Getting ready for GCSE
“Learning objectives” ;)
 Give you confidence about teaching
GCSE Computing for the first time - it is
like driving or downhill skiing – all about
confidence!
 We will provide you with
 Info on where you can get help with
resources and support with curriculum
development
 Info on the 3 board offerings
 To show you how we do it
Introduction
 GCSE – an important step to confident
A-level pupils
 3 examinations boards:
 AQA
 OCR
 WJEC
 Although the assessment procedure for each
board is slightly different each has a controlled
assessment element which makes up 60% of
the final grade + an end-of-course
examination.
What’s in common?
 Theory on computer hardware (types of
memory, buses, binary, etct) and major
algorithm concepts (pseudocode,
flowcharts, good design flow, etc)
 Big exam in the end
 Controlled Assessments
 Pupils need to program to the standard
that wouldn’t be out of place at A-level a
couple of years ago (perhaps, even
now)
 Age compression!
What’s different




OCR has more “troops on the ground”
OCR first mover advantage
WJEC have on-screen activities
WJEC are not part of the EBACC
Teacher’s secret weapons?
 Know your theory
 Scratch/BYOB/Blockly
 Structured English+pseudocode for:




Assignment
Iteration
Selection
Input/Output
 Progranimate
 HTML+Javascript
 One text-based language: Python, DotNet,
Delphi, Java, JavaScript, Visual Basic, VBA,
Small Basic
If you have to stay 1 page
ahead of the pupils…
 Year 10:
 Buy yourself time: start with the ICT bits: usage,
society impact, safety, design
 Progranimate for flowcharts and pseudocode
http://www.progranimate.com/launch/launchMain.ht
ml?VB6
 Use CAS resources, a lot of them are aimed for selfstudy (ie. Most pupils don’t need you to complete
these)
 Identify the pupils who might have done some
programming, etc before and give them some of
these resources to present to class and put them in
charge of delivering them – warning - lots of stars,
recognition and chocolate will be needed!
Year 10…
 Get the easier task activity started –
determined by your skills level
 Get them started on the write-ups, etc.
Year 11
 You have now taught computing for a
year, you know how your pupils are
 Get to the hard topics
 Start on the remaining activities
 That’s it!
Top Tips for Success
You are not alone- look out for
resources on
CAS online
Exam board resources and material
Speak to people either here on
communicate through CAS online. There
always seems to be a expert there only to
eager and willing to help
• Visit a school already delivering it and work
with them – they will be happy to help!
•
•
•
OCR Computing
A452 Practical Investigation 30%
20 hours
OCR Scheme of Work on (ocr.org.uk)
Practical Investigation
Efficient and effective use of techniques
Technical understanding
Conclusions and Evaluation
A453 Programming Project 30%
20 hours
Planning
Development
Testing
Evaluation
Component 1: Practical Programming 50 hrs 60% of marks
Component 2: Computing Fundamentals 1hr 30mins exam, 40% of marks
Computing Guide (Mark Clarkson)
A451 Written Examination 40%
Theory topics
•2.1.1 - Fundamentals of Computer Systems
•2.1.2 - Computing Hardware
•2.1.3 - Software
•2.1.4 - Representation of data in computer
systems
•2.1.5 – Databases
•2.1.6 - Computer communications and
networking
AQA Computing
WJEC Computing
Unit 1 (45%) - 90 min exam
Unit 2 (30%) - 2 hour external assessment through a series of on-screen tasks.
Unit 3 (25%) - internally assessed and externally moderated 15 hour controlled assessment
OCR
AQA











