Transferable skills subject interpretation for the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Computer Science (9-1)

Transferable skills will help students cope with the different demands of degree study and provide a solid skills base that enables them to adapt and thrive in different environments across
educational stages; and ultimately into employment.

A good international education should enable students to start developing transferable skills as early as possible. Developing these transferable skills where they naturally occur as part of
the International GCSE curriculum can help build learner confidence and embed the importance of this well-rounded development. This builds the foundations to ensure students are ready
for A-level and higher education.

Our approach to enhancing transferable skills in our International GCSEs ensures that it is not only the academic and cognitive skills that are developed, but those broader elements that
universities highlight as being essential for success. Skills such as self-directed study, independent research, self-awareness of own strengths and weaknesses and time-management are
skills that students cannot learn from a textbook but have to be developed through the teaching and learning experience that can be provided through an international curriculum.

To support the design of our qualifications, the Pearson Research Team selected and evaluated seven global 21st-century skills frameworks. Following on from this process, we identified
the National Research Council’s (NRC) framework as the most evidence-based and robust skills framework.

In the tables below, we have taken the NRC framework skills and provided an explicit definition of how each skill can be interpreted for this subject. This will enable teachers and learners
to understand examples of how they can develop each skill through this International GCSE.

Intrapersonal skills Interpersonal skills Cognitive skills

Adaptability Persisting in the face of difficulties, such Communication Able to communicate ideas to peers and Critical thinking Clarifying thoughts sufficiently so
when writing code or designing an algorithm. teachers and to discuss the logic of that they can be expressed in a form
algorithms and code (verbally or that a computer can carry out
written). Analyzing and identifying
possibilities and strategies to meet a
required process and outcomes.
Identifying the outcome of a
computational process.
Personal and Appreciating ethical issues in computer Collaboration Working with peers on shared tasks; Problem solving Solving problems is the core of
social science. giving feedback on peers on problem computer science
responsibility solving and other tasks. Problem solving skills include
breaking a large problem into a
number of smaller ones, recognizing
how problems relate to ones that
have been solved, setting aside
details of a problem that are less
important, and identifying and
refining the steps needed to reach a
solution.
Continuous Expanding skills and skill-sets through Teamwork Working with peers to solve problems Analysis Organising ideas and thinking both
Learning learning and increasing knowledge and create programs. creatively and logically.
Intellectual Willing to tackle challenging problems; Co-operation Share ideas with peers and supports Reasoning/argumentation Piecing together information, usually
interest and researching appropriate solutions and peers who are finding tasks difficult. to recommend or suggest further
curiosity seeking to widen knowledge and increase action.
understanding.
Work ethic/conscientiousness Interpersonal skills Giving feedback to peers that is Interpretation Evaluating alternative solutions or
appropriate and delivered in a way that techniques when presented with a
encourages them. small number of well-defined
alternatives.
Initiative Using computational skills to develop own Leadership Decision Making Judging multiple options or
understanding and problem solving abilities. alternatives, in order to select one,
 so as to best fulfil
requirements/needs.
Self-direction Demonstrating autonomous learning. Leadership Leading a group of peers to complete a Adaptive learning Using skills, knowledge and
task. understanding to respond the new
and unfamiliar challenges.
Responsibility Taking responsibility for finding and Responsibility Taking responsibility for the progress Executive function Analysing a situation, planning and
correcting errors in coding and algorithms. and outcomes of a group task involving taking action, maintaining attention,
problem solving or similar. and adjusting actions as needed to
complete a task.
Perseverance Seeking to remove all errors in code and Assertive Leading the discussions in a group task Creativity
algorithms using testing and other tools. communication ensuring that decisions are made and
that group members are all involved.
Productivity Using computational skills accurately and Self-presentation Presenting outcomes of a group or Creativity Using efficient/effective strategies to
efficiently to produce code and algorithms. individual task to the whole class. create a solution/solve a problem.
Self-regulation Developing an approach to problem solving Innovation Suggesting novel solutions to the
(metacognition, and program design that maximises both the design/selection of computer science
forethought, suitability of the product and the efficiency of systems.
reflection) the process.
Ethics Demonstrating awareness of the need to
utilise the power of computer science in a
way that benefits all.

Integrity Taking ownership of their own work and