OCR A-level Computer Science Year 13 revision

Topic 1.1: Processors, input, output and storage devices

Processors, input, output and storage looks in depth at how a computer's hardware works and performs.

We will study the A L U, control unit, registers and buses, the fetch decode execute cycle, and pipelining.

Then we compare architectures, C I S C and R I S C, G P Us and parallel systems, storage technologies, and specialist input and output devices.

1. 1.1.1Structure of the processor: ALU, control unit, registers and busesFree 28 questions
2. 1.1.2Fetch-decode-execute cycle and factors affecting processor performance32 questions
3. 1.1.3Pipelining and its hazards25 questions
4. 1.1.4Von Neumann, Harvard and contemporary processor architectures27 questions
5. 1.1.5CISC and RISC, GPUs, multicore and parallel systems26 questions
6. 1.1.6Primary and secondary storage: RAM, ROM, magnetic, flash, optical and virtual storage73 questions
7. 1.1.7Input and output devices and their specialist applications48 questions

Topic 1.2: Software and software development

It builds on what you learned at AS in Software and software development, and takes it further.

There are 13 parts: we start with operating systems, and finish with object-oriented design and UML class diagrams.

1. 1.2.1Operating systems: memory management, paging, segmentation and virtual memoryFree 48 questions
2. 1.2.2Interrupts and scheduling algorithms30 questions
3. 1.2.3Types of operating system, BIOS, device drivers and virtual machines32 questions
4. 1.2.4Applications, utility software, open source and closed source licensing32 questions
5. 1.2.5Translators: compilers, interpreters and assemblers26 questions
6. 1.2.6Stages of compilation, linkers, loaders and libraries33 questions
7. 1.2.7Software development methodologies: waterfall, agile, extreme programming, spiral and RAD23 questions
8. 1.2.8Systematic approach to problem solving: analysis, design, implementation, testing and evaluation25 questions
9. 1.2.9Testing and debugging strategies: test data, test plans, white-box and black-box testing33 questions
10. 1.2.10Programming paradigms: procedural, declarative and object-oriented30 questions
11. 1.2.11Assembly language, Little Man Computer and addressing modes22 questions
12. 1.2.12Object-oriented programming: classes, objects, inheritance, encapsulation and polymorphism32 questions
13. 1.2.13Object-oriented design and UML class diagrams41 questions

Topic 1.3.1: Compression, encryption and hashing

It builds on what you learned at AS in Compression, encryption and hashing, and takes it further.

There are 2 parts: we start with data compression, and finish with encryption.

1. 1.3.1.1Data compression: lossy and lossless, run-length encoding and dictionary codingFree 24 questions
2. 1.3.1.2Encryption: symmetric and asymmetric, digital signatures and certificates31 questions

Topic 1.3.2: Databases

It builds on what you learned at AS in Databases, and takes it further.

There are 4 parts: we start with databases, normalisation and SQL, and finish with transaction processing, ACID, record locking and redundancy.

1. 1.3.2.1Databases, normalisation and SQLFree 28 questions
2. 1.3.2.2Entity-relationship modelling and relational database concepts35 questions
3. 1.3.2.3Indexing, primary, secondary and foreign keys, and referential integrity23 questions
4. 1.3.2.4Transaction processing, ACID, record locking and redundancy36 questions

Topic 1.3.3: Networks

It builds on what you learned at AS in Networks, and takes it further.

There are 4 parts: we start with networks, and finish with network security.

1. 1.3.3.1Networks: LANs, WANs, topologies, client-server and peer-to-peer66 questions
2. 1.3.3.2Network protocols, the TCP/IP stack and DNS73 questions
3. 1.3.3.3Packet switching, circuit switching, routers and gateways28 questions
4. 1.3.3.4Network security: firewalls, proxies and threats73 questions

Topic 1.3.4: Web technologies

It builds on what you learned at AS in Web technologies, and takes it further.

There are 2 parts: we start with web technologies, and finish with search engine indexing and the PageRank algorithm.

1. 1.3.4.1Web technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and client-side versus server-side processing34 questions
2. 1.3.4.2Search engine indexing and the PageRank algorithm26 questions

Topic 1.4: Data types, data structures and algorithms

It builds on what you learned at AS in Data types, data structures and algorithms, and takes it further.

There are 12 parts: we start with number bases and signed integers, and finish with half and full adders and D-type flip-flops.

1. 1.4.1Number bases and signed integers: binary, hexadecimal, sign and magnitude, two's complementFree 72 questions
2. 1.4.2Floating-point representation and normalisation62 questions
3. 1.4.3Floating-point arithmetic, rounding errors and precision66 questions
4. 1.4.4Bitwise manipulation, shifts and masks60 questions
5. 1.4.5Character sets (ASCII, Unicode) and primitive data types70 questions
6. 1.4.6Arrays, records, lists and tuples26 questions
7. 1.4.7Stacks, queues and linked lists30 questions
8. 1.4.8Graphs, trees and traversalFree 24 questions
9. 1.4.9Hash tables and dictionaries25 questions
10. 1.4.10Logic gates, Boolean expressions and De Morgan's laws56 questions
11. 1.4.11Boolean simplification and Karnaugh maps54 questions
12. 1.4.12Half and full adders and D-type flip-flops57 questions

Topic 2.1: Elements of computational thinking

It builds on what you learned at AS in Elements of computational thinking, and takes it further.

We will go through it step by step.

1. 2.1.1Abstraction, automation and computational thinking29 questions

Topic 2.2: Problem solving and programming

It builds on what you learned at AS in Problem solving and programming, and takes it further.

There are 5 parts: we start with programming constructs, variable scope and parameter passing, and finish with divide and conquer, backtracking and heuristics.

1. 2.2.1Programming constructs, variable scope and parameter passingFree 36 questions
2. 2.2.2Modularity, functions and procedures, and use of IDE tools31 questions
3. 2.2.3Recursion and recursive algorithmsFree 24 questions
4. 2.2.4Computational methods: problem recognition, decomposition, data mining, performance modelling and visualisation25 questions
5. 2.2.5Divide and conquer, backtracking and heuristics25 questions

Topic 2.3: Algorithms

It builds on what you learned at AS in Algorithms, and takes it further.

There are 2 parts: we start with big O notation, and finish with computability and complexity.

1. 2.3.1Big O notation: time and space complexity, tractable and intractable problems24 questions
2. 2.3.2Computability and complexityFree 23 questions

Topic NEA: Programming project (NEA)

The programming project, or N E A, is your chance to solve a real problem from start to finish.

We will choose a project and stakeholders, analyse the problem, and design the solution.

Then we develop it iteratively, test it thoroughly, evaluate it against success criteria, and write up the report.

1. NEA.1Choosing a project, identifying stakeholders and researching the problemFree 21 questions
2. NEA.2Analysis: requirements, success criteria and project scope25 questions
3. NEA.3Design: decomposition, algorithms, data structures and user interface26 questions
4. NEA.4Developing the solution: iterative development, coding style and technical complexity26 questions
5. NEA.5Testing the solution: test plans, evidence and iterative testing23 questions
6. NEA.6Evaluation: user feedback, assessment against success criteria and future improvements17 questions
7. NEA.7Writing the project report, documentation and time management23 questions

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