Gcse 9 1 Computer Science Getting Started Guide 2020

GCSE (9-1)
Computer Science
Getting Started Guide
Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in Computer Science (1CP2)
First teaching September 2020
First certification 2022 Issue 3
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© Pearson Education Limited 2020
Getting Started:
GCSE Computer Science 2020
Contents
1. Purpose of this guide ..................................................... 4
2. Key features ................................................................... 4
3. Content overview ........................................................... 5
What is included in each topic ........................................................... 5
The Programming Language Subset (PLS) ........................................... 7
The Good Programming Practice Guide (GPPG) ..................................... 8
4. Assessment overview ..................................................... 9
Paper 01: Principles of Computer Science ............................................ 9
Paper 02: Application of Computational Thinking .................................. 9
Practical Programming Statement (PPS) ............................................ 10
5. Subject content amplification....................................... 11
Topic 1: Computational thinking ...................................................... 11
Topic 2: Data................................................................................ 18
Topic 3: Computers ....................................................................... 24
Topic 4: Networks ......................................................................... 31
Topic 5: Issues and impact ............................................................. 22
Topic 6: Problem solving with programming ....................................... 26
6. Assessment guidance ................................................... 34
Assessment objectives ................................................................... 36
Computer-related mathematics ........................................................ 38
Command words ........................................................................... 38
Mark schemes ............................................................................... 38
7. Planning ....................................................................... 40
8. Support ........................................................................ 41
Getting Started with GCSE
ComputerScience
1. Purpose of this guide
The purpose of this Getting Started Guide is to provide you with additional
information about the qualification, and clarify what you need to cover for
each of the points listed in the specification.
2. Key features
 Engaging content derived from the DfE’s prescribed subject content – making it
simple to switch from another Exam Board’s specification.
 On-screen programming exam in which students use Python the Integrated

Development Environment (IDE) of their choice
 A defined programming language subset (PLS) – specifying exactly what

constructs, syntax and libraries students need to be able to use.
 Focus on teaching programming fundamentals and transferrable skills rather than

Python-specific constructs – making it easier for students to learn other
programming languages in the Sixth Form and beyond.
 No need for students to learn a separate pseudocode language – freeing up

time for them to concentrate on mastering a real programming language.
 Comprehensive support – helping you to plan and implement the course

successfully.
Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in Computer Science – Getting Started Guide
Author: Assessment Page 4 of 39 DC1: Public Document
Reviewer: Product Management Version 3.0 August 2023
3. Content overview
The subject content is divided into six topics. Topics 1 – 5 are assessed in
Paper 01 and Topic 6 is assessed in Paper 02.
What is included in each topic
1. Computational thinking
 benefits of using decomposition, abstraction and subprograms
 working with algorithms, expressed as flowcharts, written descriptions and

in program code
 determining the correct output of an algorithm for a given set of data
 using a trace table to perform a dry-run of an algorithm
 types of errors found in algorithms and programs
 correcting logical errors in algorithms
 how standard sorting and searching algorithms work
 evaluating the fitness for purpose of an algorithm
 constructing truth tables
2. Data
 why computers use binary
 converting between unsigned and signed denary and 8-bit binary numbers
 adding and shifting binary numbers, overflow
 converting between hexadecimal and binary, ehy hexadecimal is used
 binary representation of text, images and sound
 using binary multiples, and constructing expressions to calculate file sizes

and data capacity requirements
 the need for and different methods of data compression
3. Computers
 the stored program concept, and the role of memory, the CPU and buses in
the fetch-decode-execute cycle
 the role of secondary storage, and how data is stored on different types of
media
 the purpose of an operating system and utility software
 robust software, and methods of identifying software vulnerabilities
 low-level and high-level programming languages
 how interpreters and compilers translate high-level code
4. Networks
 reasons for connecting computers in a network, and types of network
 how the internet is structured
 characteristics of wired and wireless connectivity
 constructing expressions involving file size, time, and transmission rate

measured in bits per second
 network protocols and the TCP/IP stack
 common network topologies
 network security, and ways of identifying vulnerabilities and protecting

networks
5. Issues and impact
 environmental issues associated with the use of digital devices
 ethical and legal issues associated with the collection and use of personal
data
 ethical and legal issues associated with the use of AI, machine learning
and robotics
 methods of intellectual property protection for computer systems and

software
 threats to digital systems and data posed by malware and hackers and
methods or protection
6. Problem solving with programming
 using decomposition and abstraction to understand and solve problems
 identifying the structural components of programs
 converting algorithms into code
 designing, writing and debugging programs
 using techniques to make programs easy to read and maintain
 working with variables and constants, primitive data types, and one-and
two-dimensional data structures
 manipulating and formatting strings
 implementing validation and authentication
 responding to user input
 reading from and writing to text files
 using pre-existing and user-defined subprograms
 understanding the difference between and using global and local variables
The Programming Language Subset (PLS)

The PLS is a specific set of Python 3 constructs that students need to understand
and be able to use. Python 2 should not be used in the delivery of this
qualification.
The constructs contained in the PLS are found in most high-level programming
languages and form a good foundation for progression.
While there is nothing to prevent students learning more complex constructs or
approaches not included in the PLS, there is no need for them to do so. All
problems set in Paper 02 (the onscreen programming exam) can be solved using
only the functionalities presented in the PLS. This means that more class time
can be used for the teaching of computational thinking and problem solving,
rather than the syntax and libraries provided by a programming language.
Students will not be penalised in the assessment for using programming
constructs other than those included in the PLS.
The PLS is valid for the lifetime of the qualification and available to download
from the Edexcel GCSE Computer Science section of the Pearson website. Should
an update be required, the new version will be published no later than 31
January in the year of the examination.
Students will be provided with a hard copy and an electronic version of the PLS
to refer to when sitting Paper 02.
The Good Programming Practice Guide (GPPG)
This is a companion guide to the PLS, providing further information about the
programming constructs students are expected to understand and use.
4. Assessment overview
The assessment consists of two equally weighted, non-tiered components – one

theory paper and one on-screen programming exam.
The design of the papers reflects our commitment to clear wording and
structure, helping students to tackle each paper with confidence and
demonstrate to us what they have learned.
Gradual ramping of demand across the papers helps students build confidence.
Paper 01: Principles of Computer Science

This is a written exam paper consisting of five questions, and is marked out of
75. Each question consists of multiple parts, and assesses aspects of a single
topic of the subject content. The order in which topics appear varies from paper
to paper.
Paper 02: Application of Computational Thinking

This is an on-screen programming exam, and is marked out of 75. Students
have two hours in which to carry six programming tasks on a computer using
Python 3. They may be required to:
 identify the structural components of a program
 correct errors in a piece of code
 choose between alternative lines of code
 rearrange lines of code
 follow instructions to complete a program.
Tasks increase in complexity, with the final question on the paper requiring
students to design and write a program from scratch.
There are no questions that require a written response.
The benefit of this approach is that students have a realistic programming
experience and are able to debug their code as they go along to see if it
functions correctly. It also allows examiners to test atypical responses for
correctness by running them.
We recognise that an onscreen exam may pose some logistical challenges for
schools with large cohorts and/or a limited number of computers. However, our
experience to date has demonstrated that schools can successfully facilitate this
type of assessment.
Further details concerning the administration of the practical exam, including
scheduling multiple sessions to accommodate large cohorts, can be found in the
Instructions for the Conduct of the Examination (ICE) document, available to
download from the Edexcel GCSE Computer Science section of the Pearson
website.
The Programming Language Subset and data files will be provided on the
morning of the exam. This will be a combination of code samples (*.py) and
comma separated value formatted text files (*.txt) where required.
Practical Programming Statement (PPS)

Centres are required to complete a Practical Programming Statement (PPS) to
affirm that students studying GCSE Computer Science have been given
timetabled and supported opportunities during their course to engage with
practical programming.
The PPS must be completed by a member of the senior leadership team at the
centre and submitted to the exam board by 31 May in the year of the
examination.
Failure by a centre to provide a completed PPS will be considered malpractice
and/or maladministration and followed up accordingly.
5. Subject content amplification
The compulsory content of the GCSE in Computer Science combines theoretical
knowledge and understanding of the principles of computer science with practical
problem solving and programming skills.
Each of the six topics is divided into a number of sections and each section
consists of a set of numbered specification points (SPs). Bracketed lists, such
as those in SP 1.2.2, define the breadth/depth of coverage required. These are
not examples. They specify what must be taught.
As a minimum all the numbered SPs in the content must be taught.
Topic 1: Computational thinking

This topic provides the underpinning theory to support the hands-on practical
programming that students will undertake during the course and is best taught
alongside Topic 6.
Statement Additional information

Students should:
1.1 Decomposition and abstraction
1.1.1 understand the Students should know the meaning of the terms
benefit of using decomposition and abstraction, and understand
decomposition and how using these computational thinking techniques
abstraction to makes problems easier to understand and solve.
model aspects of
They should be able to:
the real world and
analyse, • recognise where these technique are being used
understand and in a piece of code. See for example Paper 01
solve problems 2206, Q5(a)(iii) & (iv)
• give examples of abstraction, such as the use of
subprograms to hide implementation details
• abstract common attributes of a group of objects
so as to create a general model. See for example
Paper 01 Specimen 1, Q3(g)
• discuss the use of decomposition and abstraction
in developing software.
Students’ understanding of decomposition and
abstraction is assessed in Paper 01, and their ability
to use these techniques when developing code in
Paper 02 (see SP 6.1.1).
1.1.2 understand the Students should know what a subprogram is and

benefits of using understand why subprograms are used. See for
subprograms example Paper 01 Specimen 1, Q3(d).
Although Python treats all subprograms as functions,
students should know that a function returns one or
Students should:
more results to the calling code, whereas a
procedure does not return a result.
Students should gain practical experience of using
pre-existing (built-in and library) subprograms and
writing their own as they develop their programming
skills.
Their understanding of the benefits of using
subprograms is assessed in Paper 01, and their
ability to write and use subprograms in program
code in Paper 02 (see SPs 6.6.1, 6.6.2 and 6.6.3).
1.2 Algorithms
1.2.1 be able to follow Students should know what an algorithm is and

and write what algorithms are used for.
algorithms
They should be able to follow and write algorithms
(flowcharts,
represented as flowcharts, as written descriptions
pseudocode,
and in program code.
program code) that
use sequence, (In this specification, pseudocode is defined as an
selection, repetition informal written description of an algorithm.)
(count-controlled, Students should know that a flowchart is a
condition- diagrammatic representation of an algorithm, and
controlled) and understand the benefits of using flowcharts for this
iteration (over purpose.
every item in a data
structure), and The six flowchart symbols that students are expected
input, processing to recognise and be able to use are listed in Appendix
and output to solve 2 of the specification.
problems Students should be able to:
• fill in the gaps of a partially completed flowchart.
See for example Paper 01 SAM, Q5(e)
• draw a flowchart using given components. See for
example Paper 01, Specimen 1, Q1(d)
• draw a flowchart from scratch. See for example
Paper 01 2206, Q5(d).
• In Paper 02, students could be given a flowchart
to convert into code. See for example Paper 01
2306, Q4(c).
In Paper 01 students may be asked to answer
questions about an algorithm written in program
code. See for example Paper 01 2206, Q5(a)(i) &
(ii).
Students should be familiar with the three basic
programming constructs used in algorithms
Students should:
(sequence, selection, and repetition/iteration) and
be able to use them in combination to create
solutions.
Students should know that repetition involves
repeatedly executing a block of code until some
specified condition is met, and understand the
difference between count-controlled and
condition-controlled loops.
They should know that in this specification the term
iteration is used to mean repeatedly executing the
same block of code on each element of a data
structure, e.g. a string, an array, a numeric range or
an open file, until every element has been
processed.
Students should be able to identify the input,
processing and output of an algorithm. See for
example Paper 01 Specimen 3, Q1(a)(i).
The code provided in Paper 01 SAM, Q5(d) uses
sequence, selection and iteration constructs to input
numbers from a file, process them and output the
result.
Students’ understanding of these structural
components/programming constructs, and their
ability to recognise and use them in algorithms is
assessed in Paper 01. Their ability to recognise and
use them in program code is assessed in Paper 02
(see SPs 6.2.1 and 6.2.2).
1.2.2 understand the Students should know what variables are and what
need for and be they are used for.
able to follow and
Although Python does not explicitly distinguish
write algorithms
between variables and constants, students should
that use variables
know that constants are used to store values that do
and constants and
not change during program execution and understand
one- and two-
why the use of constants in code is good practice.
dimensional data
See for example Paper 01 SAM, Q5(c).
structures (strings,
records, arrays) Students’ should understand the concept of a data
structure, and be able to handle one-dimensional
and two-dimensional data structures. They should
understand how an index is used to identify and
access individual elements within a data structure.
See for example Paper 01 2206, 5(a), which requires
students to work with data stored in a one-
dimensional array.
Students should know that strings are arrays of
Students should:
characters, and be familiar with common string
handling techniques such as slicing and
concatenation.
They should understand the difference between an
array – a sequence of items with the same
(homogeneous) data type, and a record – a
sequence of items with different (heterogeneous)
data types. They should know that the items that
make up a record are referred to as fields.
Students’ understanding of constants, variables and
data structures and their ability to identify and use
them in algorithms is assessed in Paper 01. Their
ability to identify and use them in program code is
assessed in Paper 02 (see SP 6.2.1).
1.2.3 understand the Students should be familiar with and be able to use
need for and be arithmetic, relational and logical (Boolean) operators
able to follow and in algorithms.
write algorithms
Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q2(b) assesses students’
that use arithmetic
ability to recognise operation symbols and categorise
operators (addition,
them according to operator type.
subtraction,
division, Students should know that arithmetic operators
multiplication, are used to perform calculations, and understand
modulus, integer order of precedence rules (BIDMAS).
division, They should understand the difference between the
exponentiation), division operator (/), the integer division operator
relational operators (//) and the modulus operator (%), and know which
(equal to, less than, one to use when. See for example Paper 01
greater than, not Specimen 1, Q3(f).
equal to, less than
or equal to, greater Students should know that relational operators
than or equal to) are used to compare two values, and that the result
and logical of the comparison is either True or False.
operators (AND,OR, They should know that logical (Boolean)
NOT) operators are used to evaluate relational
expressions, and evaluate to either True or False
(see also SP 1.3.1).
The code for a linear search algorithm provided in
Paper 01 2206, Q5(b) uses a logical operator to
improve the efficiency of the algorithm.
Students’ understanding of operators and their
ability to use them in algorithms is assessed in Paper
01. Their ability to use them in program code is
assessed in Paper 02 (see SPs 6.5.1, 6.5.2 and
6.5.3).
Students should:
1.2.4 be able to Students should be able to determine the correct

determine the output of an algorithm for a given input. See for
correct output of an example Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q2(c) and Paper 01
algorithm for a Specimen 3, Q1(f).
given set of data
They should know what a trace table is used for,
and use a trace
and be able to use a trace table to record the value
table to determine
of variables whilst stepping through an algorithm line
what value a
by line. See for example Paper 01 SAM, Q5(d) and
variable will hold at
Paper 01 2206, Q5(c).
a given point in an
algorithm
1.2.5 understand types of Students should know the difference between

errors that can syntax, logic and runtime errors.
occur in programs
Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q2(d) asks students to
(syntax, logic,
describe the difference between a syntax and a logic
runtime) and be
error.
able to identify and
correct logic errors Students’ understanding of types of errors and their
in algorithms ability to identify and correct logic errors in
algorithms is assessed in Paper 01. Their ability to
identify and correct all three types of error in
program code is assessed in Paper 02 (see SP
6.1.5).
1.2.6 understand how Students should know the difference between brute
standard algorithms force and divide and conquer approaches to
(bubble sort, merge sorting and searching.
sort, linear search,
They should know how a bubble sort algorithm
binary search) work
works and be able to hand trace the operation of a
bubble sort on a list of values. See for example
Paper 01 Specimen 1,Q3(c). They do not have to be
able to code a bubble sort.
They should know how a merge sort algorithm
works and be able to hand trace the operation of a
merge sort on a list of values. See for example Paper
01 Specimen 2, Q2(e). Whilst they do not have to be
able to code a whole merge sort, students should be
able to write code to merge two sorted lists into one
sorted list using WHILE loops.
They should understand how a simple linear search
algorithm works on an unsorted list. See for example
Paper 01 2306, Q4(d).
They should be able to use a loop to iterate through
a data structure to perform a linear search. In Paper
02 students may be required to write a linear search
Students should:
algorithm. See for example Paper 02 2306, Q06
which requires students to write a program that
determines if a username and password is stored in
a two-dimensional array.
They should understand how the efficiency of a
linear search algorithm can be improved by stopping
the search once the value of the item in the current
index position is more than the target value. See for
example Paper 01 2206, Q5(b).
Students should know how a binary search works
and be able to hand trace the operation of a binary
search on a list of values. See for example Paper 01
SAM, Q5(b). They do not have to be able to code a
binary search.
Students should be able to compare and contrast a
bubble sort with a merge sort, and a linear search
with a binary search.
1.2.7 be able to use Students should understand what fitness for

logical reasoning purpose means in relation to algorithms and use
and test data to metrics, such as number of compares, number of
evaluate an passes through a loop, or use of memory, to
algorithm’s fitness determine the efficiency of an algorithm. They are
for purpose and not expected to know about/use Big O notation to
efficiency (number measure time or memory efficiency.
of compares,
In Paper 01 2206, Q5(b) students are given the code
number of passes
for a linear search algorithm and asked to describe
through a loop, use
how the use of a Boolean variable makes the
of memory)
algorithm efficient.
Students should be able to give the best- and worst-
case scenarios for a linear search compared with a
binary search, and realise that a merge sort
algorithm is an example of an ‘out of place sort’ and
therefore requires more memory than a bubble sort
algorithm.
Students’ ability to use logical reasoning and test
data to evaluate the fitness for purpose and
efficiency of algorithms is assessed in Paper 01, and
of programs in Paper 02 (see SP 6.1.6).
Students should:
1.3 Truth tables
1.3.1 be able to apply Students should know how to use the logical
logical operators operators AND, OR and NOT in expressions and be
(AND, OR, NOT) in aware of order of precedence rules (brackets, NOT,
truth tables with up AND, OR).
to three inputs to
They must be able to interpret and construct truth
solve problems
tables to solve problems. See for example Paper 01
Specimen 1, Q3(e) and Paper 01 Specimen 3, Q1(b).
They do not need to be able to draw logic circuit
diagrams.
Topic 2: Data
This is a wide-ranging topic that deals with how numbers, text, images and
sounds are represented in binary, and how and why data is sometimes
compressed.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
2.1 Binary
2.1.1 understand that Students should understand that a single binary

computers use digit (bit) can represent either 1 or 0 (corresponding
binary to represent to the electrical states on and off).
data (numbers,
They should be aware that computers represent,
text, sounds,
process, store and transmit all data as binary
graphics) and
patterns and that the meaning of a group of bits
program
depends on its context.
instructions and be
able to determine They should know how to determine the maximum
the maximum number of unique states that can be represented by
number of states a binary pattern of a given length (2n). Paper 01
that can be SAM, Q1(b) addresses this requirement.
represented by a Students should be familiar with decimal (base 10),
binary pattern of a binary (base 2) and hexadecimal (base 16)
given length numbers. Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q3(a) requires
students to complete a table giving the number of
values per digit of base 2 and base 16 numbers.
2.1.2 understand how Students should know the difference between an

computers unsigned and a signed integer and know that a
represent and positive integer is a whole number with a value
manipulate greater or equal to zero and a negative integer is a
unsigned integers whole number with a value less than zero.
and two’s
They should know that negating a signed integer
complement signed
involves changing its sign without changing its
integers
value.
They should recognise circumstances where it is
better to use an unsigned rather than a signed
integer and vice versa. Paper 01 SAM, Q1(c)(i)
assesses this understanding.
Students should know how signed integers are
represented in two’s complement, using the MSB
as a negative value. They should know the range of
values that can be represented with 8 bits.
They do not need to know about sign and magnitude
representation.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
2.1.3 be able to convert Students should be able to convert both unsigned

