Computer Science Information
Course Details and where to find the specification, course content and exam papers:
You are studying the OCR j277 Computer Science course which consists of two exam units:
J277/01 Computer Systems
J277/02 Computational thinking, algorithms and programming
The specification and course content can be found here:
https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse/computer-science-j277-from-2020/
Past papers and mark scheme are available on:
https://coplestonsuffolkschuk.sharepoint.com/sites/ICT/SitePages/Past-Papers.aspx
https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse/computer-science-j277-from-2020/assessment/
What is the exam structure?
This summer you will be sitting two exams
Both exam paper last 1hour and 30 minutes and are traditional exam papers with no calculator.
Each exam counts for 50% of your GCSE.
Each exam paper is marked out of 80 marks (roughly 1 minute / mark)
J277/01 Computer Systems
J277/02 Computational thinking, algorithms and programming
Online resources we subscribe to and recommend for studying and revision:
The department has set up user accounts for all year 11 GCSE Computer Science students on a platform called KnowItAllNinja.
Students have used this platform over the last three years to complete homework tasks (year 9 and 10) and can still access the content which includes interactive content, video clips and quizzes on all learning objectives of the course.
https://www.knowitallninja.com/
(Use your school email address to login)
Using your school login details you can also access your learning grids for unit 1 and unit 2:
https://www.clickict.co.uk/sso.asp?c=2771
https://www.clickict.co.uk/sso.asp?c=2772
What other resources do we recommend to students?
We recommend four main online resources to revise for your GCSE:
Your learning grids for unit 1 and 2:
https://www.clickict.co.uk/sso.asp?c=2771
https://www.clickict.co.uk/sso.asp?c=2772
Interactive Resources from 101Computing.net
https://www.101computing.net/ocr-j277-computer-science-gcse/
Course Content from https://www.csnewbs.com/ocr-gcse
Past Papers and Mark Schemes:
https://coplestonsuffolkschuk.sharepoint.com/sites/ICT/SitePages/Past-Papers.aspx
https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse/computer-science-j277-from-2020/assessment/
What does revision in this subject look like?
All the usual revision techniques (self-quizzing using flashcards, brain dumps, mind maps etc) are ideal for Computer Science.
Computer Science is very knowledge-heavy with a lot of short definitions and facts, so you need to spend a lot of time doing retrieval activities.
Revising using past papers and mark schemes is highly recommended.
Unit 2 will contain some programming tasks (on paper, using pseudocode syntax though you are allowed to use Python syntax when writing code) You should practise writing code to solve some coding challenges as part of your revision.
Are there any specific exam tips or strategies?
Learn the basics! Key definitions for all the keywords highlighted in bold on your learning grids.
Use computer science terminology rather than vague descriptions.
Remember your binary and hexadecimal conversion techniques!
Be confident with all the main programming techniques and with the programming syntax (Pseudocode / Python)
You should be familiar with the OCR Pseudocode syntax for GCSE:
https://www.ocr.org.uk/images/202654-pseudocode-guide.pdf
