GCSE (9-1)

COMPUTER
SCIENCE
J276

Student revision checklist

Version 1

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Student revision checklist
Revision checklists
The tables below can be used as a revision checklist.
For more information please see the OCR GCSE Computer Science specification.
The table headings are explained below:

Assessable learning outcomes

R A G Comments
You will be required to:

Here is a list of the learning outcomes for this You can use the tick boxes to show when you You can use the comments column to:
qualification and the content you need to cover have revised an item and how confident you feel
and work on.  add more information about the
about it.
details for each point
 add formulae or notes
R = RED means you are unsure and lack
 include a reference to a useful
confidence; you might want to focus your revision
resource
here and ask your teacher for help.
 highlight areas of difficulty or things
A = AMBER means you are fairly confident but that you need to talk to your teacher
need some extra practice. about or look up in a textbook.
G = GREEN means you are very confident.

Concentrate on the RED and AMBER items and

turn them into GREEN items.

You might find it helpful to highlight each topic in

red, orange or green to help you prioritise.

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 Component 1 Computer systems

1.1 Systems architecture

Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

1.1 the purpose of the CPU

1.1 Von Neumann architecture:

 MAR (Memory Address Register
 MDR (Memory Data Register)
 Program Counter
 Accumulator.

1.1 common CPU components and their function:

 ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit
 CU (Control Unit)
 Cache.

1.1 the function of the CPU as fetch and execute

instructions stored in memory

1.1 how common characteristics of CPUs affect

their performance:
 clock speed
 cache size
 number of cores.

1.1 embedded systems:

 purpose of embedded systems
 examples of embedded systems.
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 Component 1 Computer systems

1.2 Memory
Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

1.2 the difference between RAM and ROM

1.2 the purpose of ROM in a computer system

1.2 the purpose of RAM in a computer system

1.2 the need for virtual memory

1.2 flash memory

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 Component 1 Computer systems

1.3 Storage
Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

1.3 the need for secondary storage

1.3 data capacity and calculation of data capacity

requirements

1.3 common types of storage:

 optical
 magnetic
 solid state.

1.3 suitable storage devices and storage media

for a given application, and the advantages
and disadvantages of these, using
characteristics:
 capacity
 speed
 portability
 durability
 reliability
 cost.

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 Component 1 Computer systems

1.4 Wired and wireless networks

Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

1.4 types of networks:

 LAN (Local Area Network)
 WAN (Wide Area Network).

1.4 factors that affect the performance of

networks

1.4 the different roles of computers in a client-

server and a peer-to-peer network

1.4 the hardware needed to connect stand-alone

computers into a Local Area Network:
 wireless access points
 routers/switches
 NIC (Network Interface Controller/Card)
 Transmission media.

1.4 the internet as a worldwide collection of

computer networks:
 DNS (Domain Name Server)
 hosting
 the cloud.

1.4 the concept of virtual networks

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 Component 1 Computer systems

1.5 Network topologies, protocols and layers

Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

1.5 star and mesh topologies

1.5 Wifi:
 frequency and channels
 encryption.

1.5 ethernet

1.5 the uses of IP addressing, MAC addressing,

and protocols including:
 TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol)
 HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol)
 HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
Secure)
 FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
 POP (Post Office Protocol)
 IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)
 SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).

1.5 the concept of layers

1.5 packet switching

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 Component 1 Computer systems

1.6 System security

Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

1.6 forms of attack

1.6 threats posed to networks:

 malware
 phishing
 people as the ‘weak point’ in secure
systems (social engineering)
 brute force attacks
 denial of service attacks
 data interception and theft
 the concept of SQL injection
 poor network policy.

1.6 identifying and preventing vulnerabilities:

 penetration testing
 network forensics
 network policies
 anti-malware software
 firewalls
 user access levels
 passwords
 encryption.

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 Component 1 Computer systems

1.7 Systems software

Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

1.7 the purpose and functionality of systems

software

1.7 operating systems:

 user interface
 memory management/multitasking
 peripheral management and drivers
 user management
 file management.

1.7 utility system software:

 encryption software
 defragmentation
 data compression
 the role and methods of backup:
o full
o incremental.

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 Component 1 Computer systems

1.8 Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns

Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

1.8 how to investigate and discuss Computer

Science technologies while considering:
 ethical issues
 legal issues
 cultural issues
 environmental issues
 privacy issues.

