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If i haven’t taken computer science for GCSE can i still take it for A level?

Im currently in year 10 (taking my GCSEs next year) and my school didn’t offer computing/computer science as a GCSE until last year (obviously they add it as an option just as I miss the opportunity) which means I’m not taking GCSE computer science. Is it still viable for me to take computer science at A level from scratch and get a good grade? (A* or A) and if so will i ahve to work extremely hard?

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I'm taking A-Level computer science next year and they said that you need at least a grade 6 computer science GCSE to take the a level (I think it was grade 6). However, I'm not sure if it's school specific or not.
Yes pretty sure at a college near me I looked to see if I could do computer science because I too never chose it and yeah you can but it depends on what college sixth form you are going to and what entry requirements they would like/ prefer
Original post by HarrisonAF
Im currently in year 10 (taking my GCSEs next year) and my school didn’t offer computing/computer science as a GCSE until last year (obviously they add it as an option just as I miss the opportunity) which means I’m not taking GCSE computer science. Is it still viable for me to take computer science at A level from scratch and get a good grade? (A* or A) and if so will i ahve to work extremely hard?


It depends on the requirements for A Level comp sci at the college you want to go to. Most college (to my knowledge) don't require GCSE computer science to take A Level computer science because they understand not all schools offer GCSE computer science.
Reply 4
Original post by TomTomSatNavv
It depends on the requirements for A Level comp sci at the college you want to go to. Most college (to my knowledge) don't require GCSE computer science to take A Level computer science because they understand not all schools offer GCSE computer science.


Thanks for replying, but my question is if it’s possible for me to get an A*, or an A at the very least
Original post by HarrisonAF
Thanks for replying, but my question is if it’s possible for me to get an A*, or an A at the very least


If you work hard, it's possible.
Original post by HarrisonAF
Im currently in year 10 (taking my GCSEs next year) and my school didn’t offer computing/computer science as a GCSE until last year (obviously they add it as an option just as I miss the opportunity) which means I’m not taking GCSE computer science. Is it still viable for me to take computer science at A level from scratch and get a good grade? (A* or A) and if so will i ahve to work extremely hard?


definitely, no one in my A Level Computer Science class did GCSE and the people who worked hard got good grades. Good luck 😊
Reply 7
Original post by mollythec
definitely, no one in my A Level Computer Science class did GCSE and the people who worked hard got good grades. Good luck 😊


Oh that’s great :smile:

Also, seen as though you’ve done the full course, is it enjoyable? And what sort of stuff do you cover? If you don’t mind me asking
Well, for A level computer science they pretty much tell you that everything you learn at GCSE is a lie/massively over-simplified anyway so as long as you have the core knowledge and some basic programming skills, you should be fine.
Original post by HarrisonAF
Oh that’s great :smile:

Also, seen as though you’ve done the full course, is it enjoyable? And what sort of stuff do you cover? If you don’t mind me asking


I found it pretty enjoyable yeah
Basically half the course was learning to program and the rest was theory, so learning about logic, architecture etc. but of course it would vary between exam boards
Original post by sambeaz6
Well, for A level computer science they pretty much tell you that everything you learn at GCSE is a lie/massively over-simplified anyway so as long as you have the core knowledge and some basic programming skills, you should be fine.


Would it be beneficial for me to learn more programming languages? I already know basic HTML CSS and JS as well as some python, would it be a good idea to become proficient in these or perhaps a few more? I want to maximise my chance of doing well so i can study at a top uni, so anything that could give me a head start would be appreciated :smile:

Also what exactly do you mean by core skills?
Yeah fam yu're fine. You don't need it for A-Level for a degree in it
Original post by HarrisonAF
Would it be beneficial for me to learn more programming languages? I already know basic HTML CSS and JS as well as some python, would it be a good idea to become proficient in these or perhaps a few more? I want to maximise my chance of doing well so i can study at a top uni, so anything that could give me a head start would be appreciated :smile:

Also what exactly do you mean by core skills?


