specification computer science -...

Oxford Cambridge and RSA

ENTRY LEVEL CERTIFICATESpecification

QualificationRegulated

Entry Level CertificateComputer Science

COMPUTER SCIENCER354For first assessment in 2017

Version 1.1 (May 2018)

DISCLAIMER

Specifications are updated over time. Whilst every effort is made to check all documents, there may be contradictions between published resources and the specification, therefore please use the infor-mation on the latest specification at all times. Where changes are made to specifications these will be indicated within the document, there will be a new version number indicated, and a summary of the changes. If you do notice a discrepancy between the specification and a resource please contact us at: [email protected]

We will inform centres about changes to specifications. We will also publish changes on our website. The latest version of our specifications will always be those on our website (ocr.org.uk) and these may differ from printed versions.

mailto:[email protected]

http://ocr.org.uk

ii© OCR 2016

Entry Level Certificate in Computer Science

Contents

1 Why choose an OCR Entry Level Certificate in Computer Science? 11a. WhychooseanOCRqualification? 11b. WhychooseanOCREntryLevelCertificateinComputerScience? 21c. Whatarethekeyfeaturesofthisspecification? 31d. WhatisnewinOCREntryLevelCertificateinComputerScience? 41e. HowdoIfindoutmoreinformation? 5

2 The specification overview 62a. OCR’sEntryLevelCertificateinComputerScience(R354) 62b. ContentofComputerSystems 72b. ContentofComputationalThinking,AlgorithmsandProgramming 102b. ContentfortheProgrammingProject 132c. Priorknowledge,learningandprogression 15

3 Assessment of Entry Level Certificate in Computer Science 163a. Formsofassessment 163b. Assessmentobjectives(AO) 193c. Assessmentavailability 203d. Retakingthequalification 203e. Internalassessmenttasks 213f. ProgrammingProject–markingcriteria 213g. Calculatingqualificationresults 26

4 Admin: what you need to know 274a. Pre-assessment 274b. Specialconsideration 274c. AdminoftheProgrammingProjectassessment 294d. Resultsandcertificates 314e. Post-resultsservices 324f. Centremalpracticeguidance 32

5 Appendices 335a. Awardingofgrades 335b. Overlapwithotherqualifications 335c. Keyskillssections 335d. Mathematicalskillsrequirement 345e. Files 355f. Interimawards 37

Summaryofupdates 39

1© OCR 2016 Entry Level Certificate in Computer Science

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1 Why choose an OCR Entry Level Certificate in Computer Science?

1a. Why choose an OCR qualification?

ChooseOCRandyou’vegotthereassurancethatyou’reworkingwithoneoftheUK’sleadingexamboards.OurnewEntryLevelCertificateinComputerSciencehasbeenrefreshedtofitwithreformedGCSE(9–1)ComputerSciencequalificationstoprovidelearnerswithaqualificationthat’srelevanttothemandmeetstheirneeds.

We’repartoftheCambridgeAssessmentGroup,Europe’slargestassessmentagencyandadepartmentoftheUniversityofCambridge.CambridgeAssessmentplaysaleadingroleindevelopinganddeliveringassessmentsthroughouttheworld,operatinginover150countries.

Weworkwitharangeofeducationproviders,includingschools,colleges,workplacesandotherinstitutionsinboththepublicandprivatesectors.Over13,000centreschooseourALevels,GCSEsandvocationalqualificationsincludingCambridgeNationalsandCambridgeTechnicals.

Our Specifications

Webelieveindevelopingspecificationsthathelpyoubringthesubjecttolifeandinspireyourstudentstoachievemore.

We’vecreatedteacher-friendlyspecificationsthataredesignedtobestraightforwardandaccessiblesothatyou can tailor the delivery of the course to suit your needs.Weaimtoencouragestudentstobecomeresponsiblefortheirownlearning,confidentindiscussingideas,innovativeandengaged.

OurEntryLevelCertificateinComputerScienceismadeupof100%internallyassessedtestsandtasks.Theflexibilityallowedthroughthisapproachtoassessmentwillallowyoutotakeanyissuesintoaccountinyourplanningthatmayaffectyourlearners’performance.

Weprovidesupportservicesdesignedtohelpyouateverystage,frompreparationthroughtothedeliveryofourspecifications.Thisincludes:

• ProgressProfileInterimAwardtosplitthecourseintomanageablestagesandhelpmotivatelearnersthroughearningteacher-managedawards–seeSection5f.

• AccesstoSubjectAdvisorstosupportyouthroughthetransitionandthroughoutthelifetimeofthespecification.

• Codio–anexcitingnewcloudbasedcodingandcontentplatformthatenablesteachers andlearnerstolearnComputerSciencepracticallyandinlinewithourspecification.(www.codio.com)

AllEntryLevelCertificatequalificationsofferedbyOCRareregulatedbyOfqual,theRegulatorforqualificationsofferedinEngland.TheaccreditationnumberforOCR’sEntryLevelCertificateinComputerScienceisQN603/0098/X.

http://www.codio.com

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1b. Why choose an OCR Entry Level Certificate in Computer Science?

Worthwhile

Thequalificationwillbuildontheknowledge,understandingandskillsestablishedthroughtheComputerScienceelementsoftheKeyStage2andKeyStage3programmesofstudy.ThecontenthasbeendesignednotonlytoallowforasolidbasisofunderstandingbuttoengagelearnersandgetthemthinkingaboutrealworldapplicationofComputerScience.

Engaging and fun

Thiscourseprovideslearnerswithopportunitiestobecomefamiliarwithhowcomputertechnologyworksandalookatwhatgoeson‘behindthescenes’.Throughtheintroductionofcomputationalthinking,algorithmsandprogramming,thiscoursewillhelplearnersdeveloptheirproblemsolvingskills.Itwillbeafunandinterestingwaytodeveloptheseskills,whichcanbetransferredtoothersubjectsandevenappliedinday-to-daylife.

Teacher involvement

Youcanenjoythefreedomandexcitementofteachingthisqualification,whichhasbeendevelopedtohelpyouinspireyourlearners.Thiscoursewasdevelopedwithyouinmind,usingaclearandeasyto

understandformat,makingitstraightforwardforyoutodeliver.Theresourceswillfocusonempoweringteacherstoexplorenewteachingmethodsthatwillenthuseandengagetheirlearners.

Thereisnoterminalexaminationasthisisanon-linearqualificationandassessmentisbymeans ofacombinationofcentre-markedtestsandaprogrammingprojecttask.Allassessmentsarecentre-based,supervisedbythelearner’sownteacher,andarecarriedoutattimesdeterminedbythecentre.AllassessmentswillbesubjecttonormalmoderationproceduresbyOCRuponsubmission.

Is there progression from Entry Level to GCSE (9–1)?

ThiscourseisdesignedtoprovidelearnerswithabroadunderstandingoftheworldofComputerScienceandencouragethemtodevelopcomputationalthinking,algorithmandprogrammingskills.ItwillpreparelearnersforGCSEbycoveringsomesimilarcontenttotheGCSE(9–1)ComputerScienceandprovidesafirmfoundationfromwhichlearnersmaymakeinformeddecisionsaboutprogressingontoaGCSE(9–1)ComputerScience oralternatively,aVocationalITqualification.


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Aims and learning outcomes

OCR’sEntryLevelCertificateinComputerSciencewillencouragelearnersto:

• understandandapplythefundamentalprinciplesandconceptsofComputerScience,includingproblemsolving,logic,algorithms,andprogramming

• analyseproblemsincomputationalterms,andhaveexposuretopracticalexperienceofwritingcomputerprogramsinordertosolvesuchproblems

• learnabout,discussandevaluatebothnewandunfamiliartechnologies

• becomeresponsible,confidentandcreativeusersofComputerScienceandrelatedtechnologies

• understandthecomponentsthatmakeupdigitalsystems,andhowtheycommunicatewithoneanotherandwithothersystems

• understandtheimpactsofdigitaltechnology to the individual and to wider society.

1c. What are the key features of this specification?

ThekeyfeaturesofOCR’sEntryLevelCertificateinComputerScienceforyouandyourlearnersare:

• asimpleandintuitiveassessmentmodel,consistingof2×30minutestestsforeachsection,onefocusingonthetheoryofComputerScienceandtheotherwithafocusonprogrammingandalgorithms.Alltestshaveidenticalweightingandmarkallocations.