between denary and signed denary integers into binary and vice
and 8-bit binary versa.
numbers (0 to 255
Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q3(c) and Paper 01 2206,
and –128 to +127)
3(a)(i) assess students’ ability to convert unsigned
denary numbers into their binary equivalent.
Paper 01 Specimen 1, Q4(b) requires students to
convert a signed denary number into its two’s
complement binary equivalent.
2.1.4 be able to add Students should be able to add together two 8-bit
together two binary numbers. See for example Paper 01,
positive binary Specimen 1 Q4(c) and Paper 01, Specimen 2 Q3(g).
patterns and apply
They should understand that binary subtraction can
logical and
be achieved by adding the two's complement of the
arithmetic binary
second number to the first number. i.e. x – y = x + -
shifts
y. See for example Paper 01 Specimen 3, Q5(b).
Students should know the difference between and be
able to perform logical and arithmetic binary
shifts. They should understand why performing a
right shift may result in a lack of precision.
They should understand that one use for logical
binary shifts is to multiply and divide unsigned
binary integers by powers of two. Paper 01
Specimen 1, Q4(a) tests this understanding.
They should recognise that – whilst arithmetic binary
shifts can be used to divide negative numbers –
using left arithmetic shifts to implement
multiplication of negative numbers does not work
because the MSB is not preserved.
2.1.5 understand the Students should know that overflow occurs when
concept of overflow the result of a calculation is too large to fit into the
in relation to the location assigned to hold it.
number of bits
They should understand the effect of overflow errors
available to store a
on program outcomes.
value
Paper 01 SAM, Q1(d) and Paper 01, 2206, Q3(a)(iv)
assess students’ understanding of this concept.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
2.1.6 understand why Students should know that hexadecimal is a base

hexadecimal 16 number system used as shorthand for binary, and
notation is used and that one hexadecimal digit corresponds to four bits
be able to convert (one nibble) and can represent sixteen unique values
between (0 – F).
hexadecimal and
Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q3(e) and Paper 01 2206,
binary
3(a)(ii) assess students’ ability to convert from
binary to hex and Paper 01 Specimen 1, Q4(d) from
hex to binary.
Students should understand reasons why humans
choose to use hex in preference to binary.
2.2 Data representation
2.2.1 understand how Students should know that ASCII is a standard for
computers encode encoding characters (letters, numbers, punctuation
characters using 7- marks and control codes), and that ASCII assigns
bit ASCII each character its own unique numeric value. Paper
01 2206, Q3(c) asks for a description of ASCII.
Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q3(h) assesses students’
understanding of the limitation of standard 7-bit
ASCII, i.e. that it is only capable of encoding 128
characters, 32 of which are control codes.
Students do not need to learn the details of
extended ASCII or Unicode, but they should be
aware that alternative coding systems exist that
permit a wider range of character sets and non-
English characters to be represented.
Students should be aware that character codes are
grouped and run in sequence and – given the code
for one character – be able to derive the code for
another.
2.2.2 understand how Students should know that a pixel (picture element)
bitmap images are is the smallest element of a bit-mapped image and
represented in that the size of an image is expressed as width x
binary (pixels, height in pixels.
resolution, colour
They should know that the resolution of an image
depth)
refers to its physical size when displayed on screen
or in print, and is measured in pixels per inch (ppi).
The higher the resolution, the more pixels per inch
and the better the image quality, e.g. a 200 x 100
pixel bitmap with a resolution of 100 ppi would
measure 2” x 1”, whereas, with a resolution of 200
ppi, it would measure 1” x 0.5”.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
Students should recognise that an image with a low
resolution has fewer pixels per inch and may become
pixelated if stretched to fit into a larger space
Paper 01 2206, Q3(d)(i) assesses students’
understanding of the impact of resolution on the
visual quality of an image.
Students should know that colour depth is the
number of bits used to represent the colour of a
pixel. The greater the number of bits used, the more
tones/colours can be represented. Paper 01
Specimen 1, Q4(e)(ii) assesses this understanding.
They should understand that the size (in pixels) and
colour depth of an image determine its file size. The
greater the number of pixels and the greater the
colour depth, the larger the file size will be.
Students should know that metadata is information
about the properties of an image and adds to the file
size of an image.
Students should be able to convert binary data
arranged top-down* into a bitmap image and be able
to generate the binary code for a bitmap.
*Starting with the pixel in the top left corner,
moving across from left to right and down row by
row, ending with the pixel in the bottom right-hand
corner. See for example Paper 01 Specimen 3,
Q5(e).
2.2.3 understand how Students should know the difference between a

analogue sound is continuous analogue and a discrete digital signal,
represented in and understand why an analogue sound is never
binary (amplitude, fully reproducible in a digital format.
sample rate, bit
They should know that:
depth, sample
interval) • the amplitude of a sound wave determines the
sound’s loudness – the higher the amplitude,
the louder the sound.
• a sample is a measure of amplitude at a point
in time, that the sample rate is the number of
samples taken per second, measured in hertz,
and that sample interval is the time between
samples.
• bit depth is the number of bits used to
represent each sound sample
Students should know that a CD-quality soundtrack
Statement Guidance
Students should:
uses a sample rate of 44.1KHz, a bit depth of 16 and
is recorded in stereo.
They should understand how the choice of sampling
rate, bit depth and sampling interval affect the
accuracy of a digital representation. Paper 01
Specimen 2, Q3(d)(i) asks about the effect of
decreasing the sample interval, and Paper 01
Specimen 1, Q4(f)(ii) asks for a benefit and a
drawback of increasing the bit depth.
Students should understand how an audio sound is
converted from analogue to digital. Paper 01 SAM,
Q1(g) requires students to label a partially
completed diagram showing an analogue sound
being sampled.
Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q3(d)(i) assesses students’
ability to plot the position of a sound sample on a
graph.
2.2.4 understand the Students should understand that the number of

limitations of binary available bits determines how a character set, an
representation of image, a sound, etc., is represented – the more bits
data when there are, the greater the range of unique values.
constrained by the See for example Paper 01 2023, 5(b).
number of available
They should know how to determine the number of
bits
bits required for a specific purpose. See for example
Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q3(f)(ii) and Paper 01
Specimen 3, 5(c).
2.3 Data storage and compression
2.3.1 understand that Students should be familiar with and use base 2
data storage is binary multiples (IEC units) for constructing
measured in binary expressions to calculate file size and data capacity.
multiples (bit, Use of denary multiples in this context is not
nibble, byte, acceptable.
kibibyte, mebibyte,
Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q3(b) is a multiple choice
gibibyte, tebibyte)
item that assesses if students know why it is
and be able to
preferable to use binary multiples to express data
construct
capacity and file sizes.
expressions to
calculate file sizes Students should be able to rank the units of
and data capacity measurement in size order.
requirements They should be able to convert larger units to smaller
one by multiplying by 1024, and smaller to larger
units by dividing by 1024. See for example Paper 01
SAM, Q1(c)(ii).
Statement Guidance
Students should:
They should be able to construct expressions to
calculate:
• the file size of an image (width x height x colour
depth), or – given the file size and the values of
any two of the variables – calculate the value of
the missing one. See for example Paper 01 SAM,
Q1(h), Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q3(f)(i) and Paper
01 2206, Q3(d)(ii).
• the file size of an audio recording (sample rate *
bit depth * duration), or – given the file size and
the values of any two of the variables – calculate
the value of the missing one. See for example
Paper 01 Specimen 3, Q5(d).
There is no need for them to perform the calculation.
2.3.2 understand the Students should know that compression is a

need for data technique for reducing file size and understand why
compression and reducing the size of a file is sometimes necessary or
methods of desirable.
compressing data
They should understand that using a lossy algorithm
(lossless, lossy)
to compress a file results in data being permanently
lost, whereas using a lossless algorithm allows the
original file to be exactly reconstructed from the
compressed data.
They should understand that different types of data
lend themselves to different compression
methods. See for example Paper 01 Specimen 1,
Q4(g) and Paper 01 Specimen 3, Q5(a).
There is no need for them to know about any
particular compression algorithms or compressed file
formats.
See also SP 3.2.2 which deals with compression
tools.
Topic 3: Computers
This topic is concerned with the role of hardware and software components in a
computer system.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
3.1 Hardware
3.1.1 understand the von Students should know what is meant by the stored
Neumann stored program concept and the fetch-decode-execute
program concept cycle.
and the role of
They should know the characteristics of main
main memory
memory.
(RAM), CPU
(control unit, Students should know that the central processing
arithmetic logic unit (CPU) sequentially fetches, decodes and
unit, registers), executes instructions stored in memory. They do
clock, address bus, not need to know how modern computers use
data bus, control pipelining to overlap the three stages.
bus in the fetch- Paper 01 Specimen 1, Q2(a)(i) requires students’ to
decode-execute complete a simple diagram of the fetch-decode-
cycle execute cycle.
Students should understand the role of the control
unit (CU) and the arithmetic logic unit (ALU) in
the fetch-decode-execute cycle.
They should know that registers are small memory
cells within the CPU that are used for temporary
storage of data and interim results. They do not
need to be able to name, identify or describe the
function of specific registers, such as the program
counter or accumulator.
Students should know that the clock synchronises
the actions of the CPU, with each tick of the clock
triggering an operation, and that the speed of the
clock is measured in hertz. They should understand
how the speed of the clock affects the performance
of the CPU. See for example Paper 01 Specimen 1,
Q2(a)(iv), which assesses students understanding of
why a higher clock speed is desirable.
Students should know that a bus is a set of parallel
wires through which data/signals are transmitted
from one component to another. They should be
aware that the width of the bus is the number of
parallel wires it has, and determines how many
addressable memory locations there are.
Students should know the function of the address
Statement Guidance
Students should:
bus, data bus and control bus in the fetch-
decode-execute cycle. They should know which
buses are bi-directional and which unidirectional, and
why this is the case.
Paper 01 Specimen 1, Q2(a)(v) asks students to
name a unidirectional bus.
Paper 01 SAM, Q4(c) asks for a description of the
role of the control unit and buses when fetching an
instruction from memory.
Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q5(e) asks students to draw a
flowchart to show the process required the read the
contents of a memory location into the CPU.
3.1.2 understand the role Students should understand that secondary

