Computer Studies / Computing

Course summary

The OCR A-Level in Computer Science will encourage students to be inspired, motivated and challenged by following a broad, coherent, practical, satisfying and worthwhile course of study. It will provide insight into, and experience of, how computer science works, stimulating learners’ curiosity and encouraging them to engage with computer science in their everyday lives and to make informed choices about further study or career choices. It builds upon the skills and knowledge developed on the GCSE Computing curriculum. The key features of this course encourage less emphasis on ICT and more on: • Problem solving using computers • Computer programming and algorithms • The mathematical skills used to express computational laws and processes, e.g. Boolean algebra/logic and comparison of the complexity of algorithms OCR A-Level in Computer Science will value computational thinking, helping learners to develop the skills to solve problems, design systems and understand the power and limits of human and machine intelligence. Students will develop an ability to analyse, critically evaluate and make decisions, which will be of future benefit in any chosen career in any subject area. The aims of this qualification are to enable learners to develop: • An understanding of and ability to apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science including; abstraction, decomposition, logic, algorithms and data representation • The ability to analyse problems in computational terms through practical experience of solving such problems including writing programs to do so • The capacity for thinking creatively, innovatively, analytically, logically and critically • The capacity to see relationships between different aspects of computer science and Mathematical skills • The ability to articulate the moral, social, ethical, legal and cultural opportunities and risks of technology.