By the sounds of it, you should be fine for programming languages. By core skills, I mean having a base knowledge of the computer structure, binary, the FED cycle, the ethics around computers, the basic history of computers and different storage devices. I think that would give you the only real foundation you need to study A level and most of them you can get just by googling and reading a few articles. GCSE computing is mainly just basic knowledge and problem solving anyway. Maybe try using the OCR computing specification as a guideline for what you need to have an idea of before jumping into A level computing, but you really don’t need to know much because everything you get taught at A level is fairly usually new content anyway
Original post by sambeaz6
By the sounds of it, you should be fine for programming languages. By core skills, I mean having a base knowledge of the computer structure, binary, the FED cycle, the ethics around computers, the basic history of computers and different storage devices. I think that would give you the only real foundation you need to study A level and most of them you can get just by googling and reading a few articles. GCSE computing is mainly just basic knowledge and problem solving anyway. Maybe try using the OCR computing specification as a guideline for what you need to have an idea of before jumping into A level computing, but you really don’t need to know much because everything you get taught at A level is fairly usually new content anyway


If you want a big head start, start thinking about what you would want to create for your NEA before everyone else and develop your programming skills at home accordingly. This will give you a huge edge over the other students
Original post by sambeaz6
By the sounds of it, you should be fine for programming languages. By core skills, I mean having a base knowledge of the computer structure, binary, the FED cycle, the ethics around computers, the basic history of computers and different storage devices. I think that would give you the only real foundation you need to study A level and most of them you can get just by googling and reading a few articles. GCSE computing is mainly just basic knowledge and problem solving anyway. Maybe try using the OCR computing specification as a guideline for what you need to have an idea of before jumping into A level computing, but you really don’t need to know much because everything you get taught at A level is fairly usually new content anyway


Thanks! I know most of this stuff already apart from FED cycles (no idea about them, I’ll go and search it up now)

I’m relieved that you say most stuff is new content, and I’ll have a look at the specification too :smile:
Original post by HarrisonAF
Thanks! I know most of this stuff already apart from FED cycles (no idea about them, I’ll go and search it up now)

I’m relieved that you say most stuff is new content, and I’ll have a look at the specification too :smile:


I meant FDE cycle! I make a typo
Some places will ask for a grade 7 in Maths for you to study Computer Science at A-Level, some won't. I'd recommend considering which college(s)/sixth forms etc you'd consider going to, and look at what their entry requirements are for the subject.
Original post by HarrisonAF
Would it be beneficial for me to learn more programming languages? I already know basic HTML CSS and JS as well as some python, would it be a good idea to become proficient in these or perhaps a few more? I want to maximise my chance of doing well so i can study at a top uni, so anything that could give me a head start would be appreciated :smile:

Also what exactly do you mean by core skills?

If you're interested in doing some programming and learning about computer science in your own time (maybe to fill some time over the summer), have a look at this from Harvard University (it's free, you can ignore the option to pay for a certificate) - https://www.edx.org/course/cs50s-introduction-computer-science-harvardx-cs50x
It's a little tough as a beginner course, but the lecturer is excellent, and the problem sets to practice with and test your skills are really good too.
Original post by winterscoming
If you're interested in doing some programming and learning about computer science in your own time (maybe to fill some time over the summer), have a look at this from Harvard University (it's free, you can ignore the option to pay for a certificate) - https://www.edx.org/course/cs50s-introduction-computer-science-harvardx-cs50x
It's a little tough as a beginner course, but the lecturer is excellent, and the problem sets to practice with and test your skills are really good too.


This is insane, thanks :smile:
Original post by HarrisonAF
This is insane, thanks :smile:


I hope you enjoy it, it's a great course :smile: (And if you get as far as finishing all the problem sets, there's a 'part two' which dives into game programming: https://cs50.github.io/games/ )

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