of secondary storage provides long-term, non-volatile storage for
storage and the programs and data.
ways in which data
They should understand how data is stored on
is stored on devices
magnetic media. See for example Paper 01
(magnetic, optical,
Specimen 1, Q2(b).
solid state)
They should know that a magnetic hard drive is a
mechanical device with moving parts and understand
the implications of this for speed of access,
robustness and durability.
Students should understand how data is stored on
optical media. See for example Paper 01 2206
Q2(c)(i).
They should understand that solid state devices
have no moving parts and use electrical circuits to
persistently store data. They do not need to know
the physics of how semiconductors and floating gate
transistors work.
Paper 01 Specimen 3 Q3(d)(i) asks why solid state
drives are not affected by fragmentation.
Students should know the advantages and
disadvantages of each type of storage and recognise
when one is more suitable than another for a
particular purpose. Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q5(d)(ii)
asks students to select a suitable storage device for
an IoT device.
Students do not need to know how cloud storage
works.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
3.1.3 understand the Students should understand how an embedded

concept of an system differs from a general-purpose computer.
embedded system See for example Paper 01 2206, Q2(d).
and what
They should know about common hardware
embedded systems
components of embedded systems. Paper 01
are used for
Specimen 3, Q3(a) requires students to complete a
diagram of an embedded system by adding labelled
boxes and arrows to show a sensor and an actuator
that controls a motor.
Students should understand the role of the
microcontroller in an embedded system and
recognise that power consumption is a major
consideration for the design of an embedded system.
They should be able to describe uses of embedded
systems and outline how an embedded system could
carry out a particular task. Paper 01 Specimen 1,
Q2(g), for example, asks students to describe how
an embedded system could be used to control the
windscreen wipers of a car.
Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q5(d)(i) assesses students’
ability to apply what they know about embedded
systems in general to the specific case of a battery-
powered IoT lawn mower.
Students should be familiar with the concept of the
Internet of Things and be aware of privacy and
security concerns associated with it.
3.2 Software
3.2.1 understand the Students should know that the purpose of an

purpose and operating system (OS) is to control the computer’s
functionality of an hardware and software
operating system
They should know that file management is the
(file management,
process of organising, storing and retrieving files.
process
They should understand that:
management,
peripheral • files are organised in directories, folders and sub-
management, user folders
management) • be familiar with common file handling functions
such as save, open, rename and delete
Students should know that when a program is loaded
into memory in order to be executed it becomes a
process, and that at any single time multiple
processes will be active. They should understand
that the goal of process management is to share
Statement Guidance
Students should:
out finite resources (CPU and main memory)
between competing processes.
Whilst there is no need for students to know the
details of any particular scheduling algorithm, they
should understand that:
• only one process at a time can have exclusive use
of the CPU
• the OS uses a scheduling algorithm to prioritise
processes
• processes are held in a queue whilst waiting their
turn and go to the back of the queue once their
timeslot ends if not yet complete.
Paper 01 SAM, Q4(d) asks students to describe how
the OS uses scheduling to allocate processor time.
Students should understand how the OS shares main
memory between processes, allocating each its own
section of RAM, and uses a paging algorithm to swap
processes between RAM and virtual memory. See for
example Paper 01 Specimen 1, Q2(f).
Students should know that peripheral
management involves controlling peripherals, such
as the keyboard, monitor and printer.
They should understand that the OS uses device
drivers to enable it to communicate with peripherals,
and that peripheral use interrupts to signal to the OS
that they need immediate attention.
Students should know that user management
includes:
• adding and deleting users
• granting access rights to applications, data and
systems
• authenticating users’ identity
• using permissions to control what users are
allowed to do.
Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q5(c) asks students to
describe the purpose of user management and Paper
01 2206 1, Q2(g) asks for an explanation of how an
OS enables an administrator to manage users.
Students should know that the OS provides a user
interface, and be aware of features of CLI, GUI and
natural language interfaces.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
3.2.2 understand the Students should know that utility software is a

purpose and collection of tools that help maintain the functionality
functionality of of a computer.
utility software (file
Paper 01 SAM, Q4(a) requires students to give two
repair, backup,
examples.
data compression,
disc Students should know that:
defragmentation, • file repair software is used to repair or recover
anti-malware) data from damaged or corrupted files.
• backup software automates the process of
backing up files so that data can be recovered if
something goes wrong. They should understand
the difference between full and incremental
backup.
• data compression software reduces the size of
files so that they take up less storage space and
need less time to transfer. (See also SP 2.3.2
which covers the two types of compression –
lossy and lossless.) Paper 01 2206, Q2(e) asks
students to identify two reasons for using data
compression.
• defragmentation software is used to reorganise
the data stored on a magnetic hard drive when it
has become fragmented so that related pieces of
data are stored contiguously. Paper 01 Specimen
2, Q5(a) asks for a description of the process of
defragmentation. Paper 01 Specimen 3 Q3(d)(i)
requires students to show the state of three files
stored on a hard drive after running a
defragmentation utility.
• anti-malware software detects, quarantines
and removes malware from a computer. Students
should know the difference between signature-
based and behaviour-based detection. (See also
SPs 5.3.1 and 5.3.2.)
Students should be able to select appropriate utility
tools for a specific task.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
3.2.3 understand the Students should know what constitutes robust

importance of software.
developing robust
They should be familiar with vulnerabilities, such
software and
as weak authentication or lack of encryption, and
methods of
understand how they are exploited by criminals.
identifying
vulnerabilities They should understand the purpose of code
(audit trails, code reviews and audit trails. Paper 01 SAM, Q4(b)
reviews) asks about the role of code reviews in helping to
produce robust software. Paper 01 Specimen 2,
Q5(b) asks for two advantages of keeping an audit
trail.
3.3 Programming languages
3.3.1 understand the Students should know that machine code and
characteristics and assembly language are low-level languages and
purposes of low- be able to describe characteristics of low-level
level and high-level languages, such use of mnemonics and machine-
programming specific. See for example Paper 01 2206,
languages Q2(a)(i)&(ii).
Students should be aware that assembly language
programs need to be translated into machine code
before they can be executed, and that an assembler
translates each line of assembly language into a
single machine code instruction.
They should be able to identify tasks for which low-
level languages are used, e.g. writing control
software for embedded systems with limited
processing power and memory.
There is no need for students to have any practical
experience of writing programs written in machine
code or assembly language.
Students should know that most computer programs
are written in a high-level language and
understand why this is the case. They should be
familiar with characteristics of high-level languages,
such as availability of ready-made subprograms and
components. Paper 01 Specimen 3, Q3(g) asks
students to describe two ways in which a high-level
language differs from a low-level language.
Paper 01 SAM, Q4(e) is a 6-mark essay question
that requires students to discuss the merits of using
a high-level as compared with a low-level language
for writing the code for an alarm system.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
3.3.2 understand how an Students should understand that every processor

interpreter differs has its own set of machine code instructions and that
from a compiler in a program written in a high-level programming
the way it language must be translated before it can be
translates high- executed.
level code into
They should know how an interpreter and a
machine code
compiler handle the translation process. See for
example Paper 01 2206, Q2(iv) and Paper 01
Specimen 1, Q2(e) which asks students to describe
two ways a compiler differs from an interpreter.
Paper 01 Specimen 3, Q3(e) asks for three features
of a compiler.
Students should be aware of the benefits and
drawbacks of each method of translation and what
each is best suited for.
Topic 4: Networks
This topic is concerned with different types of network, including the internet,
and deals with the role of protocols in enabling communication across a network
and network security
Statement Guidance
Students should:
4.1 Networks
4.1.1 understand why Students should know that a computer network

computers are consists of two or more connected devices that
connected in a exchange data and share resources.
network
They should understand the reasons why devices are
connected to networks, such as to support
collaborative working and to enable rapid
deployment of new software or updates. See for
example Paper 01 2206, Q1(a)(i).
Students should be aware that networks have their
disadvantages, e.g. they can be vulnerable to
malware (see SP 4.2.1), and network outages have
an organisation-wide impact.
4.1.2 understand Students should know the characteristics of a LAN

different types of and a WAN and how a LAN differs from a WAN. See
networks (LAN, for example Paper 01 2206, Q1(a)(ii).
WAN)
Paper 01 SAM, Q2(a) assesses students’
understanding of the type of network used to
connect geographically-disperse sites.
4.1.3 understand how the Students should recognise that the internet is a
internet is global network of networks.
structured (IP
They should know what IP addresses are used for.
addressing,
Paper 01 2206, Q1(b)(i) asks students to name the
routers)
unique identifier used when sending or receiving
data packets over the internet.
Students should know the difference between IPv4
and IPv6 addresses and why the latter are needed.
They should understand the process that take place
when a web browser on a user’s machine requests a
web page from a web server, including the role of a
DNS server in matching IP addresses to domain
names. Paper 01 Specimen 1, Q5(e) asks students
to complete a diagram illustrating this process.
Students should know that the IP addresses of the
sender and receiver are two of the items included in
a packet header and understand why they are
Statement Guidance
Students should:
needed (see also SP 4.1.7).
Students should know that the principal high-speed
data transmission routes between interconnected
networks is called the internet backbone.
They should understand the role of routers in
forwarding data packets between networks and
selecting the best route for them to take.
4.1.4 understand how the Students should know the characteristics of different
characteristics of types of wired (copper and fibre-optic cable) and
wired and wireless wireless (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, RFID and NFC)
connectivity impact transmission media.
on performance
They should be able to compare the performance of
(speed, range,
networks, and know that:
latency, bandwidth)
• bandwidth is a measure of the capacity of a
network, i.e. the theoretical amount of data that
can be transferred in a given time, measured in
bits per second.
• the speed of a network is the actual rate of data
transfer in a given time, measured in bits per
second.
• the range of a network is the maximum distance
a signal is able to reach.
• network latency is the delay between a signal
being sent and received measured in
milliseconds. Paper 01 2206, Q1(a)(iv) asks for a
definition of latency.
Paper 01 Specimen 3, Q4(b) asks students to
explain why the performance of a network can be
effected by its environment.
Students should be able to compare the suitability of
wired and wireless methods of connection, and
understand why many networks use a combination
of both.
4.1.5 understand that Students should know that network speeds are
network speeds are measured in bits per second, using base-10 denary
measured in bits multiples (SI units). They should be able to rank
per second (kilobit, these units of measurement in size order, and
megabit, gigabit) convert between units. See for example Paper 01
and be able to 2206, Q1(a)(iii).
construct
Students should be able to construct expressions
expressions
involving file size, transmission rate and time.
involving file size,
Statement Guidance
Students should:
transmission rate Paper 01 SAM, Q2(e) requires students to construct
and time an expression to show how many seconds it will take
to transmit 20 MiB of data using a transmission rate
of 2Mbps.
Paper 01 Specimen 1, Q5(d) asks for the expression
to calculate the minimum transmission rate required
to transmit a 250 MiB file in exactly one hour.
4.1.6 understand the role Students should understand that a communication

