CAS London

A level projects

Garfield Gordon and Trevor Bragg

Content

1 Examination Board Expectations: AQA, OCR & Welsh Board

2 Sample projects and use of RAG

3 Assessment: What is Complex up to A grade?

4 Suggested Projects from 2017

5 Q and A
 Examination Board Expectations:

Although all 3 would

welcome a well
Selected
designed, coded and
documented Computing
project, it would
currently seem that Selected
OCR have shifted the
most from an ICT
Project and WJEC the
least. Selected

Undecided
Amount of whole A level in Project Unit

Board % of A Level
AQA 20
OCR 20
WJEC 20
Latest words from OCR, February 2017
Hi Trevor, the A Level projects are an opportunity for candidates to
demonstrate their abilities in a way that solves a real world
problem. As the numbers are steadily increasing for A Level CS, we are seeing a
lot of ICT teachers teaching A Level and
so the project ideas have a tendency to be very like ICT projects and many we
see are basic database projects as you described.
The key issue is complexity as some ICT style projects we see lack any
computation and don’t utilise any algorithms.
and so are not complex enough for an A Level project.
We have a complexity guide on the website that explores this issue:
http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce-computer-science-
h046-h446-from-2015/
Latest words from OCR, February 2017
We advise centres to use the previous specs exemplar work,
as these were chosen specifically to reflect what we expect in the new
specification.
We will release up to date exemplars as soon as we get some in next year.
http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/269250-f454-exemplar-candidate-work-
project-a-high-band-.pdf
http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/269251-f454-exemplar-candidate-work-
project-b-high-band-.pdf
http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/269252-f454-exemplar-candidate-work-
project-c-mid-band-.pdf
Please also have a look at all the teaching and learning resources we have
produced for the new specification.
We are also to happy look over any project proposals your students
create and can offer feedback as to whether
they are suitable or not. Please email these to
computerscience@ocr.org .
Many thanks

Robert Leeman Computer Science/ICT Subject Specialist

Programming Languages
 Programming Languages

Allow any Programming language for student projects, however for

other Exam units AQA support the following:
 Projects
A-level Computer Science (7517). AS exams May/June 2016
onwards. A-level exams May/June 2017 onwards
SKILLS ASSESSED PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
The most important skill that should There is an expectation that within
be assessed through the project is a centre, the problems chosen by
a student's ability to create a
students to solve or investigate
programmed solution to a problem
or investigation. This is recognised will be sufficiently different to
by allocating 42 of the 75 available avoid the work of one student
marks to the technical solution and informing the work of another
a lower proportion of marks for because they are working on the
supporting documentation to reflect same problem or investigation.
the expectation that reporting of the
problem, its analysis, the design of
a solution or plan of an
investigation and testing and
evaluation will be concise.
GCE CS from 2015, first projects due June 2017
In 2016 , first Unit 1 and 2 exams so have examiners report, In June
2017, first Unit 3 and 4 exams and unit 5 projects
so as of now, little information on new Unit 5 Projects
Unit 5 Computer Architecture, Data,
Communication and Applications
Unit 5 provides an opportunity for learners to develop
system development and programming skills. They must
discuss, investigate, design, prototype, refine and
implement, test and evaluate a computerised solution to
a problem chosen by the candidate which must be solved
using original code (programming).
This is a substantial piece of work, undertaken over an
extended period of time.
Unit 5 Computer Architecture, Data,
Communication and Applications
Learners will need to apply the areas specified in the Programmed
Solution to a Problem section
of the specification, which are:

• Discussion
• Investigation
• Design
• Prototype
• Post-prototype refinement of design

This unit has been designed to more closely emulate an iterative design
methodology and gives evaluation and redevelopment a far greater
emphasis than before. The requirement for extraneous documentation
has been removed.
WJEC resources
www.wjec.co.uk/supporting/qualification-reform-wales/gce-
as-and-a-levels-from-2015/index.html
Free subject specific resources available for all to download
from our website

http://resources.wjec.co.uk/
Free digital resources to support the teaching and learning

http://www.wjec.co.uk/shop/
A vast range of educational resources, specifications, past
papers and mark schemes to support the teaching and
learning of subjects offered by WJEC

https://www.wjecservices.co.uk/
A range of resources material only available to teachers

Cambridge university press (CUP) online elevate resource

 Exemplar Projects
Review
Assessment
Project Lifecycle
Analysis Design
• Checklist\RAG Implementation Testing
Evaluation

58%
16%

10% 10%
6%

https://1drv.ms/w/s!Anem-BHijilGpkC2KEKsV8HVIEPg
Assessment: What is Complex up to A grade?
Common Patterns
• User Interface – Screen switching

• Data sources – CRUD

• Data sharing (in memory)

• “Intelligence”
• Programming Paradigm
 Project Complexity Resources

OCR have a complexity guide on their website that

explores this issue:
http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce-computer-science-h046-h446-from-2015/

AQA instruct assessors to reduce the marks of a Project

not of A level standard downwards by two levels. See
4.14.4
AQA Project tasks that are not of A-
level standard
4.14.4 Project tasks that are not of A-level standard. If the task
(problem or investigation) selected for a project is not of A-level
standard, mark the project against the criteria given, but adjust, the
mark awarded downwards by two marking levels (two marks in the
case of evaluation) in each section for all but the technical solution. You
should have already taken the standard into account for this, by directly
applying the criteria. For example, if a student had produced a 'fully or
nearly fully articulated design of a real problem describing how solution
is to be structured/is structured'. This would, for an A-level standard
project, achieve a mark in level 4 for Documented Design (10–12
marks). If the problem selected was too simple to be of A-level standard
but the same criteria had been fulfilled, shift the mark awarded down by
two levels, into level 2, an award of 4–6 marks. If a downward shift by
two levels is not possible, then a mark in the lowest level should be
awarded.
http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/computing/specifications/AQA-7516-7517-SP-2015.PDF
Sample project from WJEC, too ICT
for OCR
Sample projects from AQA, but ok
for others too
A simulation of a business or scientific nature, or an investigation of a well-known problem such as the
game of life
A solution to a data processing problem for an organisation, such as membership systems
The solution of an optimisation problem, such as production of a rota, shortest-path problems or route
finding
A computer game
An application of Artificial Intelligence
A control system, operated using a device such as an Arduino board
A website with dynamic content, driven by a database back-end
An app for a mobile phone or tablet
An investigation into an area of computing, such as rendering a three-dimensional world on screen
Investigating an area of data science using, for example, Twitter feed data or online public data sets
Investigating machine learning algorithms

Ensure Coding is of a Complex nature to access the highest marks

CAS London A level projects

For further support e-mail:

Trevor Bragg
trevor.bragg@computingatschool.org.uk

Garfield Gordon
garfield.gordon@btinternet.com