• acodedprogrammingprojectthatwillenthuselearnerstoprovideasolutionfromachoiceofOCR set tasks

• ateamofOCRSubjectAdvisorswhosupportteachersdirectlyandmanagethequalificationnationally

• aspecificationthathasbeendesignedtosupportaseamlesstransitionintoGCSE(9–1)ComputerScienceoraVocationalITqualification.

Thisqualificationwillenablelearnerstodevelop:

• valuablethinkingandprogrammingskillsthatareextremelyattractiveinthemodernworkplace

• anunderstandingofcomputationalthinkingandhowtoapplyitthroughchosenprogramminglanguages

• theabilitytohaveconfidenceindiscussingComputerSciencewithinthewiderworldandtheimplicationsitmayhave.

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1d. What is new in OCR Entry Level Certificate in Computer Science?

ThissectionisintendedforteachersusingOCREntryLevelCertificateinComputerScience.IthighlightsthedifferencesbetweenthecurrentEntryLevel

CertificateinComputing(R353)andthenewversionforfirstteachingfromSeptember2016.

What stays the same? What’s changing?

• AflexibleandaccessibleComputerSciencecourseaimedatadiverserangeoflearnersand centres.

• AsingleEntryLevelspecificationwiththreecontentparts.

• AwardofanEntry1,Entry2orEntry3Certificate,basedonperformanceinassessment.

• AssessmentObjectivesarelargelyunchanged.• ProgrammingProjecttochoosefromthe

programmingprojectsgivenbyOCR.• Testsandprojecttasksareavailableto

downloadfromOCRInterchange.• Testsandprojecttasksare100%teacher-

marked.

• Wehavechangedthenumberoftestsfrom3to4.

• Testswillbe30minuteseachandlearnerscantaketheseattheendofthesubjectcontentasdescribedbelow:• Computerhardwareandsoftware• Computermemory,storageandmoral,

legalandenvironmentalconcerns• Computationallogicandalgorithms• Programmingtechniquesanddata

representation• Totalmarksavailablehaveincreasedfrom80

to100.• Somenewsubjectcontentincludingmoral,

legal,andenvironmentalconcernstoprovideacloserlinkforprogressingtoaGCSE(9–1)inComputerScience.

• Useoftwoormoreprogramminglanguages,atleastoneofwhichistextual,tosolveavarietyofcomputationalproblems.

• LearnersexploresimilarsubjectcontentaslearnersstudyingGCSE(9–1)ComputerScience,enablingco-teachability.EntryLevelCertificateinComputerScienceprovidesafirmfoundationfromwhichlearnersmaymakeinformeddecisionsaboutprogressingontoaGCSE(9–1)ComputerScienceorothervocationalICTqualification.


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1e. How do I find out more information?

IfyouarealreadyusingOCRspecificationsyoucancontactusat:www.ocr.org.uk

IfyouarenotalreadyaregisteredOCRcentrethenyoucanfindoutmoreinformationonthebenefitsofbecomingoneat:www.ocr.org.uk

Ifyouarenotyetanapprovedcentreandwouldliketobecomeonegoto:www.ocr.org.uk

Wanttofindoutmore?

AskSubjectAdvisors:

Email:[email protected]

CustomerContactCentre:01223553998

Twitter:@OCR_ict

Teachersupport:www.ocr.org.uk/computerscience

http://www.ocr.org.uk




https://twitter.com/ocr_ict

http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/by-subject/computing/

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2 The specification overview

2a. OCR’s Entry Level Certificate in Computer Science (R354)

Learnersmustcompleteallthreepartsofthesubjectcontentwhichmakesup100%oftheassessment.

Content Overview Assessment Overview

Computer Systems

Test 1

• Computerhardware• Computersoftware

Test 2

• Computermemoryandstorage• Moral,legal,culturaland

environmentalconcerns

ComputerSystems

40Marks

2 ×30minutetests

Total1hour

SetbyOCR

Internally-assessed/externally-moderated

40%of total

Entry Level Certificate

Computational thinking, algorithms and programming

Test 1

• Computationallogic• Algorithms

Test 2

• Programmingtechniques• Datarepresentation

ComputationalThinking,AlgorithmsandProgramming

40Marks

2 ×30minutetests

Total1hour

SetbyOCR


40%of total


Programming project

• Planningasolution• Developingasolution• Testingasolution• Evaluatingthesuccessofthesolution

ProgrammingProject

20Marks

SetbyOCR


20%of total



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2b. Content of Computer Systems

Thiscontentconsistsoffourbroadsectionsonwhichthetestswillbebased.AllofthesectionswillbeassessedthroughOCRsetendofcontenttests.ThesecanbefoundonInterchangeandtakenaftercontenthasbeentaught.

Therearetwotestswhichcoverthekeyconceptsthatlearnerswillstudy.Teachersshouldensurelearnerstakethetestswhichcovertheentiretyofthatsection

e.g.ComputerSystemCS1andCS2orCS3and CS4.

ThetestsshouldbemarkedbytheteacherusingthemarkschemeavailableonInterchange.

Forfurtherinformation,pleasereadtheTeacher’sHandbookwhichcanbefoundontheOCRsubjectwebpage.

Key Concepts Learners should be able to:

Computer hardware

• componentsofacomputer

• internalcomponentsofacomputerandtheirfunction

• peripheralsandtheirfunction.

• classifythecomponentsofacomputerwithrespectto:• input• output• storage

• identifythebasicfunctionofthecommoninternalcomponentsofacomputer:• motherboard• CPU• RAM• BIOS• hard disks

• identifythebasicfunctionsofcommonperipherals:• camera• keyboard• microphones• monitor• mouse• scanner • headphones• speakers• printer.

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Computer software

• OperatingSystem

• SystemSoftware

• typesofutilitysoftwareindifferentcontexts

• typesofapplicationsoftwareindifferentcontexts

• identifyarangeofoperatingsystems,includingOpenSourceandProprietary

• statewhyoperatingsystemsareneeded• statethebasicfunctionsofanoperatingsystem:

• managementofsoftware• managementofhardware(throughdevicedrivers)• managementofCPUandmemory

• identifyexamplesofapplicationsoftwareandsystemsoftware

• statethepurposeofdifferentsystemutilities:• computersecurity(antivirus,anti-malware,anti-spyware

andfirewalls),• diskmanagement(formatting,filetransfer,and

defragmentation),andbackup• systemmaintenance(systeminformationanddiagnosis,

systemclean-uptools,automaticupdating)

• Identifyarangeofcommonapplicationsoftwarepackagesandunderstandtheiruses,suchas:• ImageProcessing• WordProcessing• Spreadsheet• Web Browsers• presentation• Database• IntegratedDevelopmentEnvironment(IDE).

Computer memory and storage

• PrimaryStorage

• SecondaryStorage

• describethepurposeofRAM• describethepurposeofCache• describethepurposeofROM• explainthepurposeofsecondarystorage• giveexamplesofcommontypesofsecondarystoragedevicesand

keycharacteristics:• Magnetic(HardDiskDrive,TapeDrive)• Optical(CDROM,DVD)• FlashMemory(SolidStateDrive,SDCardandUSBPen

Drive)

• identifyappropriateuseofsecondarystoragedeviceswithrespectto:• capacities• speed• portability• cost.


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Moral, legal, and environmental concerns

• moralissues

• legalissues

• environmentalissues

• opensourceandproprietarysoftware

• ComputerSciencelegislation

• describeComputerSciencetechnologieswithconsiderationof:• moralissues,forexample: replacingofhumanswithcomputers changingtheshapeoftheworld spreadinginformationandrightofprivacy• legalissues,forexample: useofcomputertocommitcrime(hacking) risksofaccesstopeople’sdata

• environmentalissues,forexample: recyclingandwaste energyuse improvementsinmanufacturing

• opensourceversusproprietarysoftware• differencesbetweencost,support,andcustomisation

• understandthatlawsexistthataffectandcontrolcomputeruse

• statethepurposeofeachofthefollowinglegislations:• DataProtectionAct(1998)• ComputerMisuseAct(1990)• Copyright,DesignandPatentsAct(1998).