and need for protocol is a set of rules governing data
network protocols transmission between devices.
(Ethernet, Wi-Fi,
They should know that HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, POP3,
TCP/IP, HTTP,
SMTP and IMAP are network protocols operating at
HTTPS, FTP) and
the application layer of the TCP/IP stack (see SP
email protocols
4.1.7) and be able to outline what each does.
(POP3, SMTP,
IMAP) Students should know that POP3 and IMAP are email
protocols and understand how each of them handles
emails. See for example Paper 01 Specimen 3, 4(a).
They should know that TCP/IP operates at the
transport layer of the TCP/IP stack and understand
its role in splitting data into packets.
They should know that Ethernet and Wi-Fi operate
at the link layer of the TCP/IP stack and understand
their role in data transmission.
There is no need for students to know all the
individual protocols that make up the Ethernet and
Wi-Fi ‘families’ of protocols.
4.1.7 understand how the Students should understand that:

4-layer
• the TCP/IP model is a four-layer stack that
(application,
specifies how data is exchanged over the internet.
transport, Internet,
link) TCP/IP model • each layer of the stack is responsible for a specific
handles data part of the process.
transmission over a • different protocols operate in each layer of the
network stack. See Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q1(a).
• data passes down through the layers of the stack
when it is being sent and up through the layers
when it is received.
Students should be able to name the four layers of
the model, and put them in the correct order. They
should be able to describe the function performed by
each layer.
Paper 01 SAM, Q2(d) asks about the transport
Statement Guidance
Students should:
layer’s role in checking that incoming packets are
received correctly. Paper 01 Specimen 3, Q4(c) asks
about the use of checksums in the error-checking
process.
Student should know that data is split up into
packets for transmission across the internet, and
that a packet consists of a header, a payload, and a
footer.
Paper 01 SAM, Q2(c) asks about the contents of the
data packets.
4.1.8 understand Students should know that a network topology

characteristics of describes the arrangement of devices in a network.
network topologies They should know that:
(bus, star, mesh)
• in a bus topology all the devices are connected to
a single cable.
• in a star topology all the devices are physically
connected to a central node (switch/hub). Paper
01 Specimen 2, Q1(b)(i) asks students to
complete a diagram of a star network.
• a mesh network can be fully connected (each
device connected to all other devices) or partially
connected (only some devices connected directly
to one another). Paper 01 SAM, Q2(b) requires
students to complete a diagram of a fully
connected mesh network.
Students should understand how the characteristics
of a topology affect its performance, scalability,
reliability and security, and be able to select the
most appropriate topology for a given scenario.
Paper 01 Specimen 1, Q5(b) asks students to
describe a disadvantage of the bus topology and
Paper 01 2206, Q1(e) a disadvantage of the star
topology.
Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q1(b)(i) asks students why a
star topology is preferable to a bus topology.
4.2 Network security
4.2.1 understand the Students should know that network security is any
importance of activity designed to protect a network and its data
network security, from internal and external threats.
ways of identifying
They should know that a network vulnerability is a
network
weakness that can be exploited by a criminal to gain
vulnerabilities
Statement Guidance
Students should:
(penetration unauthorised access to information or resources,
testing, ethical and be able to give examples of vulnerabilities, such
hacking) and as weak passwords or poorly configured firewalls.
methods of
Students should be able to explain how internal
protecting networks
(white box) and external (black box) penetration
(access control,
testing is used to identify network vulnerabilities.
physical security,
firewalls) Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q1(e) asks about the use of
penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities that
could be exploited by people who work for an
organisation.
Students should know the difference between ethical
(white-hat) and criminal (black-hat) hackers and be
able to explain how ethical hacking helps to
identify and fix vulnerabilities.
They should know that the objective of access
control is to keep unauthorised users and devices
from gaining access to a network, and restricting
what authorised users are allowed to do.
Students should know what authentication is and
why multi-factor authentication provides greater
security.
They should know how file permissions (read, write,
delete and execute) are used to control what data
network users can access and what they are allowed
to do with it. (See also SP 3.2.1.) Paper 01
Specimen 1, Q5(c) asks students to explain what
type of access someone on work experience should
have to confidential data.
Students should know that physical security
methods are designed to prevent unauthorised
people from gaining physical access to network
components such as servers and desktop
computers. They should be able to give examples of
physical security measures.
Students should know how a firewall helps to
protect networks by monitoring incoming and
outgoing traffic and using a set of rule to determine
which traffic to allow in and out and which to bar.
See for example Paper 01 2206, Q1(c).
Topic 5: Issues and impact
Topic 5 is concerned with issues and impact associated with the use of
computing technology.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
5.1 Environmental
5.1.1 understand Students should know how activities related to the
environmental manufacture of digital devices, such as mining
issues associated operations, and component production, damage to
with the use of the environment. Paper 01 2023, Q3(d) asks about
digital devices the environmental impact of the large volume of
(energy water used in the manufacture of digital devices.
consumption,
Students should be aware of the environmental
manufacture,
issues associated with the energy consumption of
replacement cycle,
digital devices, including use of fossil fuels to
disposal)
generate electricity.
They should understand factors that contribute to
the short replacement cycle of digital devices,
such as smartphones, and be aware of initiatives to
address this issue. Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q2(a) ask
students for two ways in which the useful life of a
smartphone can be extended.
Students should understand the environmental
issues associated with the disposal of e-waste. See
for example Paper 01 SAM, Q3(a).
They should be able to explain ways of reducing the
impact of digital devices on the environment, such as
recycling of electronic waste and environmental
monitoring. See for example Paper 01 Specimen 1,
Q1(c).
5.2 Ethical and legal
5.2.1 understand ethical Students should know that an action is legal if it is

and legal issues in accordance with the law, and ethical if it is
associated with the considered to be the right thing to do, and that an
collection and use action may be legal but nevertheless unethical.
of personal data
They should know that personal data relates to an
(privacy,
identified or an identifiable individual. They should
ownership, consent,
understand the value of personal data to
misuse, data
organisations and ways in which personal data is
protection)
obtained, e.g. through cookies on website, location-
based apps and social media posts.
They should be aware of privacy concerns arising
from the collection and use of personal data.
Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in Computer Science – Getting started Guide
Statement Guidance
Students should:
Paper 01 SAM, Q3(c) addresses the data privacy
concerns associated with the use of digital assistant
technologies.
Students should know that data protection
legislation assigns individuals ownership of their
own personal data and requires organisations to
elicit consent before collecting data.
They should know the six data protection principles
set out in the legislation. Paper 01 Specimen 3,
Q2(c) for two of these principles.
Paper 01 2206, Q4(b) asks for two pieces of
information an organisation must tell people when
requesting consent to use their personal data.
Students should know that the use of cookies on
websites for collecting and storing personal data is
governed by legislation.
Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q4(c) asks students to discuss
the legal and ethical issues associated with a
company’s collection and use of data.
Students should know how computer misuse
legislation helps protect individuals’ personal data by
deterring hackers from accessing it.
5.2.2 understand ethical Students should understand that artificial

and legal issues intelligence (AI) is an umbrella term referring to
associated with the computer systems able to perform tasks normally
use of artificial requiring human intelligence, such as speech
intelligence, recognition and decision-making.
machine learning
They should know that:
and robotics
(accountability, • robotics involves creating autonomous systems
safety, algorithmic to perform specific tasks without human
bias, legal liability) intervention, and should be able to give
examples.
• machine learning involves training an algorithm
to learn from its inputs without being specifically
programmed to perform a task.
Students should understand the causes and impact
on individuals and communities of algorithmic
bias, and know about methods of reducing the risk.
See for example Paper 01 2206, Q4(c).
Paper 01 Specimen 3, Q2(e) asks for two ways that
the data used to train a machine learning algorithm
could cause algorithmic bias.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
Students should be aware of accountability and
safety concerns associated with the growing use of
these technologies.
They should recognise that there are currently few
legal provisions for these technologies, leaving
issues of liability and bias largely unregulated.
5.2.3 understand Students should know that intellectual property

methods of (IP) refers to creations of the human intellect and
intellectual property how copyright, patents and trademarks protect
protection for IP.
computer systems
Whilst students should be aware of the existence of
and software
legislation designed to protect IP, they do not need to
(copyright, patents,
know the details of any particular laws.
trademarks,
licensing) Students should know that licensing allows the
creator of a software application to specify how it
can be used and distributed. Whilst students do not
need a detailed knowledge of different types of
licences, they should be aware of the difference
between open-source and proprietary licences.
5.3 Cybersecurity
5.3.1 understand the Students should understand that malware is

