Computer Science

Studying Computer Science at Bow Sixth Form

Exam Board: OCR

Entry Requirements: A minimum of a grade 6 in five subjects at GCSE, including English Language and Maths.

Why study this course?

Computer Science is the future of today's world from apps to artificial intelligence to cybersecurity and data analysis. Studying Computer Science will allow you to understand how computers work while improving your ability to think logically and creatively to solve problems. This course is ideal for people who enjoy technology, problem-solving, creating practical and real-world solutions.

 What will I study?

This course is split into two written exams and a programming project. The first exam is mainly about computer systems - you learn things such as processors, memory, operating systems and cybersecurity. The second exam is more focused on algorithms and programming, including computational thinking and algorithms. Both exams are 2 hours 30 minutes and are worth 40% each with the additional coursework, which is worth 20%. For this, you choose a problem that you want to solve and develop your own computer-based solution. You’ll have to plan it, design it, program it, test it and evaluate how well it works.

What skills will I gain and where will this take me?

Through this subject, you will develop many useful skills, not just coding. You build strong problem-solving and logical thinking skills by learning how to break complicated problems into smaller steps and find effective solutions. You also develop programming skills by writing, testing and fixing code, while the coursework helps you improve your organisation, time management and project management skills. Computer Science can take you to many places to study subjects like Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity, or to professions such as software engineering.