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2b. Content of Computational Thinking, Algorithms and Programming

Thiscontentconsistsoffourbroadsectionsonwhichthetestswillbebased.AllofthesectionswillbeassessedthroughOCRsetendofcontenttests. ThesecanbefoundonOCRInterchangeandtakenaftercontenthasbeentaught.

Therearetwotestswhichcoverthekeyconcepts thatlearnerswillstudy.Teachersshouldensurelearnerstakethetestswhichcovertheentiretyof

thatsectione.g.ComputationalThinking,AlgorithmsandProgrammingCTAP1andCTAP2orCTAP3and CTAP4.

ThetestsshouldbemarkedbytheteacherusingthemarkschemeavailableonInterchange.

Forfurtherinformation,pleasereadtheTeacher’sHandbookwhichaccompaniesthisspecification.


Computational logic

• Booleanlogic

• Booleanoperators

• arithmeticoperations

• understandthepurposeofdataincomputersystemsbeingrepresentedinbinaryform

• understandsimpleBooleanlogicandsomeofitsusesinprogramming

• beabletocreatethebasictruthtablesfortheoutputofthelogicgates:• AND• OR • NOT

• understandandevaluatethefollowingBooleanoperators:• equalto(a==b)• notequalto(a!=b)• lessthan(a<b)• greaterthan(a>b)

• understandandbeabletousethefollowingmathematicalsymbols:• +(add)• –(subtract)• *(multiply)• /(divide).


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Algorithms

• computationalthinking

• binary/denarynumbers

• flowcharts

• identifythesuccesscriteriaofaproblem• createabasicplantosolveaproblem• sequenceinstructionsinalogicalway• identifypotentialdifficulties• identifywaystocheckthatasolutionworks• understandhownumbersarerepresentedinbinary• beabletocarryoutsimpleoperationsonbinarynumbers

using:• binaryaddition(4bit)• conversionbetweenbinaryanddecimalfrom0to15

• producealgorithmsusingflowcharts• useandbefamiliarwiththeflowchartshapesfor:

• Start/Stop• Process• Input/Output• Decision• FlowLines.

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Programming techniques

• variables

• input,outputandstorageof data

• sequence

• selection

• iteration

• operators

• comments

• explainwhatavariableisusedfor(i.e.storingdatawithinaprogram)

• performbasicmathematicalorlogicalcalculationsonvariables

• explainandshowhowinputmaybecapturedandassignedtoavariableforuse/storagewithinaprogram

• explainandshowhowtooutputtextormovementonscreen• beabletousearangeofdatatypesincluding:

• integers• realnumbers• text• Boolean• lists/arrays(onedimensional)orequivalent

• understandthatinstructionsareexecutedinthesequencetheyarewritten

• writeprogramswithinstructionsinthecorrectorder• beabletoidentifyerrorsintheorderofasequencedsetofsteps

• explainandidentifyhowprogramscanbemadetoexecutecodebasedonachoice(trueorfalse)e.g.IFstatements

• understandwhatismeantbyaloop• usealoopinaprogramtoexecutestatementsmultipletimes

(WHILEloopandFORloop)

• usecommonarithmeticoperatorswithinaprogram• usecommonBooleanlogicoperatorswithinaprogram

• explainwhycommentsincodeareuseful• showexamplesofcommentingincode.

Data Representation

• unitsofcomputermemory

• datastructureand datacompression

• dataintheformofbinarydigits

• understandthatcomputermemoryorstoragearemeasuredusingdifferentunits:• bit• nibble• byte• kilobyte• megabyte• gigabyte

• understandthepurposeofdatacompressionintermsof:• transmissionofdata• storage

• understandhowdatacanberepresenteddigitally,intheformofbinarydigitsfor:• text• sounds • pictures.


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2b. Content for the Programming Project

Inthisprogrammingproject,learnerswillbeexpectedtoplan,write,testandevaluateasimplecodedprogram.Theprojectwillincorporate:

• SuccessCriteria–learnerswillneedtoreadandunderstandeachcomponentoftheprogrammingprojecttobeabletocreatealistof success criteria.

• PlanningandDesign–learnerswillberequiredtodevelopaflowchartsolutiontotheproblembasedontheirprojectsuccesscriteria.Theywillalsobeexpectedtoidentifysomesimpleteststheymaycarryout.LearnerswillbeexpectedtouseInput,OutputandStorageofdatawithintheirproject.

• Development-learnerswillbeexpectedtousecombinationsofsequence,selection,iteration,arithmeticoperationsandcommentstocreatethesolutiontothetask.

• TestingandRemedialAction-learnerswillbeexpectedtocarryoutsomebasicnormalanderroneoustestingtocheckthattheirsolutionworks.

• Evaluation–learnerswillbeexpectedtoshowthattheyhavereflectedontheirsolutions,andcomparethissolutiontotheinitialgoalstheyset.

ThetaskcanbechosenfromthreeprogrammingprojectsprovidedbyOCR.Itistheresponsibilityoftheteachertoensurethattheydevelopthelearner’sprogrammingtechniquesandteachsubjectcontentfromthespecificationbeforestartingprogrammingproject.

Learnerswillneedtocreatesuitablealgorithmswhichwillprovideasolutiontotheproblemsidentified inthetask.Theywillthencodetheirsolutioninasuitableprogramminglanguage.Thesolutionmustbetestedateachstagetoensuretheysolvethestatedproblemandlearnersmustuseasuitabletestplanwithappropriatetestdata.

Thecodemustbesuitablyannotatedtodescribetheprocess.Testresultsshouldbeannotatedtoshowhowtheserelatetothecode,thetestplanandtheoriginalproblem.

Learnerswillneedtoprovideanevaluationoftheirsolutionbasedonthetestevidence.

Groupworkcanbeusedtodeliverthecontentandskillsbutanyworksubmittedmustbethelearner’sown.Learnersshouldbeencouragedtobeinnovativeandcreativeinhowtheyapproachsolvingthetasks.

Asaguide,theprogrammingprojectshouldtakebetween10–12hourstocomplete,unlesstherearespecificaccessrequirementsthatshouldbeconsidered.However,theseareguidelinesonly.

Learnerscanuseanysuitableprogramminglanguagewhichallowsthemtoaccessalloftheprogrammingtechniquesaslistedwithinthesubjectcontent.Thismaybe:

• Draganddrop,forexample:• Scratch• Gamemaker• Greenfoot• BYOB• AppInventor

• Textuallyderived,forexample:• Python• SmallBasic• VisualBasic/.NET• JavaScript• Java• C#orotherCfamilylanguage• BASH• Delphi/Pascal/Lazarus

Forfurtherinformation,pleasereadTheTeacher’sHandbookwhichaccompaniesthisspecification.

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Theprojectcanbecarriedoutinmanywaysbutisbestapproachedusinganiterativeprocessfordevelopingacodedprogrammingproject,shownbelow:

Programming techniques required:

Learnersshouldhavestudiedthefollowingprogrammingtechniquesbeforestartingtheprogrammingproject

• Identifyandusevariables,operators,inputs,outputsandassignments

• Understandandusethethreebasicprogrammingconstructsusedtocontroltheflowofaprogram:• Sequence• Selection IFStatements• Iteration Countandconditioncontrolledloops:

WHILEandFOR• Understandandusebasicstringmanipulation

• Concatenationonly

• Usedifferenttypesofdata:• Integer• Boolean• Realnumbers• Text• Characterandstring

• Defineandusearrays(orequivalent)asappropriatewhensolvingproblems• onedimensionalarrays(orsimilar)

• Usethearithmeticoperatorsaslistedwithinthespecification

• UsetheBooleanoperatorsaslistedwithinthespecification


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2c. Prior knowledge, learning and progression

• Nopriorlearningofthesubjectisrequiredandtherearenopriorqualificationsrequiredinorder for learners to enter for an Entry Level CertificateinComputerScience.

• Progression–thisEntryLevelCertificateisageneralqualificationdesignedtoenablelearnerstoprogresseitherdirectlytoemploymentortootherfoundationlevelcourses.ThesuccessoflearnersduringthecoursemaysignposttheirsuitabilityforprogressionontotheGCSE(9–1)ComputerSciencecourse(J276).

