AQA A-Level Computer Science guide FAQ (7517)
Guide overview All 13 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
AQA A-Level Computer Science: questions and answers
Specification 7517. Two sets, because students and parents ask different things.
For students
What is actually on the on-screen paper?
Paper 1 gives you preliminary material and a skeleton program in advance and asks you to write, adapt and extend code in an Electronic Answer Document. It also tests data structures, algorithms and the theory of computation in writing.
The preliminary material is released beforehand and is worth getting familiar with, but the theory around it is the part that can be revised properly.
Which topics are on which paper?
Paper 1 is programming, data structures, algorithms and the theory of computation. Paper 2 is data representation, computer systems, organisation and architecture, communication and networking, consequences of computing, databases, Big Data and functional programming. The full breakdown is here.
Is the project covered?
The project itself is your own problem, solved and documented over the second year, and it is 20 per cent. What is in the guide is the systematic approach to problem solving that the project is marked against: analysis, design, implementation, testing and evaluation.
Is functional programming really examined?
Yes, on Paper 2. Functions as first-class objects, function application, composition, higher-order functions including map, filter and reduce, and the list operations. It is 62 questions.
How much maths is there?
More than at GCSE. Number bases and two’s complement, floating point and normalisation, Boolean algebra and De Morgan’s laws, set theory, regular expressions, Big O complexity, and the vectors used in graphics.
How long does one session take?
About twenty minutes for one subtopic, all three steps. Topics run from 24 to 240 questions.
Can I do it in my head instead of writing?
Write. Trace tables, conversions and BNF have to be worked on paper anyway, and the written paper wants specific terms. The method page sets out the evidence.
Do I still need past papers?
Yes, and for Paper 1 you also need time at a keyboard with the skeleton program. AQA publishes past papers and preliminary material free.
For parents
What is this, in plain terms?
A PDF of 1,516 exam-style questions covering the examined content of AQA A-Level Computer Science, with the answers printed after each topic. It is not a coding course.
My child spends all their time on the project.
That is common and it is a risk. The project is 20 per cent. The two exams are 80 per cent, and Paper 2 in particular is examined on theory the project does not practise.
How do I check it is the right course?
The specification code is on the exam timetable. AQA A-Level Computer Science is 7517.
How do I know if it is being used properly?
There should be handwritten answers on paper and three passes over the same questions, and two scores per session to compare.
How much is it compared with a textbook?
£9.00 for the whole specification. An endorsed A-Level Computer Science textbook is usually £30 to £40.
How much time does the whole course take?
114 subtopics at roughly twenty minutes each is about 38 hours for a full first pass, spread across two years.
What else does my child need?
Past papers and the preliminary material from AQA, a computer for Paper 1 practice, and their own notes.
AQA A-Level Computer Science Active Recall Guide
1,516 questions with their answers, 114 subtopics, one file.