Years 9-11

Computer Science

Year 9

The year 9 Technology curriculum has three objectives: to teach the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum for Computer Science; to equip students with a platform of skills and knowledge required to access the GCSE syllabus; and to give students an understanding of technology which can be transferred to any other subject within the school.   

Students will be taught the material in two strands: Computer Science (CS) and Information Technology (IT) each for two lessons per week.  In CS lessons students will study modelling, computational thinking, algorithm design/development and how a computer works at a low level. 

National Curriculum Topics

In Computer Science lessons, students will be taught to:

Design, use and evaluate computational abstractions that model the state and behaviour of real-world problems and physical systems
Understand several key algorithms that reflect computational thinking (for example, ones for sorting and searching); use logical reasoning to compare the utility of alternative algorithms for the same problem
Use 2 or more programming languages, at least one of which is textual, to solve a variety of computational problems; make appropriate use of data structures (for example, lists, tables or arrays); design and develop modular programs that use procedures or functions
Understand simple Boolean logic (for example, AND, OR and NOT) and some of its uses in circuits and programming; understand how numbers can be represented in binary, and be able to carry out simple operations on binary numbers (for example, binary addition, and conversion between binary and decimal)
Understand the hardware and software components that make up computer systems, and how they communicate with one another and with other systems
Understand how instructions are stored and executed within a computer system; understand how data of various types (including text, sounds and pictures) can be represented and manipulated digitally, in the form of binary digits

Year 9 Lesson Objectives and Project Details

Autumn Term: maths, decomposition and programming

Student will study mathematics related to computer science including binary addition, bit shifts and hexadecimal. They will also start to develop their decomposition, planning skills using flowcharts and programming using a BBC Microbit.

Spring Term: Logic, compression and animation

During the spring term will build on the knowledge and skills developed in the autumn term. Students will study logic gates, truth tables, Boolean algebra and designing basic circuits using AND, OR and NOT gates. In the second half of the term students will study the construction and compression of image and sound files and basic cryptography. Along side the theory students will use p5js (Java Script) to design and develop animations.

Summer Term: CPU structure and interface design

In the summer term will learn the theory of CPU architecture and the stored program concept. They will also further develop their programming skills by using Small Basic to develop user interfaces and solve mathematical problems.

GCSE Computer Science

We aim to develop the knowledge and skills required for our students to play an active role in the digital world that surrounds them. Developing a firm grasp of computing concepts will help them get the best from the systems they use, solve problems when they go wrong and develop new systems when they are required.

We believe all students will find it empowering to study a combination of computational thinking, computing principles and a computational approach to problem-solving. The ability to focus this combination of academic and practical skills on a problem will help bring success in all curriculum subjects and the CAST challenge projects.

There can sometimes be confusion about the differences between IT and Computer Science. Computer Science refers to the processes used to create usable computer programmes and applications together with all the theory behind those processes. Information Technology, on the other hand, refers to the application of computer programmes to solve problems.

Computing in industry is essentially a practical subject which applies theory to design and develop products for clients. With this in mind, we have developed our curriculum to reflect modern business practice. Most learning is delivered through projects, which involve project management, teamwork, report writing and the use of industry standard tools.

Content

In Year 10 and 11 students follow the AQA Computer Science Specification. The course aims to develop students' understanding and practical application of computational thinking, problem-solving and theoretical knowledge of Computer Science.

This course material covers 37 taught sections over two papers:

Paper 1: Computational thinking and programming skills

What’s assessed

Computational thinking, code tracing, problem-solving, programming concepts including the design of effective algorithms and the designing, writing, testing and refining of code. Broken down as:

Fundamentals of algorithms
- Representing algorithms
- Efficiency of algorithms
- Searching algorithms
- Sorting algorithms
Programming
- Data types
- Programming concepts
- Arithmetic operations in a programming language
- Relational operations in a programming language
- Boolean operations in a programming language
- Data structures
- Input/output
- String handling operations in a programming language
- Random number generation in a programming language
- Structured programming and subroutines (procedures and functions)
- Robust and secure programming

How it’s assessed

Written exam: 2 hours
90 marks
50% of GCSE

A mix of multiple choice, short answer and longer answer questions assessing programming, practical problem-solving and computational thinking skills.

The programming language we will be using is VB.NET – To encourage students for develop their skill beyond the classroom they can download Visual Studio, which is a free Integrated Development Environment (IDE) by Microsoft.

Paper 2:

Broken down as:

Fundamentals of data representation
- Number bases
- Converting between number bases
- Units of information
- Binary arithmetic
- Character encoding
- Representing images
- Representing sound
- Data compression
Computer systems
- Hardware and software
- Boolean logic
- Software classification
- Classification of programming languages and translators
- Systems architecture
Fundamentals of computer networks
Cyber security
- Fundamentals of cyber security
- Cyber security threats
- Social engineering
- Malicious code (malware)
- Methods to detect and prevent cyber security threats
Relational databases and structured query language (SQL)
- Relational databases
- Structured query language (SQL)
Ethical, legal and environmental impacts of digital technology on wider society, including issues of privacy

How it's assessed

Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
90 marks
50% of GCSE

A mix of multiple choice, short answer, longer answer and extended response questions assessing SQL programming skills and theoretical knowledge

GCSE course progression

Year 10

Autumn Term

Students will build a strong foundation in computational thinking and programming using Visual Basic. Key topics include algorithms, variables, arrays, selection, subroutines and functions, and both for and while loops. Through a range of practical activities and programming projects, students will develop problem-solving skills and learn how to design, write and test computer programs effectively. Students will also study the fundamentals of data representation, which will be formally assessed during the term.

Spring Term

Students will further develop their programming expertise by exploring more advanced concepts, including string manipulation, random number generation, records and two-dimensional arrays. Alongside programming, the focus will widen to include the computer systems element of the specification, enabling students to understand how hardware and software components work together within modern computer systems.

Summer Term

Students will apply their knowledge through a range of programming projects designed to strengthen the practical skills required for examinations and future study in Computer Science. The end-of-year assessment will cover content taught during both the Autumn and Spring terms. Students will also examine the ethical, legal and environmental implications of digital technology, including issues surrounding privacy, security and the impact of computing on society.

Year 11

Autumn Term

The year begins with a review and consolidation of the programming concepts covered in Year 10. Students will then progress to the remaining theory content of the course while continuing to develop their programming and problem-solving skills. A strong emphasis is placed on understanding how Computer Science principles are applied in real-world contexts through engaging projects and practical tasks.

During this term, students will study:

Fundamentals of computer networks
Cyber security
Relational databases and Structured Query Language (SQL)

The Autumn assessment will test students on Year 10 content as well as the Year 11 topics covered to that point.

Spring Term

Students will complete the remaining content of the specification, ensuring that all areas of the syllabus have been covered by the Spring assessment window. Throughout the term, students will continue to reinforce both theoretical knowledge and practical programming skills through structured revision and examination-style activities.

Summer Term

Following the Spring assessment window, the focus shifts to targeted revision and examination preparation. Students will identify and address gaps in their knowledge, strengthen weaker areas of the specification and refine their examination techniques. Through practice questions, mock assessments and focused intervention, students will develop the confidence and skills needed to achieve their full potential in the final GCSE examinations.

Resources

BBC Bitesize

Craig ‘n’ Dave