threat to digital malicious software intentionally designed to cause
systems posed by harm.
malware (viruses,
They should be know the characteristics of
worms, Trojans,
different types of malware including:
ransomware, key
loggers) and how • how viruses and worms replicate and spread,
hackers exploit and what harm they do. See for example Paper
technical 01 Specimen 2, Q4(a).
vulnerabilities • how Trojans get themselves installed on a
(unpatched computer, and – once in situ – what they can
software, out-of- be used for.
date anti-malware)
and use social • how ransomware attacks are used by
engineering to criminals to extort money. Paper 01 SAM,
carry out Q3(b)(i) requires students to identify a
cyberattacks ransomware attack from a supplied screenshot.
• that a key logger records key strokes and
malicious uses for key loggers.
Students should know that hackers are criminals
who exploit technical vulnerabilities to break into
computer systems and networks and how they use
unpatched software and out-of-date anti-
malware to launch cyberattacks.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
Paper 01 SAM, Q3(b)(ii) asks why unpatched
software makes digital systems vulnerable to
cyberattacks. Paper 01 Specimen 2, Q4(b) asks why
software should be patched regularly.
Students should know how social engineering
works and be familiar with pretexting, phishing,
baiting and quid pro quo techniques.
Specimen 1, Q1(d) asks why clicking on a link in an
email from an unknown source is risky.
5.3.2 understand Students should know about methods of

methods of protecting digital systems and data.
protecting digital
They should know the purpose of anti-malware
systems and data
software and understand the difference between
(anti-malware,
signature-based and behaviour-based detection. See
encryption,
also SP 3.2.2.
acceptable use
policies, backup Students should know that encryption is the
and recovery process of encoding data so that it cannot be read by
procedures) anyone not in possession of the decryption key.
Student should know what is covered by and how
acceptable use policies help protect systems and
data. See for example Paper 01 SAM, Q3(d).
Students should be aware of the need for data
backup and recovery procedures and be able to
describe elements of these, e.g. RAID, off-site
storage and stand-by equipment/premises.
They should know the difference between
incremental and full backup, and understand why
files should be backed up regularly. See for example
Paper 01 Specimen 3, Q2(b) and Paper 01 2206,
Q4(a). (See also SP 3.2.2.)
Topic 6: Problem solving with programming
Topic 6 focuses on programming. Students should be competent at reading,
writing and debugging programs. They must use Python 3 to write programs.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
6.1 Develop code
6.1.1 be able to use Students should be able to use decomposition and

decomposition and abstraction to help them understand problems and
abstraction to design effective solutions.
analyse,
The levels-based mark scheme for Solution Design
understand and
allocates marks for use of these computational
solve problems
thinking techniques. See for example Paper 02
Specimen 2, Q05.
Students’ understanding of decomposition and
abstraction is assessed in Paper 01 (see SP 1.1.1),
and their ability to use them when developing code
in Paper 02.
6.1.2 be able to read, The PLS specifies which part of Python 3 students
write, analyse and should be able to use when working with code.
refine programs
With the exception of the final question, which
written in a high-
requires students to design and write a program
level programming
from scratch, questions on Paper 02 require them to
language
analyse and refine given code by correcting errors,
adding or rearranging lines, selecting the correct
line, improving readability, etc. See for example
Paper 02 2206, Q02, Q03 and Q04.
6.1.3 be able to convert Students should be able to:

algorithms
• Convert flowcharts into programs. See for
(flowcharts,
example Paper 02 Specimen 1, Q04 and Paper 02
pseudocode) into
Specimen 2, Q03.
programs
• Convert written descriptions given in questions
and in starter code into programs. See for
example Paper 02 SAM, Q06.
Students’ ability to follow and write algorithms is
assessed in Paper 01 (see SPs 1.2.1, 1.2.2 and
1.2.3), and their ability to convert algorithms into
code in Paper 02.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
6.1.4 be able to use Students should use a range of techniques to make

techniques (layout, their programs easy to read. They should be
indentation, consistent in their use of style conventions, such as
comments, bracketing conditional statements and leaving a
meaningful space between the name of a function and its
identifiers, white parameter list.
space) to make
Paper 02 SAM, Q02 requires students to improve the
programs easier to
readability of given code by choosing a more
read, understand
meaningful name for a variable, inserting white
and maintain
space and adding a comment.
The levels-based mark scheme for Good
Programming Practices awards marks for layout,
meaningful variable names, comments, and white
space. See for example Paper 02 Specimen 2, Q06.
Further information can be found in the Readability
section of the GPPG.
6.1.5 be able to identify, Students should know how to locate and fix syntax
locate and correct errors in code. See for example Paper 02 Specimen
program errors 2, Q01 and Paper 02 2206, Q02.
(logic, syntax, run-
They should know how to use test data to identify
time)
run-time and logic errors which – if undetected –
would prevent code from functioning correctly. See
for example Paper 02 Specimen 2, Q04 and Paper 02
2206, Q03.
The levels-based mark scheme for Functionality
awards marks for error-free, robust solutions. See
for example Paper 02 Specimen 1, Q04.
Students’ understanding of types of errors is
assessed in Paper 01 (see SP 1.2.5). Their ability to
locate and correct errors in code in Paper 02.
6.1.6 be able to use Students should use logical reasoning to correctly

logical reasoning rearrange lines of code or select which line of code is
and test data to correct. See for example. Paper 02 Specimen 1,
evaluate a Q03.
program’s fitness
The levels-based mark scheme for Functionality
for purpose and
allocates marks for fitness for purpose. See for
efficiency (number
example Paper 02 2206, Q04.
of compares,
number of passes Students’ ability to use logical reasoning and test
through a loop, use data to evaluate algorithms is assessed in Paper 01
of memory) (see SP 1.2.7), and to evaluate programs in Paper
02.
Statement Guidance
Students should:
6.2 Constructs
6.2.1 understand the The PLS specifies the structural components and
function of and be programming constructs students should recognise
able to identify the
Further information can be found in the Supported
structural
Data types and conversion, Structured data types
components of
and Programming constructs sections of the GPPG.
programs
(constants, In Paper 02, students may be required to identify
variables, structural components used in given code. See for
initialisation and example Paper 02 Specimen 1, Q01.
assignment Students’ understanding of these structural
statements, components and their ability to recognise and use
command them in algorithms is assessed in Paper 01 (see SPs
sequences, 1.2.1 and 1.2.2). Their ability to use them in
selection, program code is assessed in Paper 02.
repetition,iteration,
data structures,
subprograms,
parameters,
input/output)
6.2.2 be able to write The PLS specifies the programming constructs

programs that students should be able to use when writing code.
make appropriate
Further information can be found in the
use of sequencing,
Programming constructs sections of the GPPG.
selection, repetition
(count-controlled, Students should be able to create code using
condition- combinations of these constructs.
controlled), In Paper 02 Specimen 1, Q04, marks are awarded
iteration (over for use of selection and repetition, and in Paper 02
every item in a Specimen 3, Q03 for creating a two-dimensional
data structure) and data structure.
single entry/exit
points from code Students’ understanding of these programming
blocks and constructs and their ability to recognise and use
subprograms them in algorithms is assessed in Paper 01 (see SPs
1.2.1 and 1.2.2). Their ability to use them in
program code is assessed in Paper 02.
6.3 Data types and structures
6.3.1 be able to write The alternative names for primitive data types
programs that used by Python are provided in the PLS.
make appropriate
Students should know that Python’s list data
use of primitive
structure is used to store sequences of items with
data types (integer,
the same data type (arrays) and sequences of items
real, Boolean, char)
Statement Guidance
Students should:
and one- and two- with mixed data types (records).
dimensional
They should be able to use indexing to access items
structured data
in one- and two-dimensional lists. See for example
types (string, array,
Paper 02 2023, Q06.
record)
The PLS provides details of loop constructs used to
iterate through data structures, and the list and
string subprograms students should be able to use.
Further information can be found in the Data types
and conversion, Structured data types, Programming
constructs and Supported subprograms sections of
the GPPG.
Students’ understanding of primitive and structured
data types is assessed in Paper 01 (see SP 1.2.2).
Their ability to use them in program code is assessed
in Paper 02.
6.3.2 be able to write Students should know the difference between

programs that variables and constants.
make appropriate
Although Python does not support constants in the
use of variables and
way most other high-level languages do, students
constants
are expected to adhere to the convention of using
upper case characters to name variables that hold
non-changing values, i.e. are behaving as if they
were constants.
Further information about variables and constants
can be found in the Data types and conversion
Paper 02 SAM, Q01 requires students to create an
integer variable named roll, initialise it to 0 and
subsequently assign the result of a library call to it.
They must also create a constant named SIDES and
give it the value 6.
Paper 02 2206, Q04 awards a mark for use of a
given constant.
Students’ understanding of variables and constants
is assessed in Paper 01 (see SP 1.2.2), and their
ability to use of them in Paper 02.
6.3.3 be able to write Students should know how to slice and concatenate
programs that strings, and should be able to use all of the built-in
manipulate strings string subprograms listed in the PLS.
(length, position,
They should know how to add a new line control
substrings, case
character to a string, and how to remove control
conversion)
characters from, and split a comma-separated value
Statement Guidance
Students should:
string read in from a file.
Paper 02 Specimen 1, Q05 awards a mark for use of
concatenation to build output strings.
Paper 02 Specimen 3, Q05 awards marks for
stripping off the newline control character at the end
of lines read in from a text file and splitting the lines
by comma.
Further information about string manipulation can be
found in the Structured data types and Supported
subprograms sections of the GPPG.
6.4 Input/output
6.4.1 be able to write Eliciting user input and displaying output are basic
programs that operations that all students should master.
accept and respond
Input prompts should be clearly worded. Students
appropriately to
should be aware that in some circumstances string
user input
input will need to be converted to a different data
type.
Paper 02 2206, Q01 requires students to use input
with a prompt, and convert string input to integer.
Output messages should be fit for audience and
purpose, with attention paid to spelling and
punctuation. Paper 02 2206, Q01 requires students
to use string concatenation to join parts of string
output.
The formatting strings section of the PLS provides
details of the string.format() method that students
should know how to use to customise output.
Unless specifically asked to use string.format(),
students are free to use the alternative f-string
method of formatting text strings.
Paper 02 Specimen 2, Q05 awards marks for use of
layout string for column headings and footers, and
formatting percentages to two decimal places.
Further information can be found in the Inputs and
outputs section of the GPPG.
6.4.2 be able to write The PLS provides details of the file operations
programs that read students should be able to use.
from and write to
Students should know the difference between writing
comma-separated
and appending items to a file and should run a
value text files
program more than once to ensure that it produces
Statement Guidance
Students should:
the correct file outcome.
Paper 02 2206, Q05 requires students to write data
to a file, and Paper 02 Specimen 3, Q05 to read data
from a file.
Further information about working with files can be
found in the Inputs and outputs section of the GPPG.
6.4.3 understand the Students should understand the need for

