Computer Studies / Computing

Course summary

This course is designed to be taken over two years. It is linear, therefore AS modules do not count towards the final grade. To achieve the award, students must complete all of the assessments at the end of the course and in the same academic year Computer Science is a practical subject where learners can apply the academic principles learned in the classroom to real-world systems. An intensely creative subject combines invention and excitement, and can look at the natural world through a digital prism. The course values computational thinking, helping learners to develop the skill to solve problems, design systems and understand the power and limits of human-machine intelligence. Learners will develop an ability to analyse, critically evaluate and make decisions. This qualification aims to enable students to develop: • An understanding 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 to think creatively, innovatively, analytically, logically and critically • The capacity to see relationships between different aspects of computer science • Mathematical skills