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Computer Science A Level

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Getting Ahead

Computer Science A Level at Alton Campus

Are you studying Computer Science A Level at Alton Campus in September? If so, you’re in the right place!

We have put together the following ‘Getting Ahead’ work to help you prep for your course over the summer.

We can’t wait for you to join us at College soon!

a man working at a laptop

A set of five questions has been set to help you with the transition from GCSE to A Level via this website.

Once you have created an account, you can access the work via ‘My Assignments’ in the main menu.

The work has been set on ‘Isaac Computer Science’ which will be used during your A Level studies. To access the series of questions that have been set either:

  • Click here and follow the on-screen instructions
  • Or Google ‘Isaac Computer Science’ and set up a student account. Under the menu, select ‘My account’, then ‘Teacher connections’. Enter the code HBCACD to join the summer work classroom.

Try these:

  1. Networking
  2. Systems
  3. Data Representation
  4. Programming Concepts
  5. Boolean Logic

The AQA exam board specification is a useful resource for helping you to understand the different sections of the A Level course you will be studying. Spend some time reading about the content of the course and how it will be assessed by clicking here.

One of the fundamental cornerstones of Computer Science concerns the concept of Algorithms.

Watch the below videos to help you investigate Algorithms and write a 10-line summary for each video, making note of any examples to help with task 3.2 below:

How Algorithms Shape Our World

Algorithms are Taking Over the World

How Powerful are Algorithms? (First five minutes)

Activity 3.1

You should now be able to produce a concise definition of an Algorithm using exactly 10 words. Highlight the three most important words in your definition.

Activity 3.2

List 20 examples of where Algorithms are used (watching the videos should have helped).

Activity 3.3

Produce an Algorithm for making a cup of tea. Try not to leave out any of the many stages (there are at least 20!). How would you modify your ‘Tea’ algorithm in order to make ‘Coffee’ instead?

Activity 3.4

Try to write detailed Algorithms for the following calculations:

  • Calculate the area and circumference of a circle from either the radius or diameter
  • Find the average, minimum and maximum of a set of numbers.

Please complete these activities and bring the work with you to your first lesson.

Investigate the history of Computer Science by taking a virtual tour of the National Museum of Computing.

Resources

Meet your Teachers

  • Graham Bland

  • James Harding

We look forward to seeing you soon!

"I am delighted with my results and am really looking forward to studying Law at Oxford University. I really enjoyed my time at HSDC Alton and I really appreciate all the help and support from my fantastic teachers, without whom I wouldn't have got my place at Oxford."

Catherine Goldie, HSDC Alton A Level Student

There are lots of people at the college, each studying a diverse range of courses, people from all different areas come to study here, it creates a sense of community, there is a huge social aspect to college life across all courses.

Lee Backhouse, BTEC student

My experience at the college has been really good, it’s been really rewarding, all the lecturers were so lovely and supportive there’s no way I could have done it without them - the teaching has been outstanding.

Lucie Brooks, A Level student