need for and be validation, and be able to write basic validation
able to write routines to check the validity of user input, e.g.
programs that checking that an entered string has a minimum
implement length or checking that a value entered lies within a
validation (length given range.
check, presence
Students are only expected to use string
check, range check,
manipulation functions to check for simple patterns.
pattern check)
Paper 02 SAM, Q3 requires students to add
validation to a program so that it only accepts
numbers from 1 to 20.
Paper 02 Specimen 2, Q03 requires students to write
code to perform a presence check and a length
check validation.
Students should be aware that a while loop that
terminates only when a correct input is received is
an effective way of validating user input.
6.4.4 understand the Students should understand the need for

need for and be authentication, and be able to write basic
able to write authentication routines, e.g. checking that a correct
programs that username and/or password has been entered by
implement comparing the input with a value stored in a list.
authentication (ID
Paper 02 SAM, Q6 requires students to write a
and password,
program to authenticate system logins.
lookup)
6.5 Operators
6.5.1 be able to write Students should be able to use arithmetic

programs that use operators in calculations.
arithmetic
A table of operators is provided in the PLS.
operators (addition,
subtraction, Further information can be found in the
division, Programming constructs sections of the GPPG.
multiplication, In Paper 02 Specimen 1, Q04 the accurate use of
modulus, integer arithmetic operators is a consideration for the award
division, of functionality marks in the levels-based mark
Statement Guidance
Students should:
exponentiation) scheme.
Students’ ability to use arithmetic operators in
algorithms is assessed in Paper 01 (see SP 1.2.3),
and in code in Paper 02.
6.5.2 be able to write Students should be able to use relational

programs that use operators in comparisons.
relational operators
(equal to, less
than, greater than, Further information can be found in the
not equal to, less Programming constructs sections of the GPPG.
than or equal to, In Paper 02 Specimen 1, Q04 the accurate use of
greater than or relational operators is a consideration for the award
equal to) of functionality marks in the levels-based mark
scheme.
Students’ ability to use relational operators in
algorithms is assessed in Paper 01 (see SP 1.2.3),
and in program code in Paper 02.
6.5.3 be able to write Students should be able to use logical operators to

programs that use combine multiple expressions that produce a single
logical operators true or false outcome.
(AND, OR, NOT)
Further information can be found in the
Programming constructs sections of the GPPG.
Paper 02 Specimen 2, Q04 requires students to use
a logical operator to test the validity of the value
entered by the user.
Students’ ability to use these operators in algorithms
is assessed in Paper 01 (see SPs 1.2.3 and 1.3.1),
and in program code in Paper 02.
6.6 Subprograms
6.6.1 be able to write The PLS specifies the built-in and library modules
programs that use students should be able to use.
pre-existing (built-
Further information can be found in the Supported
in, library) and user
subprograms sections of the GPPG.
devised
subprograms Paper 02 SAM, Q1 requires students to import the
(procedures, random library and use the random.randint()
functions) subprogram to simulate the roll of a dice.
In Paper 02 Specimen 2, Q04 students must write or
complete the definition of two subprograms.
Students’ understanding of the benefits of using
Statement Guidance
Students should:
subprograms is assessed in Paper 01 (see SP 1.1.2).
Their ability to use pre-existing and user-defined
subprograms in program code is assessed in Paper
02.
6.6.2 be able to write Students should know how to write subprograms

functions that may that take parameters and ones that return one or
or may not take more values to the calling code.
parameters but
In Paper 02 2023, Q05 students are required to
must return values
write a procedure to display a welcome message and
and write
call the procedure in the main program.
procedures that
may or may not Further information can be found in the Subprograms
take parameters section of the GPPG.
but do not return Paper 02 Specimen 2, Q04 awards marks for
values correctly completing a subprogram definition by
adding parameters and calling the subprogram with
the correct arguments in the correct order.
In Paper 02 2023, Q05 students are required to
change the names of a subprogram’s parameters and
then use these local variables rather than global
variables in the body of the subprogram.
6.6.3 understand the Students should understand the difference between
difference between local variables and global variables.
and be able to write
They should understand the concept of scope and
programs that
know that the same identifier can mean different
make appropriate
things in different scopes.
use of global and
local variables They should understand why it is good practice to
minimise the use of global variables.
Further information can be found in the Subprograms
Paper 02 Specimen 3, Q05 awards a mark for using
only local variables.
The Python keyword ‘global’ isn’t included in the PLS.
If a variable is needed everywhere it should be
declared and initialised at the level of the main
program.
6. Assessment guidance
Paper 01: Principles of Computer Science

Paper code: 1CP2/01
What is assessed?
Assesses Topics 1–5 of the subject content
Key features
• A 1 hour 30 minutes written paper

• Marked out of 75
• Worth 50% of the qualification
• Five compulsory questions, each with multiple parts
• Each question assesses aspects of a single topic from the subject content
• The order in which topics appear in the paper will vary from series to series
• Students write their responses in the answer book provided
• Use of a calculator is not permitted
• First assessment May/June 2022
Question types
• A mix of multiple choice, short, medium and extended open response,

tabular and diagrammatic items
• One essay-style question that is marked using a levels-based mark scheme
and is worth 6 marks
• One 6-mark practical question, such as designing an algorithm for a
particular purpose, that is marked using a points-based mark scheme
• Includes some questions that target computer-related mathematics
Paper 02: Application of Computational Thinking
Paper code: 1CP2/02
What is assessed?
Assesses Topic 6 of the subject content
Key features
• A 2 hour practical, computer-based, onscreen exam

• Marked out of 75
• Worth 50% of the qualification
• Six compulsory practical programming questions that require students to
design, write, test and refine programs, using a subset of Python 3 (the
PLS) and an integrated development environment (IDE) with which they
are familiar
• Students are provided with code files, a hard copy of the question paper
and the PLS document
• Includes some questions that target computer-related mathematics
• Use of USB memory sticks of other storage devices is not permitted
• First assessment May/June 2022
Question types
• There are just two question types – students will either be required to
amend a given piece of code or to write code from scratch.
• Some questions have a points-based mark scheme; some use a
combination of points-based and levels-based.
• The levels-based mark schemes reward students for the functionalityof
their programs, the quality of their designs and evidence of good
programming practice.
Conducting the exam
• Centres must set up a designated secure user area for each candidate in
advance of the exam taking place.
• Students must not be able to save any files that they produce during
the exam anywhere other than in their designated secure user area and
must not be able to access this area at any time other than during the
exam.
• On the morning of the exam, centres must download, unzip and place the
secure files in each candidate’s secure user area.
• The secure files will include the Programming Language Subset (PLS),
code samples (*.py), and comma-separated value formatted text files
(*.txt) where required.
• There is no need for students to have access to a printer during the
exam, nor should they be provided with printed copies of the secure data
files.
• Students are not allowed to refer to textbooks, centre-prepared manuals
or access shared folders during the examination, but may use theoffline
help facilities provided by the IDE.
• At the end of the exam, centres must create a zipped folder for each
candidate containing all files that they created during the exam and
upload them to Edexcel to be marked.
• The Instructions for the Conduct of the Examination (ICE) document
provides further information.
The sample assessment materials (SAMs), specimen and past exam papers
available on the GCSE Computer Science section of the Pearson website, are a
valuable source of reference. They illustrate the format and style the two exams
and the types of questions studentsare likely to encounter.
Assessment objectives
Ofqual has set three assessment objectives (AOs) for GCSE Computer Science,
which all specifications must adhere to.
AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of

the key concepts and principles of computer 30%
science
AO2 Apply knowledge and understanding of key

40%
concepts and principles of computer science
AO3 Analyse problems in computational terms:

• to make reasoned judgements
30%
• to design, program, test, evaluate and
refine solutions
AO1 – Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the key

concepts and principles of computer science
Questions targeting AO1 require students to demonstrate what they have
learned about the subject content of the specification.
30% of the total marks for the qualification is allocated to this AO, of which no
more than half can be for recall of facts. AO1 is assessed in Paper 01 only.
SAM Paper 01, Q3(a) uses the command word ‘state’, indicating that
straightforward knowledge recall is required. Students are asked for two
environmental issues associated with the disposal of digital technology.
SAM Paper 01, Q3(b)(ii) is more demanding, requiring students to demonstrate
their understanding of why digital systems may be vulnerable to cyberattacks.
The command word ‘explain’ signals that an element of justification must be
provided in the response, e.g. ‘Software may contain security bugs (1), because
it is unpatched (1).’
Explain questions are worth two marks.
Paper 01, 2022, Q1(c) asks students to describe how a firewall protects a LAN.
Students must provide two linked statements in their response, e.g. ‘A firewall
uses a set of rules (1), to determine which data to allow into or out of the
network.’.
Describe questions are worth between two and four marks and are assess
understanding
AO2 – Apply knowledge and understanding of the key concepts

and principles of computer science
Questions targeting AO2 require students to apply what they have learned
about an aspect of the subject content to a particular context or contexts.
40% of the total marks for the qualification is allocated to this AO – split evenly
across the two papers.
SAM Paper 01, Q3(b)(i) is an example of a straightforward question requiring
students to apply their knowledge to a given context – in this case a
notification of a ransomware attack that appears on a computer screen.
SAM Paper 02, Q02 illustrates how application of knowledge is assessed in the
practical paper. Students are told which three lines of code contain syntax
errors, so that finding and fixing the errors is relatively straightforward.
Another requirement of SAM Paper 02, Q02 is to change the identifier of a
variableto a more meaningful name. In doing so, students, must apply their
understanding of what constitutes a meaningful name in the given context.
SAM Paper 01,Q1(g) illustrates how the requirement to apply understanding
may be assessed in Paper 01. Students must calculate the file size of a given
bitmap image.
AO3 – Analyse problems in computational terms to make reasoned

