Computer Science

Paper-based assessment: Principles of Computer Science	*Unit code: 1CP0/01
Externally assessed Availability: June First assessment: June 2015		75% of the total GCSE
Overview of content  Understanding of what algorithms are, what they are used for and how they work; ability to interpret, amend and create algorithms.  Understanding of binary representation, data representation, data storage and compression, encryption and databases; ability to use SQL to insert, amend and extract data stored in a structured database.  Understanding of components of computer systems; ability to construct truth tables, produce logic statements and read and interpret fragments of assembly code.  Understanding of computer networks, the internet and the world wide web; ability to use HTML and CSS to construct web pages.  Awareness of emerging trends in computing technologies, the impact of computing on individuals, society and the environment, including ethical, legal and ownership issues.
Overview of assessment The assessment is paper based. The assessment is 120 minutes. The assessment consists of 5 questions. The assessment consists of 90 marks. Each question is set in a context, draws on topics from across the specification and is broken down into a number of parts. The assessment includes extended writing that assesses Quality of Written Communication.

Controlled assessment: Practical Programming	*Unit codes: 1CP0/2A, 1CP0/2B, 1CP0/2C
Internally assessed Availability: June First assessment: June 2015		25% of the total GCSE
Overview of content This is a practical ‘making task’ that enables students to demonstrate their computational techniques using a programming language. Students will:  decompose problems into sub-problems  create original algorithms or work with algorithms produced by others  design, write, test, and evaluate programs.
Overview of assessment Controlled assessment tasks will be released each January. The assessment will be carried out at a computer under controlled conditions. The controlled assessment may take place over multiple sessions up to a combined duration of 15 hours. The assessment consists of 3 tasks. The assessment consists of 50 marks. Students must select one programming language from the following:  Python (unit code 1CP0/2A)  Java (unit code 1CP0/2B)  C-derived language (unit code 1CP0/2C). The assessment includes extended writing that assesses Quality of Written Communication.