1.8 how key stakeholders are affected by

technologies

1.8 environmental impact of Computer Science

1.8 cultural implications of Computer Science

1.8 open source vs proprietary software

1.8 legislation relevant to Computer Science:

 The Data Protection Act 1998
 Computer Misuse Act 1990
 Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988
 Creative Commons Licensing
 Freedom of Information Act 2000.

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 Component 2 Computational thinking, algorithms and programming

2.1 Algorithms
Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

2.1 computational thinking:

 abstraction
 decomposition
 algorithmic thinking.

2.1 standard searching algorithms:

 binary search
 linear search.

2.1 standard sorting algorithms:

 bubble sort
 merge sort
 insertion sort.

2.1 how to produce algorithms using:

 pseudocode
 using flow diagrams.

2.1 interpret, correct or complete algorithms

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 Component 2 Computational thinking, algorithms and programming

2.2 Programming techniques

Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

2.2 the use of variables, constants, operators,

inputs, outputs and assignments

2.2 use of the three basic programming

constructs used to control the flow of a
program:
 sequence
 selection
 iteration (count and condition controlled
loops.

2.2 the use of basic string manipulation

2.2 use of basic file handling operations:

 open
 read
 write
 close.

2.2 the use of records to store data

2.2 the use of SQL to search for data

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 Component 2 Computational thinking, algorithms and programming

2.2 Programming techniques

Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

2.2 the use of arrays (or equivalent) when solving

problems, including both one and two
dimensional arrays

2.2 how to use sub programs (functions and

procedures) to produce structured code

2.2 the use of data types:

 integer
 real
 Boolean
 character and string
 casting.

2.2 the common arithmetic operators

2.2 the common Boolean operators

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 Component 2 Computational thinking, algorithms and programming

2.3 Producing robust programs

Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

2.3 defensive design considerations:

 input sanitisation/validation
 planning for contingencies
 anticipating misuse
 authentication.

2.3 maintainability:
 comments
 indentation.

2.3 the purpose of testing

2.3 types of testing:

 iterative
 final/terminal.

2.3 how to identify syntax and logic errors

2.3 selecting and using suitable test data

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 Component 2 Computational thinking, algorithms and programming

2.4 Computational logic

Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

2.4 why data is represented in computer systems

in binary form

2.4 simple logic diagrams using the operations

AND, OR and NOT

2.4 truth tables

2.4 combining Boolean operators using AND, OR

and NOT to two levels

2.4 applying logical operators in appropriate truth

tables to solve problems

2.4 applying computing-related mathematics:

 +
 –
 /
 *
 Exponentiation (^)
 MOD
 DIV.

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 Component 2 Computational thinking, algorithms and programming

2.5 Translators and facilities of languages

Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

2.5 characteristics and purpose of different levels

of programming language, including low level
languages

2.5 the purpose of translators

2.5 the characteristics of an assembler, a

compiler and an interpreter

2.5 common tools and facilities available in an

integrated development environment (IDE):
 editors
 error diagnostics
 run-time environment
 translators.

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 Component 2 Computational thinking, algorithms and programming

2.6 Data representation

Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

2.6 Units
 bit, nibble, byte, kilobyte, megabyte,
gigabyte, terabyte, petabyte
 how data needs to be converted into a
binary format to be processed by a
computer.

2.6 Numbers
 how to convert positive denary whole
numbers (0–255) into 8 bit binary numbers
and vice versa
 how to add two 8 bit binary integers and
explain overflow errors which may occur
 binary shifts
 how to convert positive denary whole
numbers (0–255) into 2 digit hexadecimal
numbers and vice versa
 how to convert from binary to hexadecimal
equivalents and vice versa
 check digits.

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 Component 2 Computational thinking, algorithms and programming

2.6 Data representation

2.6 Characters
 the use of binary codes to represent
characters
 the term ‘character-set’
 the relationship between the number of
bits per character in a character set and
the number of characters which can be
represented (for example ASCII, extended
ASCII and Unicode.)

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 Component 2 Computational thinking, algorithms and programming

2.7 Data representation

Learning outcomes
R A G Comments
You will be required to know:

2.7 Images
 how an image is represented as a series
of pixels represented in binary
 metadata included in the file
 the effect of colour depth and resolution
on the size of an image file.

2.7 Sound
 how sound can be sampled and stored in
digital form
 how sampling intervals and other factors
affect the size of a sound file and the
quality of its playback:
 sample size
 bit rate
 sampling frequency.

2.7 Compression
 need for compression
 types of compression:
 lossy
 lossless.

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