This specification has one tier of assessment, with a single paper that
covers all of the grades A*–G.
Component 1 – Practical programming / Approx 50 hrs of
controlled assessment (2 tasks of 25 hours each)
60% of the marks / 126 marks (63 marks for each task) / 180 UMS
Internally assessed, externally moderated.
Different tasks will be provided by AQA each year.
Each student should complete two tasks from a choice of four.
Component 2 – Computing fundamentals 1 hour 30 minutes
40% of the marks / 84 marks / 120 UMS
Externally assessed. Schools/colleges can choose to enter students for
either a paper-based or on-screen version.
All questions will be compulsory and will be taken from across the subject
content.
This component will include a range of types of questions from very short
to extended answer.
AQA theory
AQA practical tasks
Link to AQA
sample task
scenario
WJEC






fully accredited from Sept 2012.
Linear specification is available in both England and Wales for first
assessment in summer 2014
Assessment is divided into three units:
Understanding Computer Science (45%) - 90 minute
examination to assess understanding of the theory content of the
specification.
Solving Problems Using Computers (30%) - 2 hour external
assessment to assess the practical application of knowledge and
understanding through a series of on-screen tasks.
Developing Computing Solutions (25%) - internally assessed
and externally moderated 15 hour controlled assessment to
develop a piece of work using programming software following a
task brief issued by WJEC. There is a choice of two task briefs
which can be found here.
WJEC On-screen activity
WJEC onscreen activity 2
Getting Started
Programming –
With BYOB and
Programinate
http://www.progranimate.com/launch/lau
nchMain.html?VB6
GCSE Programming





Input/Output
Sequencing
Selection
Iteration
Processing
 That’s it!
A mind map of GCSE Programming
Algorithm
Interacting with user/memory
Branching and choices
Working with data
Repetition and automation
Exercises:
 Custom functions:




Unit converter: km2miles
Then with validation
Then with choice of direction
Find average/min/max
 Same as above but with interface
 GUI widgets
 Writing to cells and files
How to deliver a successful
curriculum resources
1) Progranimate
http://www.progranimate.com/launch/launchMain.html
How to deliver a successful
curriculum resources
1) Progranimate
These same exercises can be given using
BYOB or a high level language
Very good at showing the introduction to programming
concepts and skills. Develops skills in developing
pseudocode and writing algorithms
Algorithm for each of the following set out as a flowchart or
pseudocode
Find the difference between two numbers.
Find the product of two numbers (this means to multiply the two
numbers).
Change the time in seconds to minutes
Change a volume in pints to litres (there are 2.2 pints in every litre).
Find the volume of a cone given its diameter and height
To find the volume of a cube given the length of a side.
To find the volume of a pyramid, given the length and breadth of its
base and its height.
To find the average speed of a car given the journey time and the
distance travelled.
Find the average of four numbers
Find the largest of four numbers
Find the smallest of four numbers
2) Developing Programs Further
Write an algorithm for a program where the computer randomly generates a number
between 1 and 1000. The program then invites a user to make a guess if the guess is too
high or low the program will display a suitable message. The program should keep track
of the number of guesses and terminate when the user has guessed the number
correctly or the number of guesses = 10.
You should produce an algorithm showing the design of the program
Once you have completed this then see if you can validate the program so that
only accepts numbers
will only accept numbers between 1 and 1000
will not accept any numbers guessed before (you will need to store previous guesses in a
list)
will not allow you to make a guess higher or lower than the previous one if the program
has told you that the number is too high or low
3) Lottery Program
Produce a program for the lottery. The program should select 6 numbers drawn at random
between 1 and 49. The program should drawn the numbers and once the numbers are
drawn they should not be capable of being drawn again. The program should then sort out
the numbers into order
3) Lottery Program
Produce a program for the lottery. The program should select 6 numbers drawn at random
between 1 and 49. The program should drawn the numbers and once the numbers are
drawn they should not be capable of being drawn again. The program should then sort out
the numbers into order
Extension Programming Activities


At GCSE Computing programming about logic. For the purposes of today we are going to
create a program used for teaching the main concepts
The program is going to

Allow the user to enter the number of numbers that they wish the program to generate

The numbers of numbers have to be greater than 0 but less or equal to a number decided
by the user

The program will a series of numbers generated between the lower and higher boundaries
decided by the user

The program will store the numbers generated in an array

The program will output the highest, lowest, average and total of the series of numbers
Features of BYOB



Use BYOB! – latest version of BYOB, shld be familiar for Scratch-ers
May need 2 (3?) paths



