Achieving Your Potential – Computer Science

Aim Higher

Computer Science Post 16

Computer Science Careers

Working towards Level 8 /9 useful revision links for computing.

Computer Science revision should focus on two parts: theory and programming.

1) Before you start, identify your strengths and weaknesses by completing a Personal Learning Checklist(PLC) click here
2) Watch walkthrough videos:
Paper 1 – tinyurl.com/2y4zkcbp and Paper 2 – tinyurl.com/bddm754e
3) Familiarise yourself with the PiXL 8-9 pack. Click here

Revising the Theory & Programming in Computer Science

There are three types of questions in theory: structured questions(1-3 marks), short answer questions (3-5marks) and scenario-based questions(6-8 marks).

Tip 1: Know your Keywords
Without the precise keywords it is very easy to lose 2 or 3 marks in a 4 mark question. For a list of keywords click here Write out keywords with their definition on record cards to build up a keyword dictionary. Regularly read and self-test to aid memory recall.

Tip 2: Check your understanding and regularly review
-Test your knowledge of both papers by completing the Knowledge Retrieval Booklets that you will begiven in lesson.

Paper 1 KO click here Paper 2 KO click here
-Deepen this by condensing even further and creating your own mindmaps.
-Complete ‘low stakes’ assessments in quizizz, search by the spec i.e. OCR J277
-Review tricky topics like Registers, TCP/IP, Layers and Algorithms

Tip 3: Exam Questions 8 marks (Practice, practice, practice)
Questions will be based on ethical, legal, cultural and environmental issues. Keep up to date with the
latest trends in the subject by looking at BBC News. For 8 marks an examiner is looking for:

Thorough knowledge and understanding of considerations relating to the context
Relevant examples, with appropriate explanations
A balanced answer with a discussion of the positives and negatives
A well-structured answer i.e. introduction, positive and negative impacts and a conclusion

Link to candidate exemplar click here
Web Link to past paper questions and answers click here

Tip 4: Use a trace table to visualise data structures and programming statements
Apart from the output from a program everything else can be invisible which can make programming frustrating. Overcome this by practicing trace tables to give a clear idea of how variables change their values and to deepen your understanding. Click here for a file to practice on.

Tip 5: Practice, practice, practice (use Snakify.org to improve programming proficiency)
Learning programming is like learning a new foreign language. Practice to get fluent.
When practicing, pay attention to the details such as lowercase or uppercase of the variable names, indentation, operators, keywords in statements. Debugging, i.e. fixing errors in the program, can be frustrating or even irritating. Keep trying, do not give up. Once you figure out the errors, most likely you will be surprised how obvious the errors are. Believe me, if you keep trying, you will make a very steep learning curve in programming.