• ProgressionPathways:Theentrylevelcanbeusedasapre-GCSE(9–1)coursetoenablecentrestodeterminethebestroutefortheirlearners.Ifusingthecourseasapre-GCSE(9–1)

coursethentheendofsection’stests(seesection3a)andProgrammingprojecttask (seesection3f)canbeusedtoprovideregularinformationastotheprogressionandprogressofthelearner.Usingthisinformation,centrescanthendecidewhethertocontinuethelearner on the Entry Level course or transfer thelearnertoGCSE(9–1).IfusingEntryLevelroutethelearnerscanbepresentedtheBronze,SilverorGoldawardcertificatebasedonthetotal%ofmarksachieved(seeAppendix5a)fortestsandProgrammingprojectcompletedforallpartsofthecontentwithinthequalification(seesection3a)asamotivationalaward.

Findoutmoreatwww.ocr.org.uk


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3a. Forms of assessment

OCR’sEntryLevelCertificateinComputerScienceisasingleentryqualificationconsistingofthreesectionsthatlearnersmustcompleteinordertoobtainanEntryLevelCertificateinComputerScience.

AlloftheOCRsettestswillbeassessedbythecentreandexternally-moderatedbyOCR.

Therearefourwrittentestsintotal,30minuteseach,aslistedbelow:

• ComputerSystems–CS1andCS2ORCS3 andCS4

• Computerhardwareandsoftware• Computermemory,storageandmoral,

legalandenvironmentalconcerns

• Computationalthinking,algorithmsandprogramming–CTAP1andCTAP2ORCTAP3 andCTAP4

• Computationallogicandalgorithms• Programmingtechniquesanddata

representation

ItisimportanttonotethatCS1andCS2formoneassessmentofComputerSystems,andCS3and CS4formanalternative(re-sit)assessmentofComputerSystems.Therefore,youmustsubmitthesetestsasaunitandcannotmix,say,CS1and CS4asasubmissionforComputerSystems.However,youmaysubmitCS1&CS2forComputerSystems,andthenCTAP3&CTAP4forComputationalthinking,algorithmsandprogramming.

3 Assessment of Entry Level Certificate in Computer Science

Submission of tests Submit either

ComputerSystems CS1 CS2 or CS3 CS4

and either

Computationalthinking,algorithmsandprogramming

CTAP1 CTAP2 or CTAP3 CTAP4


3

Computer Systems

40%oftotalmarks

40marks

2 ×30minutestests

Thissectionconsistsoffourbroadsections.OCRsettestsmustbetakenafter teachingasetofsectionsaslistedbelow:Computer Systems Test 1 (CS1)/Test 3 (CS3)• Computerhardware• Computersoftware

Computer Systems Test 2 (CS2)/Test 4 (CS4)• Computermemoryandstorage• Moral,legal,culturalandenvironmentalconcerns

Inpreparationfortheassessment,teachersmustallowsufficientteachingtimetoincreasethelearner’sdepthofknowledgeandunderstanding.

Youmustuseasinglesetoftestsforsubmissionandcannotcombinedifferenttestsforsubmission.

ThetestsareavailablefordownloadfromOCRInterchangefromSeptember2016.TeachersmustusethemarkschemesprovidedbyOCRtomarkthetests.AllsectionsofthecontentaslistedaboveshouldbesubmittedtoOCRtogetherforcertification.

Computational thinking, algorithms and programming

40%oftotalmarks

40marks

2 ×30minutestests

Thissectionconsistsoffourbroadsections.OCRsettestsmustbetaken after teachingasetofsectionsaslistedbelow:Computational thinking, algorithms and programming Test 1 (CTAP1)/Test 3 (CTAP3)• Computationallogic• Algorithms

Computational thinking, algorithm and programming Test 2 (CTAP2)/Test 4 (CTAP4)• Programmingtechniques• Datarepresentation

Inpreparationfortheassessment,teachersmustallowsufficientteachingtimetoincreasethelearner’sdepthofknowledgeandunderstanding.

Youmustuseasinglesetoftestsforsubmissionandcannotcombinedifferenttestsforsubmission.

ThetestsareavailablefordownloadfromOCRInterchangefromSeptember2016.TeachersmustusethemarkschemesprovidedbyOCRtomarkthetests.AllsectionsofthecontentaslistedaboveshouldbesubmittedtoOCRtogetherforcertification.

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Programming project

20%oftotalmarks

20marks

Learnerscompleteaprogrammingprojectusinganysuitableprogramminglanguagewhichallowslearnerstoaccessalloftheprogrammingtechniquesaslistedwithinthesubjectcontent.Thismaybe:• Draganddrop,forexample:

• Scratch• Gamemaker• Greenfoot• BYOB• AppInventor

• Textuallyderived,forexample:

• Python• SmallBasic• VisualBasic/.NET• JavaScript• Java• C#orotherCfamilylanguage• BASH• Delphi/Pascal/Lazarus

ThetaskmustbechosenfromthreeprogrammingprojectsprovidedbyOCR.

ItisexpectedthatlearnerswillbefamiliarwiththerangeofprogrammingtechniqueslistedwithinthespecificationbeforeattemptingtheProgrammingProject.

Inadditiontothetimespentcompletingthetask,thereshouldalsobefurtherteachingtimetoincreasethelearner’sdepthofknowledgeandunderstandinginpreparationfortheinternalassessment.

Theprogrammingtaskisinternallyassessedandexternally-moderated.


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3b. Assessment objectives (AO)

Thereare3AssessmentObjectivesinOCREntryLevelCertificateinComputerScience.Thesearedetailedinthe table below.Learnersareexpectedto:

Assessment Objective

AO1 DemonstrateKnowledgeandUnderstanding

Learnersdemonstratetheirabilitytorecall,selectandcommunicatetheirknowledgeandunderstandingofconcepts,issuesandterminology.

AO2 ApplyKnowledgeandUnderstanding

Learnersdemonstratetheirabilitytoapplytheirknowledgeandunderstanding.

AO3 Analyse,EvaluateandApply

Learnersdemonstratetheirabilitytoanalyseproblemsincomputationaltermstomakereasonedjudgementandtodesign,program,andevaluatesolutions.

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AO weightings in OCR Entry Level Certificate in Computer Science

TherelationshipbetweentheAssessmentObjectivesandthesectionsofsubjectcontentareshowninthefollowingtable:

Assessments

% of overall Entry Level Certificate in Computer Science (R354)

Total

AO1 AO2 AO3

Computersystems 19 12 9 40%


14 12 14 40%

Programmingproject 2 6 12 20%

Total 35 30 35 100%

3c. Assessment availability

TherewillbeoneexaminationseriesavailableeachyearinMay/Junetoall learners.TwoversionsofeachtestwillbeavailableonOCRInterchange.Resitsarepermittedbyusingeitheravailablesetprovidedthatthesametestisnotsattwicewithinatwoweekperiod.

ThisspecificationwillbecertificatedfromtheJune2017examinationseriesonwards

3d. Retaking the qualification

Learnerscanretakethequalificationasmanytimesastheywish.


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3e. Internal assessment tasks

AllinternalassessmenttasksandprogrammingprojectsaresetbyOCRthatthecentrecanchoosefrom.

Assessment Set by OCR

Computersystems ü


ü

Programmingproject ü

TheinternaltestsandprogrammingprojectscanbefoundonOCRInterchange:https://interchange.ocr.org.uk/

3f. Programming Project – marking criteria

WorksubmittedfortheEntryLevelCertificateshouldreflectthestandardexpectedforalearnerafterafullEntry Level course of study.

AllsectionsofthesubjectcontentforOCR’sEntryLevelCertificateinComputerScienceareinternallyassessedandexternallymoderated.

Learners’workshouldbemarkedbythecentreassessortothemarkingcriteriaintherelevanttable,usinga‘best-fit’approach.

Markingshouldbepositive,rewardingachievementratherthanpenalisingfailureoromissions.Theawardingofmarksmustbedirectlyrelatedtothemarkingcriteria.

Teachersshouldusetheirprofessionaljudgementinselectingbanddescriptorsthatbestdescribetheworkofthelearnertoplacethemintheappropriatebandforeachassessmentobjectivesection.

