Switching to AQA: from OCR

Option/entry codes

8525A (C#)

8525B (Python)

8525C (VB.NET)

J277

8525/1A, B, or C

Paper 1 - Computational thinking and programming skills

Programming paper, offered in one of three languages (C#, Python 3.x, and VB.NET). It will contain AQA pseudo-code and code in the language for which they have been entered.

120 minutes

90 marks (50% weighting)

No calculator allowed

J277/01

Paper 1 - Computing systems

Theory paper, contains no A03¹ marks

90 minutes

80 marks (50% weighting)

No calculator allowed

8525/2

Paper 2 - Computing concepts

Theory paper, includes some AO3¹ marks, eg using SQL (4.4% weighting of the component)

105 minutes

90 marks (50% weighting)

No calculator allowed

J277/02

Paper 2 - Computational thinking, algorithms and programming

Programming paper, contains OCR Exam Reference Language (pseudo-code), but in Section B students will be given the chance to use either OCR Exam Reference Language or the language of their choice.

90 minutes

80 marks (50% weighting)

No calculator allowed

8525/1A, B, or C: Paper 1 - Computational thinking and programming skills assesses:

• 3.1 Fundamentals of algorithms
• 3.2 Programming

J277/01: Paper 1 - Computer Systems assesses:

• 1.1 Systems architecture
• 1.2 Memory and storage
• 1.3 Computer networks, connections and protocols
• 1.4 Network security
• 1.5 Systems software
• 1.6 Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impacts of digital technology

8525/2: Paper 2 - Computing concepts assesses:

• 3.3 Fundamentals of data representation
• 3.4 Computer systems
• 3.5 Fundamentals of computer networks
• 3.6 Cyber security
• 3.7 Relational database and structured query language (SQL)
• 3.8 Ethical, legal and environmental impacts of digital technology on wider society, including issues of privacy

J277/02: Paper 2 - Computational thinking, algorithms and programming assesses:

• 2.1 Algorithms
• 2.2 Programming fundamentals
• 2.3 Producing robust programs
• 2.4 Boolean logic
• 2.6 Programming languages and Integrated Development Environments

3.1 Fundamentals of algorithms

• 3.1.1 Representing algorithms
• 3.1.2 Efficiency of algorithms
• 3.1.3 Searching algorithms
• 3.1.4 Sorting algorithms (merge and bubble)

3.2 Programming

• 3.2.1 Data types
• 3.2.2 Programming concepts
• 3.2.3 Arithmetic operations in a programming language
• 3.2.4 Relational operations in a programming language
• 3.2.5 Boolean operations in a programming language
• 3.2.6 Data structures
• 3.2.7 Input/output (in programming languages)
• 3.2.8 String handing operations in a programming language
• 3.2.9 Random number generation in a programming language
• 3.2.10 Structures programming and subroutines (procedures and functions)
• 3.2.11 Robust and secure programming

3.3 Fundamentals of data representation

• 3.3.1 Number bases
• 3.3.2 Converting between number bases
• 3.3.3 Units of information
• 3.3.4 Binary arithmetic
• 3.3.5 Character encoding
• 3.3.6 Representing images
• 3.3.7 Representing sound
• 3.3.8 Data compression (including Huffmann and RLE encoding)

3.4 Computer systems

• 3.4.1 Hardware and software (topic not in OCR)
• 3.4.2 Boolean logic (includes Boolean expressions not in OCR)
• 3.4.3 Software classification (broadly OCR's 1.5.1, 1.5.2)
• 3.4.4 Classification of programming languages and translators (broadly OCR's 2.5.1)
• 3.4.5 Systems architecture (broadly OCR's 1.1.1 without virtual memory)

3.5 Fundamentals of computer networks

3.6 Cyber security

• 3.6.1 Fundamentals of cyber security
• 3.6.2 Cyber security threats
• 3.6.3 Methods to detect and prevent cyber security threats

3.7 Relational databases and structured query language (SQL)

• 3.7.1 Relational databases
• 3.7.2 Structured query language (SQL)

3.8 Ethical, legal and environmental impacts of digital technology on wider society, including issues of privacy

1.1 Systems architecture

• 1.1.1 Architecture of the CPU
• 1.1.2 CPU performance
• 1.1.3 Embedded systems

1.2 Memory and storage

• 1.2.1 Primary storage (memory)
• 1.2.2 Secondary storage
• 1.2.3 Units
• 1.2.4 Data storage
• 1.2.5 Compression (not including AQA's Huffman and RLE encoding)

