A computer science student in the computing labs.

A-Level Computer Science

School Leaver

Start Date:	Duration:	Level:	Study mode:	Course location:	Course Type:
September	2 Years	Level 3	Part-Time - Day	Hartlepool Sixth Form	A-Levels	Apply	Enquire

What’s it all about?

Do you have a passion for programming and a drive for problem solving?

On this course, you will use C# and the .NET framework to create console applications with the opportunity to explore web or Windows based solutions in a project-based assessment in the second year.

Other practical subjects you will study include SQL Server databases and functional programming.

What do you need to apply for the course?

You will need 5 GCSEs at grade 4-9, including grade 6 in Maths

*Course costs

Study level	Cost
16-18	Free

How will you be assessed?

You will be assessed through two exams (each weighted 40% of your final mark) and a non-examined assessment (a coding project weighted at 20%).

Paper 1 is an on-screen exam focusing on practical programming and code theory such as data structures (arrays, stacks, queues, dictionaries), algorithms (tree traversal, sorting and searching) and computational theory (regular expressions, finite state machines, Turing machines).

Paper 2 is a written exam covering general computer science theory, such as binary, decimal and hexadecimal number systems, encryption, Boolean algebra, logic gates, computer systems, computer architecture, moral/ethical issues, communication and networking, databases and ‘big data’.

The non-examined assessment is an independent software development project where you will analyse, design, implement, test and review a system that you have agreed to build for a client.

What’s next?

This programme is ideal to students wishing to undertake a degree in computer science or specialist degrees in software, web, games or application development, software engineering, or data science, cyber security, forensic computing, or network engineering. Industry, business, education and many of the professions are demanding good computer science graduates at both technical and management levels due to an international shortage in a number of related disciplines.