Middle School Curriculum Booklet 25-27

Computer Science

Edexcel GCSE Computer Science 1CP2

What does the course cover? The course equips pupils with the knowledge and practical skills needed to thrive in the fast-changing world of Computer Science through a practical approach to developing computational skills. This includes innovative, practical onscreen assessment to ensure that all pupils develop the computational skills they need for a digital future beyond the classroom. Six comprehensive topic areas are studied comprising: computational thinking (algorithms and logic); data (binary, data representation and storage); computer hardware, software and languages; the operation and security of different types of networks; ethical issues and cyber security; and programming in Python.

Why study Computer Science? “We are reaching the stage where the problems we must solve are going to become insoluble without computers. I do not fear computers, I fear the lack of them”. (Isaac Asimov) Some of the world's most complex problems are being solved using Computer Science. There are computer scientists working in every industry from fashion to medicine to architecture. Without Computer Science you wouldn’t have a phone or a smart watch, and you wouldn't be able to play games on your console or watch Netflix. This GCSE course will provide you with the fundamental skills and knowledge needed to understand the rapidly-evolving technological climate. You will advance your logical thinking and computational skills whilst working on solving digitally-complex problems using the Python programming language. You will be required to think creatively, innovatively, analytically and logically as you work towards understanding and reflecting upon the impacts of digital technology on the individual and on wider society.

How is the course assessed? The final grade is based on performance in two examinations:

Paper 1: Principles of Computer Science 50% of final mark, 1 hour 30 minutes

This onscreen examination requires pupils to design, write, test and refine programmes using the Python programming language. It tests the ability to analyse and solve problems using logical thinking processes. Paper 2: Application of Computational Thinking 50% of final mark, 2 hours This written paper assesses understanding of the main theoretical principles of Computer Science and their application to scenarios, testing the ability to transfer skills to real-world applications.

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