GCSE Computer Science

This is a book about GCSE Computer Science. The aim is it should be useful as a revision guide or to find alternative explanations to the ones in your textbook.

This book is not the work of a single author. We welcome both students and teachers to improve this book by adding and making changes. Explaining to someone else is one of the best ways to learn.

This book does not teach any specific programming language per se, but rather uses pseudocode and flowcharts to introduce programmng. There are plenty of other wikibooks available which deal adequately with each of the programming languages you might choose to use in studying GCSE Computer Science.

Contents by topic

Computer Data Representation

Binary systems (AQA 3.3, CIE 1.1.1, Ed 3.1, OCR 2.6)
Hexadecimal (AQA 3.3, CIE 1.1.2, Ed 3.1, OCR 2.6)
Data storage (AQA 3.3, CIE 1.1.3, Ed 3.2-3, OCR 2.6)

Computer Hardware

Logic Gates (AQA 3.4.2, CIE 1.3.1)
Computer Architecture (AQA 3.4.4, CIE 1.3.2, Ed 4.2.1/3, OCR 1.1)
Computer Memory (AQA 3.4.4, CIE 1.3.5, Ed 4.2.2, OCR 1.2)
Computer Storage (AQA 3.4.4, CIE 1.3.5, Ed 4.2.5-6, OCR 1.3)
Computer Input devices and Sensors (CIE 1.3.3)
Computer Output devices (CIE 1.3.4)

Computer Software

Computer Operating systems (AQA 3.4.3, CIE 1.3.6, Ed 4.4.1, OCR 1.7)
Computer Languages and Their Translators (AQA 3.2.13, CIE 1.3.7, Ed 4.5.1-2, OCR 2.5)

Algorithms

Algorithms and Problem Solving (CIE 2.1.1)

abstraction and decomposition (AQA 3.1.1, Ed 1.2, OCR 2.1)

Flowcharts (AQA 3.1.1, CIE 2.1.2,Ed 1.1.1, OCR 2.1)

The 3 Basic Constructs: sequence, selection and iteration (AQA 3.2.2, Ed 1.1.2, OCR 2.2)

Search Algorithms

linear search, binary search(AQA 3.1.3, Ed 1.1.8, OCR 2.1)

Sort Algorithms

bubble sort, merge sort (AQA 3.1.4, Ed 1.1.8, OCR 2.1)
insertion sort (OCR 2.1)

Testing and Improving Algorithms (CIE 2.1.1, Ed 1.1.9, OCR 2.1)

trace tables (AQA 3.1.1, CIE 2.1.1, Ed 1.1.5)

Programming

Pseudocode (AQA 3.2, CIE 2.1.2, Ed 1.1.1-2, OCR 2.1)
Constants, Variables and Data Types (AQA 3.2.1-2, CIE 2.2.1, Ed 2.3, OCR 2.2)
Operators (AQA 3.2.3-5, Ed 2.5, OCR 2.2)
String Handling (AQA 3.2.3-5, Ed 2.3.3, OCR 2.2)
Random numbers (AQA 3.2.8)
Input/output and file handling (AQA 3.2.7, Ed 2.4, OCR 2.2)
Subprograms, Subroutines and Functions (AQA 3.2.10-11, CIE 2.2.1, Ed 2.6, OCR 2.2)
Data Structures, Records and Databases (AQA 3.2.6, CIE 2.2.2 & 2.3, Ed 2.3.2, OCR 2.2)
Robust Programs (AQA 3.2.12, CIE 2.2.1, Ed 2.4.2, OCR 2.3)
GCSE Computer Science/Sequencing (AQA, CIE, Ed, OCR)

Computer Communications

Data transmission (CIE 1.2.3)
Using the Internet and other Networks (CIE 1.2.3)
Computer Networks (AQA 3.5, Ed 5,OCR 1.4-5)
Computer Security (AQA 3.6, CIE 1.4, Ed 5.1/3, OCR 1.6)

Internet Security (CIE 1.2.2, Ed 5.2)
Encryption (Ed 3.4)

Computer Ethics (AQA 3.7, CIE 1.5, Ed 6.1, OCR 1.8)

Content by Current Courses

You may access the content above of a particular courses by selecting course below (if you are not sure which is your course ask your teacher). These apart from the course introduction below these do not introduce new content but rather connect to the relevant parts of the above content: