This course reflects the growing importance of computing in the modern world and is designed to equip students with key skills for today’s changing workplace.

There’s more to Computer Science than simply programming. Computer Science is the study of how computer systems work, how they are constructed and programmed. It consists of a body of knowledge, a set of techniques/methods for solving problems, as well as practical programming skills. What this means is that a course in Computer Science has to cover a lot of theory teaching, as well as plenty of practical problem solving and programming. Computational thinking is a large part of the course and forms the bulk of what is taught.

The aims are to develop:

• Computational thinking, that is thinking about what can be computed and how, and includes consideration of the data required
• Understanding of the main principles of solving problems by using computers
• Understanding that every computer system is made up of subsystems, which in turn consist of
  further sub-systems
• Understanding of the component parts of computer systems and how they interrelate, including
  software, data, hardware, communications and people

Anyone interested in this course should see the Head of Computing for more details. 

Content Overview

Candidates study the following topics: 

Computer systems 

1. Data representation 
2. Data transmission 
3. Hardware 
4. Software 
5. The internet and its uses 
6. Automated and emerging technologies
   

Algorithms, programming and logic 

1. Algorithm design and problem-solving 
2. Programming 
3. Databases 
4. Boolean logic

Assessment

There are two externally-examined papers:

The Student Perspective

"Computer Science for me is one of the more challenging, yet rewarding subjects. It requires a high level of technical ability and a love for problem solving. it's not merely just another subject. In fact it is extremely essential for the future considering the way in which the world is advancing. There are many interesting things to it and taking into account how everyone gets excited with coding,  I think it’s a pretty fun subject, however it does require looking up difficult concepts and practicing with algorithms away from the class."

Mazin Almubarak