YEAR 10 GCSE COMPUTER SCIENCE

Revision Guide - September 2020

The following is a list of topics to revise for your GCSE Computer Science exam in September. The exam will
cover all topics studied during Year 10 since September 2019.

There will be ONE exam paper consisting of a mixture of questions from Paper 1: Principles of Computer
Science and Paper 2: Application of Computational Thinking. The exam will last for 1 hour 30 mins.

Topic Textbook Pages

Chapter 1: Problem Solving
Algorithms: flowcharts, pseudo-code, variables & constants. 2-7
Creating algorithms 8-19
Working with algorithms: trace tables 20-28
Problem solving: decomposition and abstraction 40-44
Chapter 2: Programming
Develop code: data types, type coercion, programming constructs 46-53
Code readability 54-57
Working with strings 58-61
Data structures: 1D arrays & 2D arrays 62-64
Input & Output: validation of user input, testing validation rules 68-71
Subprograms & built in functions 77-82
Testing & evaluation: error types, test plans 83-89
Chapter 3: Data
Binary: binary numbers, converting to & from denary, signed & unsigned numbers, 92-105
arithmetic, negative numbers, binary & logical shifts
Hexadecimal 103-105
Data storage 117-118
Chapter 4: Computers
Machines and computational modelling: input-process-output 140-142
Logic: Boolean operators, logic gates, truth tables, writing logic statements 155-159
Software: operating systems & OS functions 160-163
Programming Languages: low-level languages, high-level languages, translators, 167-170
compilers & interpreters
Chapter 5: Communication and the Internet
Networks: use, types, client-server, peer-to-peer, topologies, media, wired vs. 172-188
wireless, calculating network data speeds, protocols, TCP/IP
Chapter 6: The bigger picture
Computing and the environment: manufacture, production, usage, disposal, 207-212
preserving

You will receive a copy of the pseudocode reference booklet to refer to during the exam.
Useful Revision Links:

BBC Bitesize: https://bbc.in/2W6dMpC

Cambridge Revision Worksheets: https://www.cambridgegcsecomputing.org/
Computer Science Guru: https://www.computerscience.gcse.guru/
Seneca: https://bit.ly/2WhAHyr
Teach-ICT Computer Science: https://bit.ly/2W2c1K5
Computer Science Tutor – Paper 1: https://bit.ly/3cVKct0
Computer Science Tutor – Paper 2: https://bit.ly/38J9OFV
BSN Computer Science YouTube Playlists: https://bit.ly/2Ucx4qT
Quizlet Study Sets: https://bit.ly/2TYJSAL

Please contact your Computer Science teacher if you have any questions about your exam.