GCSE Computer Science in London at Ashbourne College

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Why study GCSE Computer Science

Almost every aspect of our lives is affected by computers, from how we travel to school and manage our social lives to vast networks that control global communication, trade, finance and transportation. In fact, using computers has become so integral to our daily lives it would be difficult to imagine life without them.

Understanding how computing shapes our world and learning the skills necessary to be a part of this digital revolution is vital for everyone. Studying GCSE Computer Science is a key pathway for young people to secure their role in a rapidly evolving job market that already demands high levels of computing skill and literacy.

GCSE Computer Science at Ashbourne

GCSE Computer Science is an exciting and creative subject at Ashbourne. You will receive expert tuition and guidance on developing the technical understanding, skills and language to create computer-based solutions and programs with practical, real-world applications.

You will use the latest iMacs and become familiar with the industry-standard programming languages including Python, Javascript, HTML and CSS.

Which syllabus do we follow?
Ashbourne follows the OCR specification for GCSE Computer Science.

Who teaches this course?
Irwin Chin
BEng Electrical Engineering (Imperial College, London); QTC in ICT (Hertfordshire University)

Irwin has been teaching Mathematics and Computer Science for more than 30 years, as well as lecturing in Electrical Engineering. Along with this extensive experience he brings a wealth of expertise in programming robotics and applying high-level programming languages. In his spare time, Irwin loves playing the piano, singing and writing children’s books. He is also a football coach and ref.

Sree Vidya Dharmarajan
MSc Computer Science and Engineering (NITK); BSc Computer Science and Engineering (Kerala University)

Sree Vidya has extensive training and years of professional experience as a senior software developer with major tech companies, as well as teaching Maths, Computer Science and Engineering. She loves to make complex concepts easy to understand by digging into the detail and finding creative ways for students to examine them.

What is covered in this course?

This course covers the computer systems, computational thinking, algorithms and programming and practical programming.

You will examine how computer systems are composed, function, what they can achieve, and the data types required to accomplish tasks. You will also learn different techniques to approach computer-based problem solving using high-level programming language like Python.

You will also examine the pressing issues of cyber security and ethics.

This part of the course constitutes 50% of the final exam.

You study the central processing unit (CPU), computer memory and storage, data representation, wired and wireless networks, network topologies, system security and system software.

It also looks at ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns associated with computer science.

This part of the course constitutes 50% of the final exam.

You apply knowledge and understanding gained in computer systems. You develop skills and understanding in computational thinking: algorithms, programming techniques, producing robust programs, computational logic and translators.

You will be given the opportunity to undertake a programming task during the course of study which allows you to develop their skills to design, write, test and refine programs using a high-level programming language. You will be developing programs in Python programming language.

You will be assessed on these skills during the written examinations.

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