Computer Studies / Computing

Course summary

When Charles Babbage invented the Analytical Engine, I am sure he could not have imagined how significant computers would become. You probably use several computers before you get to school every morning. Alarm clocks, television, radio, traffic light systems, pelican crossings, cash machines, and mobile phones, to name but a few. They are threaded through our everyday life. Computer Science A Level helps you to understand their role, how they work and how you can control them. The course gives students a broad experience of the world of computing including finite state machines, logic gates, binary logic, database design, binary number systems, high-level programming and the fundamentals of computer systems. More important than all of this is the problem-solving approach it instils in the students who do this course. It teaches them to examine a problem break it down into manageable stages and organise a plan to solve it. These are skills students can apply across all of their learning. Computer Science is a growth area at University and the United Kingdom is a world leader so employment prospects are also good. Currently, there is a world shortage of suitably qualified computer scientists.