Toselectthemostappropriatemarkinthebanddescriptor,teachersshouldusethefollowingguidance:

• wherethelearner’sworkconvincinglymeetsthestatement,asuitable‘bestfit’markwithinthehighestmarkbandshouldbeawarded

• wherethelearner’sworkadequatelymeets thestatement,asuitable‘bestfit’markwithinthemiddlemarkbandshouldbeawarded

• wherethelearner’sworkjustmeetsthestatement,asuitable‘bestfit’markwithin thelowestmarkbandshouldbeawarded.

Teachersshouldusethefullrangeofmarksavailabletothemandawardfullmarksinanybandforworkwhichfullymeetsthatdescriptor.

Thereshouldbeclearevidencethatworkhasbeenattemptedandsomeworkproduced.Ifalearnersubmitsnoworkforasectionofthecontentthenthelearnershouldbeindicatedasbeingabsentfromthatsection.Ifalearnercompletesanyworkatallforthesectionsofthesubjectcontentthentheworkshouldbeassessedaccordingtothemarkingcriteriaandtheappropriatemarkawarded,whichmaybezero.

OCRsetProgrammingProjecttaskswillbeavailableonOCR’sInterchange.GuidanceonhowtoaccessthesetasksfromInterchangeisavailableonthe OCR website at http://www.ocr.org.uk/ocr-for/exams-officers/support-and-tools/interchange/step-by-step-guides/.Centresmustensurethatlearners undertake a suitable task to use a programminglanguagewhichallowsfullaccess totheprogrammingtechniquesdescribedwithinthe

https://interchange.ocr.org.uk/

http://www.ocr.org.uk/ocr-for/exams-officers/support-and-tools/interchange/step-by-step-guides/



22© OCR 2016


3

specification.TheProgrammingProjectswillbesetbyOCR and centres will choose one for their Entry Level CertificateinComputerSciencequalification.

Withinthisspecification,OCRexpectsteachers toequipthelearnerswiththeknowledge,understandingandskillsbeforetheybegintheProgrammingProject.Itshouldberememberedthatlearnersarerequiredtoreachtheirownjudgementsandconclusionswithoutanyguidanceorassistance.WhensupervisingtheProgrammingProject,teachersareexpectedtoofferlearnersadviceonhowbesttopreparefortheresearch/datacollectionelementsofthissection.

ThelearnersmustbeformallysupervisedwhenworkingontheProgrammingProject.Formalsupervisionmeansunderdirectteachersupervision:teachersmustbeabletoauthenticatetheworkandtheremustbeacknowledgementandreferencingofany sources used.

WhensupervisingProgrammingProject,teachersareexpectedto:

• exercisecontinuingsupervisionofworkinordertomonitorprogressandtopreventplagiarism

• ensurethattheworkiscompletedinaccordancewiththespecificationrequirementsand can be assessed in accordance with the specifiedmarkingcriteriaandprocedures.

• annotatewherelearnersmayhavereceivedteachersupportandindicatethelevelofsupport.Whereateacherhasprovidedsupport,marksmustreflectthelevelofsupportasdescribedwithinthepermittedsupportwithinthispageandawardedappropriatelywithintheUnitRecordSheet(URS).

Learnersmustworkindependentlytoproducetheirownfinalpieceofwork.ItistheresponsibilityoftheHead of Centre to ensure the controls set out in the specificationandintheindividualsectionsofthesubjectcontentsareimposed.

Itisanticipatedthatlearnerswillspendbetween10–12hoursinproducingtheworkforthissectionofthesubjectcontent.Itisessentialthatanymaterialdirectlyusedfromasourceisappropriatelyreferenced.

Permitted Support

Teachersmay:

• explainthetaskandadviseonresources

• interrogatelearnerstoensurethattheworkistheir own

• provideacopyofthemarkschemetolearners

• providesupportduringtheplanninganddesignstageswithaminimalsolutionthatmaynotaddressalltherequirementsbutallowthelearnerstoprogresstothedevelopmentstage.

Teachersmust not:

• givedetailedadviceandsuggestionsastohowtheworkmaybeimprovedinordertomeettheassessmentcriteria.Thisincludesindicatingerrorsoromissionsandpersonallyinterveningtoimprovethepresentationorcontentofthework

• practisethetaskwiththelearners

• supportthedevelopmentofprogrammingprojectandcodeotherthanprovidinggeneralsyntaxsupport

• supporttesting,evaluationandconclusionsoftheprogrammingproject

• practisetaskswhicharesimilarinnaturewiththe learners

• providetemplates,modelanswersorfeedbackondrafts

• publishanysolvedanswersoftheprogrammingprojecttasksonline

• allowlearnerstotaketaskshomewiththem.


3

Programming Project Mark Scheme

Success Criteria (0–3 marks available)

Marks

Marking criteria 1 2 3

AO1–0

AO2–3

AO3–0

• Thereisanattempttoidentifysomesuccesscriteria,buttheseonlycoverpartofthesolutionandareincomplete

• Thereisanattempttoidentifymostsuccess criteria adequately,andthese relate to the majorityoftherequirementslisted

• Thereisanattempttoconvincinglyidentifythemajorityofsuccesscriteria,and these relate to therequirementslisted

0marks=noresponseornoresponseworthyofcredit.

Planning and Design (0–6 marks available)

Marks

Marking criteria

1–2 3–4 5–6

AO1–0AO2–2AO3–4

• Thereisastatement(s)ofwhattheintendedprogramwilldo.Thismaynotalwaysreflectwhatthe task requires

• Thereisanattempttocreateaflowchartfortheprogram,butthisisincompleteorappearsnon-functional.

• Therearesometestsgiven,butthesearebasicandusenormaldata only

• ThereisanattempttoidentifyanyInput,OutputandProcessingneeds.

• Thelearnerhasoutlinedhowtheirprogramwillwork and this adequately matchesanysuccesscriteriagiven

• Thereisaflowchartproducedthatadequatelymapsaworkingsolutiontotheproblem,althoughitmaycontainsomeerrors

• Therearearangeoftestssuggestedusingnormalanderroneousdata,butdonotcovertheentiresolutionproposed

• Input,OutputandProcessingneedsareidentifiedandadequatelymeetthesolution,althoughmaynotbecomplete.

• Thelearnerhasdescribed how their programwillworkandthisconvincinglymatchesthe needs of the task.

• Thereisanaccurateflowchartrepresentingtheproposedsolutionsthatconvincinglyproducesafunctionalsolution.

• Therearenormalanderroneous tests for all partsofthesolutionasneeded and the tests wouldprovideconvincingevidence that the solutioniseffective.

• Input,OutputandProcessingneedsareclearlyidentifiedandcover all areas of the solution

0=noresponseornoresponseworthyofcredit.

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Development (0–5 marks available)

Marks

Marking criteria

1 2 – 3 4–5


• Thereisevidenceofsomeofthefollowingtechniques:• Input• Output• DataStorage• Selection• Iteration• Arithmetic

Operators• Comments

• Thereislittleevidence of the developmentoftheprogram,whichwillbelimitedandmaynot fully describe the stepstakentoreachasolution.

• Theexplanationsofthe code leave doubt as to the understandingofthetechniques used.

• Thereisevidenceofarangeofthefollowingtechniques,whichmaynot always be used efficiently:• Input• Output• DataStorage• Selection• Iteration• Arithmetic


• Thereisadequateevidenceshowingthedevelopmentofthesolution,butthismaycontainomissions.

• Theexplanationsadequatelysupportthelearnersunderstandingof the techniques used.

• Thereisconvincingevidenceofarangeofthefollowingtechniques,whicharegenerallyusedefficiently:• Input• Output• DataStorage• Selection• Iteration• Arithmetic


• Thereisconvincingevidence of the developmentofthesolutionanditprovidesafullnarrativeoftheprocess.

• Explanationsconvincinglyexplainthelearner’sunderstandingoftechniques used.



