good understanding of the theory of computer systems including the characteristics of computer processors, approaches to developing software, exchanging data between computers and algorithms. This unit also covers more contemporary computer science issues such as the legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues associated with computer systems. |
| Algorithms and programming | This practical topic equips you with skills necessary to design, test, implement and evaluate computer programs. You will use computational methods to solve complex computational problems by decomposing the problem into its component parts and applying programming techniques to develop a solution. This topic also covers standard algorithms that are used to search and sort a data structure, which you will also evaluate algorithms mathematically to test the relative efficiency of each solution. |
Assessment
• Examinations
• Written assessment
• Practical work
Future pathways and careers
• Computer programming
• Data science
• Website development
• Systems analysis
• Project management
• IT consultancy
• STEM related industries
