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A-Level Computer Science Study Group 2025-26


Welcome to the A-level Computer Science Study Group!


This is where you can chat with other students studying the same subjects as you and support each other as you head towards your exams

You can post any useful tips and resources that you come across, offer support to others, share your successes, or just have moan when it gets tough!

Just remember, it’s against the site rules to ask for or offer any copyrighted papers and to request offsite chat. Posts that break these rules will be removed.

A few possible ice breaker questions are:
What exam board are you with?
What do you enjoy most about Computer Science?
What area do you struggle with most?
Why did you choose to study Computer Science?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

Hello I'm doing OCR computer science. I enjoy coding and that's why I chose the subject
Welcome! How are you feeling about the course so far?
Original post
by solitary-dispute
Hello I'm doing OCR computer science. I enjoy coding and that's why I chose the subject

Reply 3

Hello all of my fellow computer scientists!
I am with the OCR exam board.
I enjoy the logical thinking and technicality of computer science the most, esp. the coding
I probably struggle with Boolean algebra a d things like De Morgan's laws the most.
I chose to study it BC I did it at GCSE and had a real passion for it!

Reply 4

Original post
by BNG2456*
Hello all of my fellow computer scientists!
I am with the OCR exam board.
I enjoy the logical thinking and technicality of computer science the most, esp. the coding
I probably struggle with Boolean algebra a d things like De Morgan's laws the most.
I chose to study it BC I did it at GCSE and had a real passion for it!

I did it at gcse too. I got 1 mark off a 9😢

Reply 5

Original post
by BNG2456*
Hello all of my fellow computer scientists!
I am with the OCR exam board.
I enjoy the logical thinking and technicality of computer science the most, esp. the coding
I probably struggle with Boolean algebra a d things like De Morgan's laws the most.
I chose to study it BC I did it at GCSE and had a real passion for it!

What do you even struggle with in regards to Boolean algebra? I don't really find it that large a topic to begin with in the A-Level specification.

Reply 6

Original post
by solitary-dispute
Hello I'm doing OCR computer science. I enjoy coding and that's why I chose the subject

What languages do you write in? (Including in your spare time.)

Reply 7

Used to be Python but now C

Reply 8

Original post
by solitary-dispute
I did it at gcse too. I got 1 mark off a 9😢

Don't worry, you got an amazing strong eight. Let's just round it up to a nine 😉

Reply 9

Original post
by throwengineer
What do you even struggle with in regards to Boolean algebra? I don't really find it that large a topic to begin with in the A-Level specification.

Some of De Morgan's laws, things like that.

Reply 10

Original post
by solitary-dispute
Used to be Python but now C

I'm going to make the assumption that you're more interested with programming at a lower level, such as systems programming or something.

Reply 11

Original post
by BNG2456*
Some of De Morgan's laws, things like that.

That's just NOT (A AND B) = NOT A OR NOT B and NOT (A OR B) = NOT A AND NOT B, in terms of what OCR A-Level Computer Science with concerned with.

You could try visualising them with truth tables.

Reply 12

Original post
by throwengineer
That's just NOT (A AND B) = NOT A OR NOT B and NOT (A OR B) = NOT A AND NOT B, in terms of what OCR A-Level Computer Science with concerned with.
You could try visualising them with truth tables.

True, but it's more of the association, distribution and commutative rules. I understand the rules but when it comes to questions I just have no idea which to use

Reply 13

Original post
by BNG2456*
True, but it's more of the association, distribution and commutative rules. I understand the rules but when it comes to questions I just have no idea which to use

Association: the associativity of the AND operator means that parentheses for a chain of AND expressions are irrelevant. I don't really think there's much to this.

Commutation: AND/OR/XOR are commutative and thus the order of operations do not matter. The add and multiply operators in ordinary maths are commutative, because 3 + 5 and 5 + 3 both equal 8, and 3 * 5 and 5 * 3 both equal 15.

Distribution: I think it would be better to think of this as expanding brackets. Like how x(1 + x) is x + x2, A AND (B OR C) is the same as (A AND B) OR (A AND C), or A OR (B AND C) is the same as (A OR B) AND (A AND C). You're just taking out a common factor.

Although, I appreciate that these are more mathematical in nature.

Reply 14

Original post
by throwengineer
Association: the associativity of the AND operator means that parentheses for a chain of AND expressions are irrelevant. I don't really think there's much to this.
Commutation: AND/OR/XOR are commutative and thus the order of operations do not matter. The add and multiply operators in ordinary maths are commutative, because 3 + 5 and 5 + 3 both equal 8, and 3 * 5 and 5 * 3 both equal 15.
Distribution: I think it would be better to think of this as expanding brackets. Like how x(1 + x) is x + x2, A AND (B OR C) is the same as (A AND B) OR (A AND C), or A OR (B AND C) is the same as (A OR B) AND (A AND C). You're just taking out a common factor.
Although, I appreciate that these are more mathematical in nature.

Thx!!

Reply 15

Just saying hi so I can find this thread at a later date if needed!

OCR exam board
I am fascinated with how varied CS is - modelling of new pharmaceuticals, financial mapping, quantum computing, robotics, embedded systems etc, Computing is everywhere!
I don't struggle with anything atm... ask me mid NEA 🤣
I'm aiming for CS or Maths & CS at Uni. I loved the subject at GCSE, and was top of my year so it was a natural choice for me.

Reply 16

Original post
by RandomOneOhOne
Just saying hi so I can find this thread at a later date if needed!
OCR exam board
I am fascinated with how varied CS is - modelling of new pharmaceuticals, financial mapping, quantum computing, robotics, embedded systems etc, Computing is everywhere!
I don't struggle with anything atm... ask me mid NEA 🤣
I'm aiming for CS or Maths & CS at Uni. I loved the subject at GCSE, and was top of my year so it was a natural choice for me.

Why not expand the variety? Blowing up power supplies, writing drivers for graphics adapters from 1980s IBM PCs for modern-day Windows 11, making "electric" guitars if you know what I'm getting at, and designing and fabricating ICs that 100% accurately emulates the NES.

Well most of that is Electronics & Electrical Engineering. Or hey, why do not do both.

Reply 17

Original post
by RandomOneOhOne
Just saying hi so I can find this thread at a later date if needed!
OCR exam board
I am fascinated with how varied CS is - modelling of new pharmaceuticals, financial mapping, quantum computing, robotics, embedded systems etc, Computing is everywhere!
I don't struggle with anything atm... ask me mid NEA 🤣
I'm aiming for CS or Maths & CS at Uni. I loved the subject at GCSE, and was top of my year so it was a natural choice for me.

I loved it at GCSE too, which was why it was my top choice!! What are you thinking about for your NEA?

Reply 18

Original post
by BNG2456*
I loved it at GCSE too, which was why it was my top choice!! What are you thinking about for your NEA?
Some kind of platform game I think just starting to plan and research atm. Wbu?

Reply 19

I haven't think of the NEA yet, what programming languages do you school teach btw? Mine teach C and Java

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