Cambridge O Level Computer Science 2210 syllabus for 2026, 2027 and 2028.

3 Subject content

This syllabus gives you the flexibility to design a course that will interest, challenge and engage your learners.
Where appropriate you are responsible for selecting resources and examples to support your learners’
study. These should be appropriate for the learners’ age, cultural background and learning context as well as
complying with your school policies and local legal requirements.

Computer Science is a practical subject and a range of practical exercises must be integral to the teaching
of this qualification. It is important that learners develop their computational thinking skills by doing practical
problem-solving and programming using appropriate resources. It is also expected that learners have the
opportunity in class to write their own programs, as well as executing (running), testing and debugging them.

Any equipment and facilities should be adequate for learners to be able to satisfy the requirements of the
syllabus. The hardware facilities needed will depend on the number of learners but must be su cient for all
learners to have enough time to practise their programming skills. Learners also need to have access to a
system with direct-access file capability on backing store and hardcopy facilities.

Computer systems
1 Data representation
1.1 Number systems

Candidates should be able to: Notes and guidance

1 Understand how and why computers use • Any form of data needs to be converted to
binary to represent all forms of data binary to be processed by a computer
• Data is processed using logic gates and stored
in registers
2 (a) Understand the denary, binary and • Denary is a base 10 system
hexadecimal number systems • Binary is a base 2 system
• Hexadecimal is a base 16 system
(b) Convert between • Values used will be integers only
(i) positive denary and positive binary • Conversions in both directions, e.g. denary to
(ii) positive denary and positive binary or binary to denary
hexadecimal • Maximum binary number length of 16-bit
(iii) positive hexadecimal and positive
binary
3 Understand how and why hexadecimal is used • Areas within computer science that
as a beneficial method of data representation hexadecimal is used should be identified
• Hexadecimal is easier for humans to
understand than binary, as it is a shorter
representation of binary
4 (a) Add two positive 8-bit binary integers
(b) Understand the concept of overflow and • An overflow error will occur if the value is
why it occurs in binary addition greater than 255 in an 8-bit register
• A computer or a device has a predefined limit
that it can represent or store, for example 16-bit
• An overflow error occurs when a value outside
this limit should be returned

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 Cambridge O Level Computer Science 2210 syllabus for 2026, 2027 and 2028. Subject content

1.1 Number systems continued

Candidates should be able to: Notes and guidance

5 Perform a logical binary shift on a positive 8-bit • Perform logical left shifts
binary integer and understand the e ect this • Perform logical right shifts
has on the positive binary integer
• Perform multiple shifts
• Bits shifted from the end of the register are lost
and zeros are shifted in at the opposite end of
the register
• The positive binary integer is multiplied or
divided according to the shift performed
• The most significant bit(s) or least significant
bit(s) are lost
6 Use the two’s complement number system to • Convert a positive binary or denary integer to a
represent positive and negative 8-bit binary two’s complement 8-bit integer and vice versa
integers • Convert a negative binary or denary integer to a
two’s complement 8-bit integer and vice versa

1.2 Text, sound and images

Candidates should be able to: Notes and guidance

1 Understand how and why a computer • Text is converted to binary to be processed by
represents text and the use of character a computer
sets, including American standard code for • Unicode allows for a greater range of
information interchange (ASCII) and Unicode characters and symbols than ASCII, including
di erent languages and emojis
• Unicode requires more bits per character than
ASCII
2 Understand how and why a computer • A sound wave is sampled for sound to be
represents sound, including the e ects of the converted to binary, which is processed by a
sample rate and sample resolution computer
• The sample rate is the number of samples
taken in a second
• The sample resolution is the number of bits per
sample
• The accuracy of the recording and the file size
increases as the sample rate and resolution
increase

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 Cambridge O Level Computer Science 2210 syllabus for 2026, 2027 and 2028. Subject content

1.2 Text, sound and images continued

Candidates should be able to: Notes and guidance

3 Understand how and why a computer • An image is a series of pixels that are converted
represents an image, including the e ects of to binary, which is processed by a computer
the resolution and colour depth • The resolution is the number of pixels in the
image
• The colour depth is the number of bits used to
represent each colour
• The file size and quality of the image increase
as the resolution and colour depth increase

1.3 Data storage and compression

Candidates should be able to: Notes and guidance

1 Understand how data storage is measured • Including:
– bit
– nibble
– byte
– kibibyte (KiB)
– mebibyte (MiB)
– gibibyte (GiB)
– tebibyte (TiB)
– pebibyte (PiB)
– exbibyte (EiB)
• The amount of the previous denomination
present in the data storage size, e.g.:
– 8 bits in a byte
– 1024 mebibytes in a gibibyte
2 Calculate the file size of an image file and a • Answers must be given in the units specified
sound file, using information given in the question. Calculations must use the
measurement of 1024 and not 1000
• Information given may include:
– image resolution and colour depth
– sound sample rate, resolution and length of
track
3 Understand the purpose of and need for data • Compression exists to reduce the size of the file
compression • What the impact of this is, e.g.:
– less bandwidth required
– less storage space required
– shorter transmission time

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 Cambridge O Level Computer Science 2210 syllabus for 2026, 2027 and 2028. Subject content

1.3 Data storage and compression continued

Candidates should be able to: Notes and guidance

4 Understand how files are compressed using • Lossy compression reduces the file size by
lossy and lossless compression methods permanently removing data, e.g. reducing
resolution or colour depth, reducing sample
rate or resolution
• Lossless compression reduces the file size
without permanent loss of data, e.g. run length
encoding (RLE)

2 Data transmission
2.1 Types and methods of data transmission

Candidates should be able to: Notes and guidance

1 (a) Understand that data is broken down into
packets to be transmitted
(b) Describe the structure of a packet • A packet of data contains a:
– packet header
– payload
– trailer
• The packet header includes the:
– destination address
– packet number
– originator’s address
(c) Describe the process of packet switching • Data is broken down into packets
• Each packet could take a di erent route
• A router controls the route a packet takes
• Packets may arrive out of order
• Once the last packet has arrived, packets are
reordered
2 (a) Describe how data is transmitted from one • Including:
device to another using di erent methods – serial
of data transmission
– parallel
– simplex
– half-duplex
– full-duplex
(b) Explain the suitability of each method of • Including the advantages and disadvantages of
data transmission, for a given scenario each method
3 Understand the universal serial bus (USB) • Including the benefits and drawbacks of the
interface and explain how it is used to transmit interface
data

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