judgements, and to design, program, test, evaluate and refine
solutions
30% of the total marks for the qualification is allocated to AO3, which is
assessed in Paper 02 only.
There are two strands to this assessment objective:
3.1. make reasoned judgements
3.2. design, program, evaluate and refine solutions.
‘Reasoned judgements’ are those based on a logical chain of thinking.
Of the 15 marks allocated to SAM Paper 02, Q4, 9 marks are for exercising
reasoned judgement and logic in order to rearrange lines of code so that the
correct outputis generated for each value in a given set of test data.
Strand 3.2 is further subdivided into:
3.2a: design solutions
3.2b: program solutions
3.2c: evaluate and refine solutions.
SAM Paper 02, Q06 assesses all three. Students must decompose the problem
and design a logical solution, using appropriate programming constructs,
variables and data structures (3.2a). Their solution must demonstrate good
programming practices, such as use of meaningful identifiers, effective
commenting and good use of white space/layout (3.2b). They must produce a
functioning program that meets requirements and is fit for audience and
purpose, indicating that effective testing/refinement has been carried out (3.2c).
Computer-related mathematics
The two papers each have a minimum of 8% of the marks allocated to the
assessment of computer-related mathematics. These are questions that require
students to use mathematics for activities, such as:
● Constructing a general expression that uses one or more arithmetic, relational
and/or logical operators, such as SAM Paper 02, Q3, which requires students
to use relational and logical operators to validate input.
● Interpreting conditional statements, such as those used in selection
statements or loop terminating conditions, that contain operators, e.g. SAM
Paper 01, Q5(d), which requires students to complete a trace table to show
the execution of a program.
● Constructing an expression for calculating a file size, e.g. SAM Paper 01,
Q1(h), or how long it would take to transmit a 20 MiB data file across a
network, e.g. SAM Paper 01, Q2(e).
● Constructing a formula to carry out a calculation, e.g. SAM Paper 02, Q5 that
involves calculating the volume of a cone.
Command words
A defined set of command words are used across the papers to indicate
the type of response expected – 13 in Paper 01 and just 2 in Paper 02.
This means that students know what type of response is expected and can
provide an appropriate answer
A list of these command words, their definitions and mark tariffs is provided in
Appendix 1 of the specification. These are fixed for the life of the qualification
and will be applied by examiners consistently year-on-year.
Students should be encouraged to read questions carefully and should be taught
the meaning of the command words used in examination questions and the
significance of the number of marks allocated to a question.
Mark schemes
Questions that require relatively short responses – a few words, a couple of
sentences, a diagram, a flowchart, or a piece of code – are marked using a pre-
determined, points-based mark scheme (PBMS). Those that require longer
answers and have a higher mark tariff, often have a levels-based mark scheme
(LBMS), since there are multiple valid approaches students can take when
answering them.
A LBMS describes three levels of response. Each level is associated with a band
of one or more marks. Examiners apply the principle of ‘best fit’ when deciding
what mark to award.
Most items in Paper 01 are marked using a PBMS. However, there is one 6-mark
‘essay’ question which has a LBMS (see for example SAM Paper 01, Q4(e)).
Paper 02 has some exclusively points-based questions (see for example SAM
Paper 02, Q01 and Q02) and some questions that use a combination of points-
based and levels-based (see for example SAM Paper 02, Q05, which has one
LBMS, Q03 which has two and Q06 which has three). Students receive a mark
for each accurate piece of code in their response (points-based) and a mark for
the holistic quality of their entire response (levels-based).
Each LBMS in Paper 02 focuses on a different aspect of a student’s response –
solution design, good programming practices and functionality – all of which
students should be doing routinely when programming. A maximum of three
marks are awarded for each.
The bulleted descriptors for each level are designed to help examiners decide on
the ‘best fit’. Not all bullets are relevant to every question.
You can see the LBMS grids in the Sample Assessment Material (SAM). They do
not change over time.
7. Planning
GCSE Computer Science is intended to be taught in 120–140 Guided Learning
Hours. This equates roughly to two 1-hour lessons a week over two years (or
equivalent).
It is important to bear in mind that both exams have the same weighting, so
equal curriculum time should be given to cover the subject content for each. One
popular approach is to have one ’theory’ lesson (focusing on Topics 2–5) and one
‘practical’ lesson (focusing on Topics 1 and 6) each week.
Computational thinking and problem-solving with programming (Topics 1 and 6)
are at the core of the qualification and should be taught in tandem throughout
the course.
Opportunities to link theory and practical work should be identified and utilised
wherever possible.
Time should be set aside at regular intervals, e.g. each half-term/term, for some
form of interim assessment.
A variety of tactics should be employed to prevent students forgetting what they
have already learned and avoid cramming it all in at the last minute. This could
be by incorporating short reviews of previously taught concepts into ongoing
lessons, setting homework tasks that require past learning to be revisited, or by
using mixed-topic quizzes that require students to retrieve knowledge spanning
the entire GCSE content.
We recommend using the PRIMM approach to develop students’ programming
skills. PRIMM stands for
• Predict
• Run
• Investigate
• Modify
• Make
Using this approach, students start by reading and understanding code before
they progress to writing programs.
8. Support
Pearson is committed to supporting great computer science teaching. We have
put together a comprehensive package of free support to help you plan and
implement the GCSE in Computer Science. It includes help with:
Planning – Our interactive Scheme of Work has a comprehensive set of
lesson plans, class and homework activities and solutions that cover all the
subject the whole content and is fully customisable.
Understanding the assessment requirements – The sample assessment
material will help you familiarise yourself with the format and level of demand
of the two exams and understand how your students’ papers will be marked.
In addition, three sets of specimen papers provide further practice questions
and can be used as mocks.
Examiner marked student exemplars – Examiner commentary on student’s
responses, demonstrating application of the mark scheme and showcasing
answers.
Free access to our online ResultsPlus service – provides detailed
analysis of your students’ exam performance, allowing you to track and
analyse and your students’ progress.
Free access to marked exam scripts for Paper 01 – so you can easily
review your students’ performance.
Expert subject advice – Tim Brady, your dedicated Computer Science
Subject Advisor, is a direct and personal source of help and support. You can
sign up to receive Tim’s regular updates, call him on 0333 016 4160 or email
him at [email protected].
Facebook support group –https://www.facebook.com//groups/140885586105397/
Training events – When it comes to tracking progress and preparing for
assessment, we’ll provide support and resources to help you and your students
throughout the course. Check out are CPD courses on the Pearson Professional
Development Academy.
• Planning and delivering the new GCSE Computer Science specification
from 2020.
• Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Computer Science: Introduction to Onscreen
Assessment followed by training for each question on paper 2 (6
additional recordings).
Assessment Specimen set 1 followed by training for each question on
paper 2 (6 additional recordings).
• Introduction to Onscreen Assessment Specimen set 2 followed by
training for each question on paper 2 (6 additional recordings).
Assessment Specimen (Set 3) followed by training for each question on
paper 2 (6 additional recordings).
• Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Computer Science: Feedback on Summer
exams - Components 1 and 2 (one for each summer series)
Wide range of free and paid for resources – new updated versions of the
Pearson Edexcel Student Book, an Active book (eBook) version of the Student
Book, Revision Guideand Revision Workbook to support the new specification.
Video resources – for those new to the onscreen paper 2 – these videos
presented by Tim Brady, subject advisor, are designed to walk through each of
the 6 questions in paper 2 SAMs. These can be found on our website under
teaching and learning resources:
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/computer-
science-2020.coursematerials.html#%2FfilterQuery=category:Pearson-
UK:Category%2FTeaching-and-learning-materials. Also available are videos on
working with text files.
Book an appointment with your subject advisor
March 2020
For information about Edexcel, BTEC and LCCI qualificationsvisit

qualifications.pearson.com
Pearson Edexcel is a registered trademark of Pearson Education Limited
Pearson Education Limited. Registered in England and Wales No. 872828

Registered Office: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL.
VAT Reg No GB 278 537121

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GCSE (9-1)

All information in this specification is correct at the time of going to publication.

All the material in this publication is copyright

 On-screen programming exam in which students use Python the Integrated

 A defined programming language subset (PLS) – specifying exactly what

 Focus on teaching programming fundamentals and transferrable skills rather than

 No need for students to learn a separate pseudocode language – freeing up

 Comprehensive support – helping you to plan and implement the course

What is included in each topic

 benefits of using decomposition, abstraction and subprograms

 working with algorithms, expressed as flowcharts, written descriptions and

 determining the correct output of an algorithm for a given set of data

 using a trace table to perform a dry-run of an algorithm

 types of errors found in algorithms and programs

 correcting logical errors in algorithms

 how standard sorting and searching algorithms work

 evaluating the fitness for purpose of an algorithm

 constructing truth tables

 why computers use binary

 adding and shifting binary numbers, overflow

 converting between hexadecimal and binary, ehy hexadecimal is used

 binary representation of text, images and sound

 using binary multiples, and constructing expressions to calculate file sizes

 the need for and different methods of data compression

 the purpose of an operating system and utility software

 robust software, and methods of identifying software vulnerabilities

 low-level and high-level programming languages

 how interpreters and compilers translate high-level code

 reasons for connecting computers in a network, and types of network

 how the internet is structured

 characteristics of wired and wireless connectivity

 constructing expressions involving file size, time, and transmission rate

 network protocols and the TCP/IP stack

 common network topologies

 network security, and ways of identifying vulnerabilities and protecting

5. Issues and impact

 environmental issues associated with the use of digital devices

 methods of intellectual property protection for computer systems and

 using decomposition and abstraction to understand and solve problems

 identifying the structural components of programs

 converting algorithms into code

 designing, writing and debugging programs

 using techniques to make programs easy to read and maintain

 manipulating and formatting strings

 implementing validation and authentication

 responding to user input

 reading from and writing to text files

 using pre-existing and user-defined subprograms

The Programming Language Subset (PLS)

The assessment consists of two equally weighted, non-tiered components – one

Paper 01: Principles of Computer Science

Paper 02: Application of Computational Thinking

Practical Programming Statement (PPS)

Topic 1: Computational thinking

Statement Additional information

1.1 Decomposition and abstraction

1.1.2 understand the Students should know what a subprogram is and

1.2.1 be able to follow Students should know what an algorithm is and

1.2.4 be able to Students should be able to determine the correct

1.2.5 understand types of Students should know the difference between