1.3 Computer networks and protocols

• 1.3.1 Networks and topologies
• 1.3.2 Wired and wireless networks, protocols and layers

1.4 Network Security

• 1.4.1 Threats to computer systems and networks
• 1.4.2 Identifying and preventing vulnerabilities

1.5 Systems software

• 1.5.1 Operating systems
• 1.5.2 Utility software

1.6 Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impacts of digital technology

• 1.6.1 Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impacts

2.1 Algorithms

• 2.1.1 Computational thinking
• 2.1.2 Designing, creating and refining algorithms
• 2.1.3 Searching and sorting algorithms (bubble, merge, and insertion)

2.2 Programming fundamentals

• 2.2.1 Programming fundamentals (broadly AQA's 3.2.2, 3.2.3, 3.2.4, 3.2.5)
• 2.2.2 Data types (broadly AQA 3.2.1 with conversions/casting corresponding to AQA's 3.2.8)
• 2.2.3 Additional programming techniques (broadly AQA's 3.2.8. 3.2.6, 3.7 (SQL, but with no

  INSERT, UPDATE,

  or

  DELETE)

  , 3.2.10, 3.2.9)
• 2.2.3 Additional programming techniques (broadly AQA's 3.2.8. 3.2.6, 3.7 (SQL, but with no

  INSERT, UPDATE,

  or

  DELETE)

  , 3.2.10, 3.2.9)

2.3 Producing robust programs

• 2.3.1 Defensive design
• 2.3.2 Testing

2.4 Boolean logic

• 2.4.1 Boolean logic (broadly AQA's 3.4.2 but lacking the XOR gate, Boolean expressions, or conversions Boolean expressions ⇔ logic circuits)

2.5 Languages

• 2.5.1 Languages
• 2.5.2 The Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

CONSTANT

const 

global 

# starts a comment (Python) 

// starts a comment (C# etc) 

a 🡠 3 

a = 3 

+, –, *, /, MOD

DIV

+, -, *, /, ^, MOD

DIV 

<, >, =, ≠, ≤, ≥ 

==, !=, <, <=, >, >= 

AND, OR, NOT 

AND, OR, NOT 

REPEAT
 …
UNTIL BooleanExp
        
      
WHILE BooleanExpression
 …
ENDWHILE
    
FOR … = … TO … [STEP …]
# STEP optional
 …
ENDFOR
       
FOR … IN StringExpression
 …
ENDFOR

do
 …
until BooleanExpression
        
        
while BooleanExpression
 …
endwhile

for … = … to … [step …]
# step optional
 …
next

IF … THEN
 …
ELSE IF … THEN
 …
ELSE
 …
ENDIF  

Not in AQA pseudo-code

switch …:
 case …:
 …
 case …:
 …
…
 default:
 …
endswitch

LEN, POSITION, SUBSTRING

length, substring, left, right, upper, lower 

primes 🡠 [2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13]
table ← [[1, 2],[2, 4],
[3, 6],[4, 8]]

array

array colours[5]

array colours = ["Blue", "Pink", "Green", "Yellow", "Red"]
array gameboard[8, 8]

primes[2]

5

table[3][1] 

8 

colours[2]

 "Green"
gameboard[7, 7] 

A FOR … IN … 

LEN

(LEN(table[0]) 

Design declared with eg

RECORD Car
 make : String 
 model : String 
 reg : String 
 price : Real 
 noOfDoors : Integer
ENDRECORD

Instance created with eg

myCar 🡠 Car('FORD', 'FIESTA', 'XHG 971R', 1399.9, 5)

Fields accessed with dot notation eg

myCar.model = 'Focus'

SUBROUTINE / ENDSUBROUTINE

RETURN

procedure / endprocedure

function / endfunction

return

STRING_TO_INT
INT_TO_STRING
STRING_TO_REAL
REAL_TO_STRING
CHAR_TO_CODE
CODE_TO_CHAR 

int
str
float

real

ASC
CHR
.upper
.lower
bool

open (myFile = open("sample.txt))
close (myFile.close())
readLine  

writeLine (myFile.writeLine() 

endOfFile (myFile.endOfFile 

newFile (newFile("newSample.txt") 

name 🡠 USERINPUT
OUTPUT 
StringExpression, 
… 

name = input(prompt)
print(..) 

RANDOM_INT(1, 6)

random(1, 6)
random(1.0, 6.0)

Conversion documents for translating AQA pseudo-code into the three AQA supported languages (C#, Python 3, VB.NET).

Similar resources for C# and Python.