New to Scratch
Experienced Scratch-ers
Experienced BYOB-ers

Introduction
Three sections – separated by breaks and/or other theory sessions






Environment
Flow of control
Variables

Inc parameters

Lists
Procedures/functions
Data Structures
Following on …. Can then Illustrate examples from e.g. Python or VBA
4) Traditional approach to Hello
World with a twist
1) Take a traditional languages like VBA – add in some objects – images, command
buttons labels.
2) Mix it with some properties that can be manipulated on the screen – size, position and
colour
Starter – talk about properties and
events – with a label caption for our
hello world
Extension Programming Activities


At GCSE Computing programming about logic. For the purposes of today we are going to
create a program used for teaching the main concepts
The program is going to

Allow the user to enter the number of numbers that they wish the program to generate

The numbers of numbers have to be greater than 0 but less or equal to a number decided
by the user

The program will a series of numbers generated between the lower and higher boundaries
decided by the user

The program will store the numbers generated in an array

The program will output the highest, lowest, average and total of the series of numbers
Features of BYOB



Use BYOB! – latest version of BYOB, shld be familiar for Scratch-ers
May need these paths



New to Scratch
Experienced Scratch-ers
Experienced BYOB-ers

Introduction
Three sections – separated by breaks and/or other theory sessions






Environment
Flow of control
Variables

Inc parameters

Lists
Procedures/functions
Data Structures
Following on …. Can then Illustrate examples from e.g.. Greenfoot
(Java), or Python or VBA
Extension Programming Activities


At GCSE Computing programming about logic. For the purposes of today we are going to
create a program used for teaching the main concepts
The program is going to

Allow the user to enter the number of numbers that they wish the program to generate

The numbers of numbers have to be greater than 0 but less or equal to a number decided
by the user

The program will a series of numbers generated between the lower and higher boundaries
decided by the user

The program will store the numbers generated in an array

The program will output the highest, lowest, average and total of the series of numbers
4)b) How many lights do you see
with 2 switches?
Introduces on a simple level selection and the idea of value in this case the light must be on
or off
This is an example in VBA but this could be produced in any high level language
4c) How about you wanted to
use this in a disco
Introduce the idea of looping
Approaching the Assessment
Good Sources
Resources
www.python.org/docs/
What is Python/Why Python
Basic Python
-Python as a calculator
-Working with numbers
-Numeric and String Variables
AQA ‘Traditional’ Option: Gardening problem
OCR Investigation (Little Man Computer)
OCR Programming Tasks
GCSEComputing.org.uk
Mark Clarkson the unofficial teachers guide to OCR Computing
Text books Susan Robson – has written text books specific to OCR and AQA
(Programming)
GCSE Computing a fistful of theory
Underneath
the
Bonnet
Suggested teaching activities to
cover 1.2 Hardware




Role of the CPU – look at the functions of the CPU and processor
architecture – Fetch Execute Cycle
Programming in the LMC – how to use the LMC to add, subtract
and branching activities linked into a sample or live assessment
activity
Look at different types of computer memory – different types of
storage – optical, solid state and magnetic
Software – role of the operating system, utilities software, custom
made and open source software
For information only
 CSUnplugged activity for CPU and
instructions e.g.
http://cse4k12.org/how_computers_wor
k/index.html
 Move into LMC:
http://www.atkinson.yorku.ca/~sychen/
research/LMC/LMCHome.html
 Guide the instructions, relate
statements to both Snap! And previous
activity
Data Representation
Talking in
Binary
Data Representations




Converting from Binary to Hex, Hex to Binary
Binary addition
Logic gates including AND, OR and NOT
Look at various approaches and different examination questions
For information only
 See: http://csunplugged.org/binarynumbers
 And: http://nzacditt.org.nz/244as91371-plan-of-work-andaccompanying-resources
How to approach the controlled
assessment with confidence

A453 – Suggested sample activities to make up the 3 tasks – how
can these be used to support the teaching tasks



Example program from above
Spelling Game
Trip Planner program

A452 Suggested sample activities looking at the basic functions of
the LMC including addition, subtraction, how to sort using the
branching conditions.

Please contact me dtravi1@gmail.com if you require information on
these tasks