CIE A Level Computer Science topic introductions are not endorsed by Cambridge International. Please refer to the exam board specification to ensure that the full range of topics has been covered.
To access the course material, please click on the link to each section.
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What’s the secret to passing CIE A Level Computer Science?
It’s probably the worst kept secret in the world. It’s revision! Making regular use of great revision resources and tools that show you where to study next is the secret of most students success (we can’t help you study less, but we can help you to study better!).
The TeachAllAboutIt CIE A Level Computer Science revision resources have been designed to be used by both schools and individual students to help with learning and revision throughout your course of study.
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Each topic is divided into individual lessons supported by videos, quizzes, and a set of computer science revision notes that can be completed step by step to help you manage your learning every step of the way.
As the A level computer science syllabus for 2022 now includes a practical exam for paper 4, the programming topics in our revision course include practical programming exercises in Python and challenges for any programming language to help you develop your skills in using an IDE in your exam.
The revision topics and notes for the Cambridge international A Level Computer Science lessons have been developed to allow you to study independently at your own pace. This means that whether you are a teacher setting topics for homework or a home educated private candidate looking for extra study support, you’ll be able to work through the lessons in a way that suits you best.
As a student, you’ll be able to track your progress with our online gradebook which tracks your progress through the online quizzes and also allows your teacher (or parent) to add in extra grades for tests and practice papers as you go. You’ll see your grades topic by topic to help you identify the areas that you need to revise most.
Don’t just plough through – track progress!
As a teacher or parent, you’ll have an extra screen to help you track the progress of all learners attached to your account, showing you which topics they have completed and when alongside their overall score. You’ll be able to create classes to organise your students and broadcast classroom messages direct to their online course on a class by class basis.
For more information about the tools available to teachers and students for our courses, please visit the FAQs & Help page.
I’m New To A Level – Is CIE A Level Computer Science Hard?
This is a question that I’m asked as a tutor regularly and my honest answer is “it depends!”. Computer Science is best described as Maths with Toys and should be approached in the same way as any other A Level subject. For any student, I would recommend choosing the A Level subjects that you will enjoy as these are subjects that you’ll be studying for 5 – 10 hours each week for the next two years!
Although programming is an important part of Computer Science, it is just one piece of a very large puzzle that includes standard mathematical algorithms, understanding control systems, internal computer hardware, and the theory behind the internet and local area networks. In short, you’ll be learning a wide range of topics that will help you decide how to specialise once you reach university (because, our ultimate goal as teachers and tutors is to inspire you to take this further).
For most A Levels you’ll be expected to already have a high grade in the GCSE of the same subject (usually a 6 in the UK or B for international), but Computer Science doesn’t assume that you’ve studied the subject before if you want to begin the A Level. Instead, you’ll probably be asked to have a grade 6 or B in maths.
Does that mean that the GCSE or iGCSE shouldn’t be studied? Absolutely not! Having a GCSE Computer Science will help you understand the foundations of both theory and programming and make the A Level course significantly easier to study. Of course, the same applies to studying A Level Computer Science if you want to apply to University – it’s not always a requirement (where maths probably will be), but it will make things significantly easier.
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Throughout the course, key terms are shown in bold and underline. Hover over these words for more information.
Your Gradebook
Check your progress through the resources using our online gradebook. Your overall grade is an average of your quiz grades through the resources. Use the arrows on the left to expand each topic to see your individual quiz scores.
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