3

Testing and Remedial Actions (0–3 marks available)

Marks

Marking criteria

1 2 3


• Theresultsoflimitedtests are evidenced withrespectstosuccess or failure

• Thereisnoorlittleevidencegiventoshowanattempttocorrect errors that are foundinthesolution

• Theresultsofmosttests are evidenced withrespecttosuccessor failure

• Thereissomeevidencegiventoshow that errors have been adequately solvedandre-tested

• Theresultsofalltestsare evidenced with respecttosuccessorfailure

• Thereisconvincingevidence that errors have been corrected andtheprogramisfunctional


Evaluation (0–3 marks available)

Marks

Marking criteria

1 2 3


• Therearelimitedstatementsaboutwhetherthesolutionhas been successful

• ThelinkbetweenevidenceoftestingandSuccessCriteriaisweakandvague

• Therearesomestatementsthatadequately review the successoftheproject

• ThelinkbetweenevidenceoftestingandSuccessCriteriaisadequate

• ThereisfullcoverageofstatementstoreflecttheSuccessCriteria

• ThelinkbetweenevidenceoftestingandSuccessCriteriaisconvincingandcoversallSuccessCriteria.

0=noresponseornoresponseworthyofcredit

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3g. Calculating qualification results

Alearner’soverallqualificationgradeforOCREntryLevelCertificateinComputerSciencewillbecalculatedbyaddingtogethertheirmarksfromthethreesectionstakentogivetheirtotalmark.This

markwillthenbecomparedtothequalificationlevelgradeboundariesfortherelevantexamseriestodeterminethelearner’soverallqualificationgrade.


4

Theinformationinthissectionisdesignedtogiveanoverviewoftheprocessesinvolvedinadministeringthisqualificationsothatyoucanspeaktoyourexamsofficer.AllofthefollowingprocessesrequireyoutosubmitsomethingtoOCRbyaspecificdeadline.Moreinformationabouttheprocessesanddeadlines

involvedateachstageoftheassessmentcyclecanbefoundintheAdministrationareaoftheOCRwebsite.

OCR’s Admin overview is available on the OCR website at:http//www.ocr.org.uk/administration

4a. Pre-assessment

Estimated entries

Estimatedentriesareyourbestprojectionofthenumberoflearnerswhowillbeenteredforaqualificationinaparticularseries.Estimatedentries

shouldbesubmittedtoOCRbythespecifieddeadline.Theyarefreeanddonotcommityourcentre in any way.

Final entries

FinalentriesprovideOCRwithdetaileddataforeachlearner,showingeachassessmenttobetaken.Itisessentialthatyouusethecorrectentrycode,consideringtherelevantentryrules.

FinalentriesmustbesubmittedtoOCRbythepublisheddeadlinesorlateentryfeeswillapply.

AlllearnerstakingthisEntryLevelCertificateinComputerSciencemustbeenteredforR354.

4 Admin: what you need to know

Entry Option Components

Entry code Title Code Assessment type Submission method

R354 ComputerScience

01 Non-examassessment OCRRepository

02 Non-examassessment OCRPostalModeration

4b. Special consideration

Adjustmentstostandardassessmentarrangementsaremadeonthebasisoftheindividualneedsoflearners.

Itisimportant,therefore,thatcentresidentifyasearlyaspossiblewhetherlearnershavedisabilitiesorparticulardifficultiesthatwillputthematadisadvantageintheassessmentsituationandselectanappropriatequalificationoradjustmentthatwillallowthemtodemonstrateattainment.

TheresponsibilityforprovidingadjustmentstoassessmentissharedbetweenyourcentreandOCR;forfurtherinformationpleasereadtheJointCouncilofQualifications’(JCQ)booklethttp://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/regulations-and-guidance. Therearesectionsprovidingeligibilitycriteriaanddetailsrelatingtothedeliveryofeachaccessarrangement.Pleasepayparticularattentiontopages96-97inrelationtoEntryLevelCertificate.

www.ocr.org.uk/administration

https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration



http://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/regulations-and-guidance/access-arrangements-and-reasonable-adjustments-2016-2017

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Subjecttoanyspecifiedqualificationrestrictions, ifacentrehasapprovalfromAccessArrangementsOnlineforaccessarrangementsforaGCSEorGCElearner,thisapprovalextendstoEntryLevelCertificatequalifications.

TheaccessarrangementspermissibleforuseintheEntryLevelCertificatequalificationsareasfollows:

Access Arrangements for Entry Level Certificate in Computer Science

Thearrangementslistedontherightmaybegrantedbythecentreand do not need to be recorded.

Evidence of need is not required to beheldonfile.

• Amplificationequipment,tapedquestionsandresponses• Bilingualdictionary• Braillers• Braillingofnon-secureassessmentmaterial• ClosedCircuitTelevision(CCTV)• Colournamingbytheinvigilatorforlearnerswhoarecolour

blind• Colouredoverlays• Lowvisionaid/magnifier• Prompter• ReadAloud• Separateinvigilation(withinthecentre)• Supervisedrestbreaks• Transcript• WordProcessor(withspellcheckandgrammarcheckdisabled)

Wherepermittedbythespecification,thearrangementslistedtotherightmaybegrantedbythecentrewithoutpriorapprovalfromOCR,butaForm11(JCQ/EL/NF)mustbecompletedandkeptonthecentre’sfiles.

Form11isavailablefrom www.jcq.org.uk.

• ComputerReader• Extratimeintimedcomponents• PracticalAssistant• Reader• Scribe/SpeechRecognitionTechnology• SignLanguageInterpreterforfrontpageinstructionsonly

TheForm11(JCQ/EL/NF)mustlistthenamesandnumbersoflearnerswhoweregrantedanyofthesearrangements.

http://www.jcq.org.uk


4

Theaccessarrangementsdetailedabovemaybeappropriateforlearnerswithdisabilities,specialeducationalneedsortemporaryinjuriesimpactingontheirabilitytoaccesstheassessment,butthisisnotanexhaustivelist.Reasonableadjustmentswhichmaybeappropriateforlearnerswithdisabilitieshavenotbeenlisted;applicationsshouldbemadeonanindividualbasistoOCR.Applicationsreceivedwillbeconsideredinthecontextofthestandardswhichmustbemetineachunitandtheevidenceofneed.

Applicationsshouldbemadetothe SpecialRequirementsTeamatOCR([email protected]).

TheJCQdocumenthttp://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/regulations-and-guidance should also bereferredtoregardingpost-assessmentspecialconsiderationincasesoftemporaryillness,indispositionorinjury,atthetimeoftheexamination/assessment.ForEntryLevelCertificateapplicationsforspecialconsiderationshouldbesubmittedusingSpecialConsiderationOnline,accessedviaOCRInterchange.

4c. Admin of the Programming Project assessment

Regulationsgoverningarrangementsfor internalassessmentsarecontainedinthe

JCQInstructions for conducting non-examination assessments.

Level of Support

OCRexpectsteacherstosuperviseandguidelearnerswhoareundertakingworkthatisinternallyassessed.Thedegreeofteacherguidancewillvaryaccordingtothekindofworkbeingundertaken.Itshouldberemembered,however,thatlearnersarerequiredtoreachtheirownjudgementsandconclusions.Whensupervisinginternallyassessedtasks,teachersareexpectedto:offerlearnersadviceabouthowbest toapproachsuchtasksexercisesupervisionoftheworkinordertomonitorprogressandtopreventplagiarismensurethattheworkiscompletedin

accordancewiththespecificationrequirementsandcanbeassessedinaccordancewiththespecifiedmarkdescriptionsandprocedures.Workshould,whereverpossible,becarriedoutundersupervision.However,itisacceptedthatsometasksmayrequirelearners to undertake work outside the centre. Wherethisisthecase,thecentremustensurethatsufficientsupervisedworktakesplacetoallowtheteachersconcernedtoauthenticateeachlearner’sworkwithconfidence.

Authentication of learner’s work

Learnersandcentresmustdeclarethattheworksubmittedforassessmentisthelearner’sownbycompletingacentreauthenticationform(CCS160).ThisinformationmustberetainedatthecentreandbeavailableonrequesttoeitherOCRortheJCQcentreinspectionservice.Itmustbekeptuntilthe

deadlinehaspassedforcentrestosubmitanenquiryaboutresults(EAR).OncethisdeadlinehaspassedandcentreshavenotrequestedanEAR,thisevidencecan be destroyed.





