1. A Level Computing AQA (7517)
In studying Computing we begin to understand the technologies, theory and protocols behind computers and the Internet. Through this students will understand what is behind radical changes in the modern world made through increasingly powerful and available computational power.
Digital systems have become a critical component of our entire society; there is a significant shortfall between estimated numbers of graduates with Computer Science knowledge and jobs requiring this understanding.
Topics assessed through exam are list below:
Fundamentals of programming - students learn to adapt and create programs
Fundamentals of data structures – ways of storing and working with connected data
Fundamentals of algorithms –understanding some common algorithms to solve specific problems and creating your own algorithms to solve problems
Theory of computation
Fundamentals of data representation -learning computers can represent different real world information digitally
Fundamentals of computer systems- how various computer hardware components work
Fundamentals of computer organisation and architecture – the role of the internal hardware components in a computer system
Consequences of uses of computing - Individual (moral), social (ethical), legal and cultural issues and Opportunities
Fundamentals of communication and networking
Fundamentals of databases
Big Data
Fundamentals of functional programming
Systematic approach to problem solving
There is also a practical project through which you will develop practical skills in the context of solving a realistic problem or carrying out an investigation.
Studying Computing teaches a set of rigorous techniques and methods which can be applied outside of the field of computing including; approaching problem solving using modelling, decomposing into solvable parts and generalising to known solutions. With its emphasis on abstract thinking, algorithmic and mathematical reasoning, Computing is a good foundation for further study
The Computing Team (2014)