Wales Β· WJECSyllabus
Computer Science syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the Wales Computer Sciencesyllabus, with a focused answer for each one. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions, and links to related dot points. Written by Claude Opus 4.8, Anthropic's latest AI.
Unit 1 Fundamentals of Computer Science
Module overview β- How do we design, express and judge the efficiency of an algorithm, and which standard searching and sorting algorithms must I know?Design algorithms in pseudocode, apply the standard searching and sorting algorithms, and compare algorithm efficiency.13 min answer β
- How do networks connect computers, and what roles do topologies, protocols and the internet play in moving data?Describe networks and topologies, transmission media and methods, protocols and the TCP/IP stack, and how the internet works.13 min answer β
- How does a computer represent numbers, text, sound and images using only binary digits?Represent numbers in binary, hexadecimal and two's complement, perform binary arithmetic, and represent characters, sound and images as binary data.13 min answer β
- How do arrays, records, stacks, queues, trees and hash tables organise data, and when is each one the right choice?Describe and use arrays, records, lists, stacks, queues, trees and hash tables, and explain their operations and uses.13 min answer β
- How is a computer built from a processor, memory and storage, and how does the fetch-execute cycle run a program?Describe the von Neumann architecture, the components of the CPU, the fetch-execute cycle, memory and the storage hierarchy.13 min answer β
- How do Boolean logic, logic gates and truth tables describe and simplify the operations inside a processor?Use Boolean algebra, logic gates and truth tables to represent and simplify logical operations.12 min answer β
- How is data organised in files and databases, and why does normalising a database remove redundancy and anomalies?Describe files, fields and records, relational databases, normalisation, basic SQL, and validation and verification.13 min answer β
- What are the building blocks of a program, and how do sequence, selection, iteration, procedures and recursion combine to express any algorithm?Explain the principles of programming: data types, the three control structures, procedures and functions, parameter passing and recursion.13 min answer β
- How is data kept secure and accurate, and what laws and ethical duties govern the use of computers and data?Describe data security threats and protection, encryption, data integrity, and the legislation and ethics governing computer use.12 min answer β
- What are the layers of software, and how does the operating system manage the hardware on behalf of programs?Describe systems, application and utility software, the functions of the operating system, translators, and modes of operation.12 min answer β
Unit 2 Practical Programming to Solve Problems
Module overview βUnit 3 Programming and System Development
Module overview β- How is data kept secure, accurate and recoverable in a software system, and how do backup, validation and encryption protect it?Describe data security and integrity measures: backup and recovery, validation and verification, error detection, and encryption in depth.12 min answer β
- How are advanced data structures built and traversed, and how do recursion and advanced algorithms operate on them?Describe and apply advanced data structures and algorithms: linked lists, trees and their traversals, recursion, and advanced searching and sorting.13 min answer β
- How is data transmitted reliably across networks, and how do protocols, layers and network security work in depth?Describe data transmission methods, packet switching, the layered protocol model, network hardware, and network security in depth.13 min answer β
- What are the main programming paradigms, and how does object-oriented programming use classes, objects and inheritance?Explain the procedural, object-oriented and declarative paradigms, and describe classes, objects, encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism.13 min answer β
- How are complex Boolean expressions simplified with Karnaugh maps, and how do programming constructs build a working program?Simplify Boolean expressions using Boolean algebra and Karnaugh maps, and use programming constructs to construct programs.13 min answer β
- How is a system designed, tested, installed and maintained so that it is reliable and meets its requirements?Describe system design, testing strategies, methods of installation and changeover, documentation, evaluation and maintenance.13 min answer β
- How is a software system developed from a problem to a solution, and what stages and methodologies guide the process?Describe the systems development life cycle, its stages, and development methodologies including the waterfall and agile approaches.13 min answer β
Unit 4 Computer Architecture, Data, Communication and Applications
Module overview β- How are computing techniques such as artificial intelligence and machine learning applied, and what are their capabilities and limits?Describe applications of computer science including artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation and modern computing applications.12 min answer β
- How are real numbers represented in floating point, and how is normalisation used to store them precisely?Describe advanced data representation: floating-point numbers, normalisation, fixed-point, and the limits of representing real numbers.13 min answer β
- How is modern computer architecture organised, and how do parallel processing and communication hardware improve performance?Describe computer architecture in depth: processor design, parallel processing, peripherals, and the hardware and methods of communication.13 min answer β
- How is large-scale data organised in normalised relational databases, and how do big data and data warehousing extend this?Describe the organisation and structure of data: relational databases, normalisation to third normal form, SQL, and big data and data warehousing.13 min answer β
- How does low-level assembly language work, and how do addressing modes let instructions reach their operands?Describe low-level programming: machine code and assembly language, the instruction set, and addressing modes.12 min answer β
- What are the ethical, legal, social and environmental impacts of computing, and how should they guide responsible use?Evaluate the ethical, legal, social and environmental impacts of computer science and the relevant legislation.12 min answer β