30© OCR 2016


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Head of Centre Annual Declaration

TheHeadofCentreisrequiredtoprovideadeclarationtotheJCQaspartoftheannualNCNupdate,conductedintheautumnterm,toconfirmthatthecentreismeetingalloftherequirementsdetailedinthespecification.

AnyfailurebyacentretoprovidetheHeadofCentreAnnualDeclarationwillresultinyourcentrestatusbeingsuspendedandcouldleadtothewithdrawalofourapprovalforyoutooperateasacentre.

Private candidates

PrivatecandidatesmayenterforOCRassessments.

Aprivatecandidateissomeonewhopursuesacourseofstudyindependentlybuttakesanexaminationorassessmentatanapprovedexaminationcentre.Aprivatecandidatemaybeapart-timestudent,someonetakingadistancelearningcourse,orsomeonebeingtutoredprivately.TheymustbebasedintheUK.

TheEntryLevelCertificateinComputerSciencerequireslearnerstocompleteOCRissuedfourwrittentestsintotalwithtwoeachfromComputerSystems(CS1andCS2orCS3andCS4)andComputationalthinking,AlgorithmsandProgramming(CTAP1andCTAP2orCTAP3andCTAP4)subjectcontentsaswellasoneprogrammingProject(fromthreeavailable)usingfullsystemlifecycle.AlltestsandprogrammingprojectsareavailabletodownloadfromOCRInterchange.

Thesetestsandprogrammingprojectareanessentialpartofthecourseandwillallowlearnerstodeveloptheircomputationalthinking,algorithmsandprogrammingtechniquesskillsforfurtherstudyoremploymentaswellasimpartingimportantknowledgeandunderstandingthatispartofthespecification.

PrivatecandidatesneedtocontactOCRapprovedcentrestoestablishwhethertheyarepreparedtohostthemasaprivatecandidate.ThecentremaychargeforthisfacilityandOCRrecommendsthatthearrangementismadeearlyinthecourse.

FurtherguidanceforprivatecandidatesmaybefoundontheOCRwebsite:http://www.ocr.org.uk

Internal standardisation

Centresmustcarryoutinternalstandardisationtoensurethatmarksawardedbydifferentteachersare

accurate and consistent across all learners entered for thecomponentfromthatcentre.

Moderation

Thepurposeofmoderationistobringthemarkingofinternally-assessedcomponentsinallparticipatingcentrestoanagreedstandard.Thisisachievedbycheckingasampleofeachcentre’smarkingoflearner’s work.

Followinginternalstandardisation,centressubmitmarkstoOCRandthemoderator.Ifthereare10

orfewerlearners,alltheworkshouldbesubmittedformoderationatthesametimeasmarksaresubmitted.

OncemarkshavebeensubmittedtoOCRandyourmoderator,centreswillreceiveamoderationsamplerequest.Sampleswillincludeworkfromacrosstherangeofattainmentofthelearners’work.



4

Therearetwowaystosubmitasample:

Moderation via the OCR Repository–WhereyouuploadelectroniccopiesoftheworkincludedinthesampletotheOCRRepositoryandyourmoderatoraccessestheworkfromthere.

Postal moderation–WhereyoupostthesampleofworktothemoderatorelectronicallyusingCD,DVDorUSBPenDrive.Nopaperbasedsampleofworkwillbeacceptedforthisqualification.

Themethodthatwillbeusedtosubmitthemoderationsamplemustbespecifiedwhenmakingentries.TherelevantentrycodesaregiveninSection4aabove.

Alllearners’workmustbesubmittedusingthesameentryoption.Itisnotpossibleforcentrestoofferbothoptionswithinthesameseries.

Each learner’s work should have a cover sheet attachedtoitwithasummaryofthemarksawardedforthetasks.Iftheworkistobesubmittedindigitalformat,thiscoversheetshouldalsobesubmittedelectronicallywithineachlearner’sfolder.Formoreinformationontheevidencerequiredformoderation,seesection5eFiles.

Centreswillreceivetheoutcomeofmoderationwhentheprovisionalresultsareissued.Thiswillinclude:

Moderation Adjustments Report–Listingany scalingthathasbeenappliedtointernallyassessedcomponents.

Moderator Report to Centres–Abriefreportbythemoderatorontheinternalassessmentoflearners’work.

SeeAppendix5eforfilerequirements.

4d. Results and certificates

Grade Scale

EntryLevelqualificationsaregradedonthescale:Entry3,Entry2andEntry1,whereEntry3isthehighestgradeavailable.Learnerswhofailtoreachthe

minimumstandardofEntry1willbeUnclassified(U).OnlysubjectsinwhichgradesEntry3,Entry2andEntry1areattainedwillberecordedoncertificates.

Results

Results are released to centres and learners for informationandtoallowanyqueriestoberesolvedbeforecertificatesareissued.

Centreswillhaveaccesstothefollowingresultsinformationforeachlearner:

• thegradeforthequalification

• thetotalmarkforthequalification.

Thefollowingsupportinginformationwillbeavailable:

• gradeboundariesforeachentryoption.

Untilcertificatesareissued,resultsaredeemedtobeprovisionalandmaybesubjecttoamendment.

Alearner’sfinalresultswillberecordedonanOCRcertificate.Thequalificationtitlewillbeshownonthecertificateas‘OCREntryLevelCertificateinComputerScience’.

32© OCR 2016


4e. Post-results services

Anumberofpost-resultsservicesareavailable:

• Enquiries about results–Ifyouarenothappywiththeoutcomeofalearner’sresults,centresmaysubmitanenquiryaboutresults.

• Missing and incomplete results–Thisserviceshouldbeusedifanindividualsubjectresultforalearnerismissing,orthelearnerhasbeenomittedentirelyfromtheresultssupplied.

4f. Centre malpractice guidance

ItistheresponsibilityoftheHeadofCentretoreport(inwriting)allcasesofsuspectedmalpracticeinvolvingcentrestafforlearners,[email protected].

WhenaskedtodosobyOCR,HeadsofCentresarerequiredtoinvestigateinstancesofmalpractice

promptly,[email protected].

FurtherinformationiscontainedintheJCQpublication: General and Vocational Qualifications – Suspected Malpractice in Examinations and Assessments whichisavailablefromwww.jcq.org.uk.

4





http://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/


5

5a. Awarding of grades

ThegradesawardedfortheEntryLevelCertificateinComputerSciencewillbeatthreelevels:Entry1,Entry2andEntry3.

Allmarkschemeshavebeenwrittentoaddressthefollowingtargetedthresholds:

5 Appendices

Specification Grade Entry 3 Entry 2 Entry 1

Target 80% 60% 40%

5b. Overlap with other qualifications

ThereissomeoverlapofcontentwiththeOCRGCSE(9–1)inComputerScience,althoughtheassessmentrequirementsaredifferent.Theremaybeasmall

degreeofoverlapbetweenthecontentofthisspecificationandthoseforotherEntryLevelCertificatesinComputerScience.

5c. Key skills sections

ThisspecificationprovidesopportunitiesforthedevelopmentoftheKeySkillsofCommunication, Application of Number, Information Technology, Working with Others, Improving Own Learning and Performance and Problem Solving at Level 1. However,theextenttowhichthisevidencefulfilstheKeySkillscriteriaattheselevelswillbetotally

dependentonthestyleofteachingandlearningadoptedforeachunit.

ThefollowingtableindicateswhereopportunitiesmayexistforatleastsomecoverageofthevariousKeySkillscriteriaatLevel1foreachunit.

Unit C1

AoN1

IT1

WwO1

IoLP1

PS1

R354 ü ü ü ü ü ü

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5d. Mathematical skills requirement

InthecontextofAssessmentObjective2,‘apply’meansusingknowledgeandunderstandinginaparticularcontextorcontexts.Itincludesbothpracticalandtheoreticalcontexts,andtheuseofcomputing-relatedmathematicswithinthosecontexts.

MathematicalSkillswithintheEntryLevelCertificateinComputerScienceare:• Useofmathematicaloperators

• Addition,Subtraction,MultiplicationandDivision

• UseofBooleanComparison• Greaterthana>b• Lessthana<b• Equaltoa==b• Notequaltoa!=b

• UseofBooleanLogic• AND• OR• NOT

• NumberSystemandBases• Base2(Binary)• Base10(Denary)

Use of Calculators

RegulationsgoverningexaminationarrangementsarecontainedintheJCQpublicationInstructions for Conducting Examinations.

