GCE A Level Computer Science

Course summary

Why Computer science? The only constant in computer science is change – new devices and apps appear daily. Computer programs control the internet of things – your washing machine, your heating and electricity, your location on Google, your car… A good programmer will never be out of a job! We’ll challenge you to think computationally and to approach problems methodically. You’ll program and design systems using an algorithmic approach, and develop an understanding of the powers and limitations of humans and machines by learning their principles of operation. Course content You will gain an in-depth knowledge and understanding of how computers work, including microprocessors, memory, storage, operating systems and network architectures. You’ll build your programming skills through problem-solving scenarios. You’ll gain an understanding of machine code, functional, procedural, object-oriented, declarative and low-level programming. You will also be able to normalise numbers, perform binary arithmetic operations and conversions between different number systems, and develop an understanding of the principles of operation of hardware.