paper-2-guidance

What is examined in the OCR A Level Computer Science Paper 2?

• It focuses on computational thinking, problem-solving skills, and algorithm design, building upon the foundational knowledge gained in component 01 (Computer Systems)

• The content assessed in Paper 2 (Component 02) includes:

  • Elements of computational thinking

  • Problem solving and programming

  • Algorithms

• The paper’s duration is 2 hours and 30 minutes

• The total number of marks available is 140

• Paper 2 represents 40% of the total A Level qualification

Assessment structure and questions:

• This is a written paper

• It consists of a mix of questions, including short answer, longer answer, and some higher tariff questions designed to test the quality of extended responses

• All questions are compulsory

• Calculators are not permitted in this examination

• The paper assesses Assessment Objectives (AO) AO1, AO2, and AO3:

  • AO1 (Knowledge and Understanding): Demonstrating knowledge and understanding of principles and concepts

    AO2 (Application): Applying knowledge and understanding to analyse problems in computational terms

  • AO3 (Solution Provision): Designing, programming, and evaluating computer systems, making reasoned judgments, and presenting conclusions

• The paper is divided into two sections:

  • Section A will contain questions covering writing algorithms and computational methods, programming, and programming techniques

    • These may include shorter answer questions

  • Section B will begin with a scenario that provides information for the questions that follow

    • These questions will largely be of a higher tariff, with problem-solving algorithms and programming forming the basis

Programming and algorithmic responses:

• Candidates will need to write answers in pseudocode

• When using pseudocode, learners are not expected to memorise the exact syntax shown in the syllabus guide, but their answers should be inferable by a competent programmer

• The general style for pseudocode will use keywords in lowercase (e.g., if, repeat, procedure), and identifiers in mixed case (e.g., NumberOfPlayers)

• Mathematical skills are embedded throughout the qualification and will be assessed in the written papers

• Synoptic assessment is included in this component, drawing together knowledge, understanding, and skills from different aspects of the A Level Computer Science course, especially building on Component 01

Key considerations for students:

• Develop strong computational thinking skills and practice applying them to problems

• Gain extensive practical experience in designing, writing, testing, and debugging programs using procedural/imperative and object-oriented languages

• Focus on the logic of algorithms and programs, as the exact programming language syntax is not examined, but the logic is considered more important

• Familiarise yourself with the specified pseudocode style

• Understand and be able to implement and compare standard searching and sorting algorithms

• Be prepared to write extended responses that demonstrate the quality of written communication