LearnersarepermittedtouseascientificorgraphicalcalculatorforEntryLevelinComputerScience.CalculatorsaresubjecttotherulesinthedocumentInstructions for Conducting ExaminationspublishedannuallybyJCQ(www.jcq.org.uk)

http://www.jcq.org.uk


5

5e. Files

Structure for evidence

Aninternalassessmentportfolioisacollectionoffoldersandfilescontainingthelearner’sevidence.Whenusingelectronicstorage,foldersshouldbeorganisedinastructuredwaysothattheevidencecanbeaccessedeasilybyateacherormoderator.Thisstructureiscommonlyknownasafoldertree. Itwouldbehelpfulifthelocationofparticularevidenceismadeclearbynamingeachfileandfolderappropriatelyandbyuseofanindexcalled‘HomePage’.

Thereshouldbeatoplevelfolderdetailingthelearner’scentrenumber,learnernumber,surnameandforename,togetherwiththeunitcodeR354,sothattheportfolioisclearlyidentifiedastheworkofone learner.

Eachlearnerproducesanassignmentforinternalassessment.Theevidenceshouldbecontained withinthelearner’sfolderwithintheportfolio. Thisfoldermaycontainseparatefiles.Eachfilenamemustusethefollowingnamingconvention:candidatenumber_candidatename_filename.Wheremultiplefilesexist,namingmustindicatethecontentsofthefiletothemoderator.MoreinformationontheuseofOCRRepositoryguidecanbedownloadedusingthislinkhttp://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/15518-ocr-repository-centre-user-guide.pdf

Eachlearner’sinternalassessmentportfolioshouldbestoredsecurely,eitherinasecureareaontheCentre’snetwork,orothersuitablysecurestoragedevice.Centresareremindedthatitisgoodpracticetokeepabackupofalllearners’work.Thisisespeciallyimportantwhensendingelectronicallyviapostalsubmission.PriortosubmittingtheinternalassessmentportfoliotoOCR,thecentreshouldadd

thecentredeclarationformandUnitRecordSheet(URS)forthelearner’ssubmission.

Data formats for evidence

Inordertominimisesoftwareandhardwarecompatibilityissuesitwillbenecessarytosavelearners’workusinganappropriatefileformat.

Learnersmustuseformatsappropriatetotheevidencethattheyareprovidingandappropriate toviewingforassessmentandmoderation.Open fileformatsorproprietaryformatsforwhichadownloadablereaderorplayerisavailableareacceptable.Wherethisisnotavailable,thefile formatisnotacceptable.

Electronicinternalassessmentisdesignedtogivelearnersanopportunitytodemonstratewhattheyknow,understandandcandousingcurrenttechnology.Learnersdonotgainmarksforusingmoresophisticatedformatsorforusingarangeofformats.Alearnerwhochoosestouseonlyworddocumentswillnotbedisadvantagedbythatchoice.

EvidencesubmittedfortheProgrammingProjectislikelytobeintheformofawordprocesseddocument,oraPDFversionofthesubmission.

Toensurecompatibility,allfilessubmittedmustbeintheformatslistedbelow.Wherenewformatsbecomeavailablethatmightbeacceptable,OCRwillprovidefurtherguidance.OCRadvisesagainstchangingthefileformatthatthedocumentwasoriginallycreatedin.Itisthecentre’sresponsibilitytoensurethattheelectronicportfoliossubmittedformoderationareaccessibletothemoderatorandfullyrepresenttheevidence available for each learner.

http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/15518-ocr-repository-centre-user-guide.pdf

http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/15518-ocr-repository-centre-user-guide.pdf

36© OCR 2016


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Accepted File Formats

Movie formats for digital video evidence:

MPEG(*.mpg)

QuickTimemovie(*.mov)

MacromediaShockwave(*.aam)

MacromediaShockwave(*.dcr)

Flash(*.swf)

WindowsMediaFile(*.wmf)

MPEGVideoLayer4(*.mp4)

Audio or sound formats:

MPEGAudioLayer3(*.mp3)

Graphics formats including photographic evidence:

JPEG(*.jpg)

Graphicsfile(*.pcx)

MSbitmap(*.bmp)

GIFimages(*.gif)

Animation formats:

MacromediaFlash(*.fla)

Structured markup formats:

XML(*xml)

Text formats:

CommaSeparatedValues(.csv)

PDF(.pdf)

Richtextformat(.rtf)

Textdocument(.txt)

Microsoft Office suite:

PowerPoint(.ppt)

Word(.doc)

Excel(.xls)

Visio(.vsd)

Project(.mpp)


5

5f. Interim awards

TheEntryLevelCertificateinComputerSciencecoursewillleadtofinalcertificationbyOCRatEntryLevel1,2or3.However,thisspecificationalsoprovidestheopportunityforinterimcertificationtobeachievedbylearnersatstagesduringthecourse.Theseinterimcertificatesareavailableatthreedifferentlevels:Bronze,SilverandGold.Thesecertificatesareawardedtolearnersbythecentreinrecognitionoftheprogresstheyhavemade.

ThecentremayawardinterimcertificatesatBronze,SilverandGold,asdescribedbelow.Theseinterimawardsprovidemotivationandmaintainengagementbyrecognisinglearners’progressintheOCREntryLevelCertificateinComputerScience.ThecertificatesareavailabletodownloadviaInterchange (https://interchange.ocr.org.uk/).Choose‘courseworkandtests’andthen‘entryleveltasks’.Alternativelyusethislink,ifyouarealreadyloggedintotheInterchangehttps://interchange.ocr.org.uk/modules/controlledmaterials/controlledmaterialsentrylevel.aspx?menuindex=246

Awardsarebasedoncreditaccumulationduringthecourse. Any combinationofmarksgainedfrom theinterimassessmenttaskscanbeusedtoreachthethresholdtotalforeachlevelofinterimawards.

Teacherswillneedtomonitortheperformanceoflearnersatfrequentintervalsduringthecourse.AstheyapproachthethreekeypointsfortheinterimawardsofBronze,SilverandGold,learnersshouldbeawareofhowclosetheyaretoachievingtheiraward.

Bronze Award (40%): Threshold: 40 marksAnexampleofaperformanceforBronzeaward wouldbe:

Computer Systems:Computerhardwareand software – 7marksoutof20Computermemoryandstorage,Moral,legal,culturaland environmentalconcerns – 8marksoutof20

Computational thinking, algorithms and programming:Computationallogicand algorithms – 8marksoutof20Programmingtechniquesanddata representation – 7marksoutof20

Programming project: 10marksoutof20Thisrepresentsanoverallachievementof40%.

Silver Award (60%): Threshold: 60 marksAnexampleofaperformanceforSilveraward wouldbe:

Computer Systems:Computerhardwareand software –12marksoutof20Computermemoryandstorage, Moral,legal,culturaland environmentalconcerns –13marksoutof20

Computational thinking, algorithms and programming:Computationallogicand algorithms –13marksoutof20Programmingtechniques anddatarepresentation –10marksoutof20

Programming project – 12marksoutof20Thisrepresentsanoverallachievementof60%.

Gold Award (80%): Threshold: 80 marksAnexampleofaperformanceforGoldaward wouldbe:

Computer System:Computerhardwareand software –17marksoutof20Computermemoryandstorage,Moral,legal,culturaland environmentalconcerns –17marksoutof20

https://interchange.ocr.org.uk/

https://interchange.ocr.org.uk/modules/controlledmaterials/controlledmaterialsentrylevel.aspx?menuindex=246



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5

Computational thinking, algorithms and programming:Computationallogicand algorithms –16marksoutof20Programmingtechniquesand datarepresentation –14marksoutof20

Programming project: 16marksoutof20Thisrepresentsanoverallachievementof80%.

InterimcertificatesforBronze,SilverandGoldawardscanbeawardedbycentresatanytimeduringtheEntryLevelcourse,butfinalgradecertificateswillonlybeissuedbyOCRwhenlearnershavecompletedtheOCREntryLevelCertificateinComputerScience.


Summary of updates

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May2018 1.1 Frontcover Disclaimer Additionofdisclaimer

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